Hawks penalty kill improving, but Red Wings get preseason win

Penalties kill, unless you penalty kill.

It's been a highly discussed topic this training camp and preseason for the Blackhawks, their new - and fast, it should be importantly noted - penalty kill, and it's something head coach Luke Richardson wants to talk more about.

"You know, that's something where we always seem to practice the power play more than the penalty kill," Richardson said after their first preseason game in which they allowed 3 power play goals.

"I've always been frustrated with that over the years. So that's something that definitely will change. And I think obviously, tonight brought that to light to make sure that we do do that."

Fast-forward to Saturday night against the Red Wings, and the high-flying penalty kill was in full effect.

The Hawks went 4-for-4 with a man down but were ultimately defeated 3-0 in their final preseason game in the United Center.

With 7:30 in the first period, and with Tyler Johnson in the box, Josiah Slavin tuned into that aggressive mentality. Alongside Isaak Phillips and Philipp Kurashev, he harassed the Red Wings power play unit for a straight minute, not allowing entrance into their zone.

The kill was successful again at the end of the first and again a little over halfway through the second. However, 5-on-5 play was less than stellar for the home team. The Red Wings put three even-strength goals past Stalock in the third.

So the Blackhawks remained perfect Saturday night on the kill but remained imperfect on even strength play.

<h3 class="leadin">Goalie action:</h3>

Alex Stalock played one game in the NHL last year for the San Jose Sharks, and since his time with the Minnesota Wild (2017-2020), he's bounced around a bit in the AHL. On Saturday night, while facing talented NHL names such as Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, Stalock stood tall, facing 35 shots on goal, and saving 32.

Three goals isn't exactly a flashy game for any goaltender, but every goal he allowed came on either a broken play or a defensive lapse.

"He gave us a real good chance (tonight)," Richardson said, "and I know he hasn't played a lot in the last year, so I'm sure that's a confidence builder for him."

<h3 class="leadin">Keeping up with the Johnsons:</h3>

If the Johnsons seemed to be everywhere all the time Saturday night, maybe it was because there were three of them playing for the Blackhawks, or maybe it was because the three of them were actually everywhere all the time.

Defenseman Jack Johnson recorded 1 shot, 2 hits, and 1 blocked shot. Center Reese Johnson recorded 2 shots and 4 hits. And the other center, Tyler Johnson, recorded 2 shot, 3 takeaways, and 4 penalty minutes, helping the team work on its penalty kill.