In his first game back in a Chicago Blackhawks uniform, Patrick Kane didn’t disappoint. Unfortunately, in Chicago’s first game back in NHL action, the rest of the team did, falling 5-2 against the Vegas Golden Knights. Especially the top line around Kane. Thus, head coach Jeff Blashill took it upon himself to reshuffle the top forward unit.
During the Blackhawks‘ first game of the 2026-27 NHL season, and Kane’s first game back with the team, the three-time Stanley Cup champion was joined on the top forward line by youngsters Oliver Moore and Roman Kantserov, who was making his league debut.
The line’s average age was 26.7 years, and that was brought up by 37-year-old Kane playing next to 21- and 22-year-olds. However, they couldn’t produce much. Thus, Blashill has now changed things up across the Blackhawks’ lines.
As reported by Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago showed new lines in practice after the loss to the Golden Knights in Las Vegas. Kane was joined by veteran and fellow alternate captain Tyler Bertuzzi (31) and rookie Anton Frondell (19).
| LW | C | RW |
| Tyler Bertuzzi | Anton Frondell | Patrick Kane |
| Teuvo Teravainen | Roman Kantserov | Nick Lardis |
| Ryan Donato | Frank Nazar | Oliver Moore |
| Cole Smith | Ryan Greene | Jordan Greenway |
Changes all over the lineup
Frondell had played alongside Bertuzzi on the second line on opening night, along with Andrew Mangiapane, who is out with a lower-body injury. As for Moore and Kantserov, they have been split up.
Moore is now on the third line with Frank Nazar and Ryan Donato, while Kantserov was moved down by Blashill to the second line, centering a line with Teuvo Teravainen and Nick Lardis.
Tough night for Chicago’s first line
Though Kane scored a goal to momentarily trim the Hawks’ deficit to 3-2, his goal was unassisted, and his linemates couldn’t get much going. While Moore was playing in his 61st NHL game, Kantserov was making his pro debut in North America. Not even Kane, with 1,370 games under his belt, could help the inexperienced duo against last season’s runners-up, the Golden Knights.
Clearly, something must change for the Hawks. Indeed, they must work on their turnovers and limit the number of odd-man chances they give up, but it will also take a different formula. And Blashill wasted no time doing so, as he’s already experimenting with different combinations after only one game in the 2026-27 NHL campaign.
While Bedard let Blashill and the Blackhawks know his true feelings about being sidelined, Chicago won’t rush him back. For the time being, it will be trial and error until Blashill finds the perfect lines in Windy City, and with Bedard out of the picture, the team may be in for more misses than hits.
Key takeaways
- Head coach Jeff Blashill reshuffled the lines following a loss to Las Vegas.
- Patrick Kane is on a new top line with Tyler Bertuzzi and Anton Frondell.
- Kane scored an unassisted goal to reduce Chicago’s deficit to 3-2.
