The Chicago Blackhawks’ young roster faced a tall task in the 2025-26 season opener on Tuesday against the two-time defending champion Florida Panthers. Even without cornerstones Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk in the lineup, a formidable Florida bunch hit the ice to celebrate its 2025 Stanley Cup victory in front of a raucous crowd at Amerant Bank Arena.
Considering the disparity in the two teams’ statuses entering the new season, the Blackhawks put up a respectable fight in a hostile environment. In the end, the Panthers came away with a 3-2 win, but there were plenty of promising moments from the Hawks’ inexperienced and youth-filled lineup. Especially in the first game under new head coach Jeff Blashill.
Here are the key stats and takeaways from the Blackhawks’ unsurprising, yet also somewhat inspiring, first loss of the year.
Nazar’s Line Shines
The Blackhawks’ second line of Teuvo Teravainen, Frank Nazar, and Tyler Bertuzzi was responsible for both of the team’s goals on Tuesday. Nazar opened the scoring with a beautiful breakaway goal in the first period, while Teravainen converted on a 2-on-1 in the second period to tie the game 2-2.
All three forwards tallied two points and were the best players on the ice for the road squad. If the second line can be a consistent force behind Connor Bedard this year, that will do wonders for the Blackhawks’ offensive upside.
Nazar picked up where he left off in the preseason and utilized his speed in transition to record a goal, in addition to a primary assist. The 2022 13th overall pick sure looks like he’s ready to break out in a big-time way in his first full NHL season. After just one game, I’m already wondering if my 59-point prediction was too low…
Bertuzzi picked up a pair of assists on the night, and both were instrumental in his linemates finding the back of the net. The 30-year-old winger made an excellent play to spring Nazar for a breakaway, and he later created the odd-man rush that led to Teravainen’s game-tying goal. There was an added emphasis behind Bertuzzi getting off to a faster start this season, so this was an ideal showing in that regard.
Teravainen’s pace meshed well with Nazar, and he also made a few sturdy defensive plays in this game. His well-rounded makeup is a perfect fit on the second line alongside both players.
Spencer Knight’s Busy Night
Spencer Knight returned to Sunrise for the first time since being traded by the Panthers, and he did not disappoint in his homecoming. Knight stopped 34 of the 37 shots that Florida flung in his direction, with 16 of his saves coming in the opening 20 minutes. The 24-year-old netminder was tested right from the jump, and he responded marvelously to prevent the game from getting out of hand in the first period.
Knight kept the Blackhawks alive up until the very end, and the game likely wouldn’t have been close without his strong performance. The Panthers generated a whopping 18 high-danger scoring chances on Tuesday, with Knight stopping all but two.
Considering all the young defensemen on the team, Knight is sure to face plenty of rubber throughout the season. That’s simply going to happen with all the inexperience on the backend. But like he did a few times late last year after joining the Blackhawks, Knight flashed the ability to go and steal a game in net. The team in front of him didn’t do enough to get the victory, but Knight gave his team a chance. If he does that more times than not as the new No. 1 goaltender, the Hawks will win more games in 2025-26.
A classy gesture by the Panthers organization, Knight received a tribute video on the Jumbotron during a TV timeout in the first period.
Second Period Success
The best period of the night for the Blackhawks was undoubtedly the second period, as they settled into the game nicely after a pretty disastrous start. Blashill managed to compose his team, and they ended up scoring the only goal of the period.
The Blackhawks led the Panthers 20-14 in shot attempts, 11-9 in shots on goal, and 9-5 in scoring chances in all situations during the second period, according to NaturalStatTrick.
The resiliency of the young Hawks was impressive in the middle frame, and it showed they have the capability of battling with top NHL teams. Now, it’s all about putting it together for a full 60 minutes. That’s the real battle for this club.
Odd-Period Struggles
The first and third periods gave the Blackhawks fits in the season opener. The Panthers dominated both frames, leading 55-32 in shot attempts, 28-9 in shots on goal, 33-11 in scoring chances, and 15-3 in high-danger chances in all situations.
The Blackhawks are going to be an inconsistent group, but they have to do a better job of managing the momentum swings throughout a game moving forward. The third period, in particular, was most disappointing, considering how well they played in the second to claw back into the fight.
Entering the third period with a 2-2 score, the Blackhawks had an opportunity to steal two points away from the (two-time) champs, but they were hemmed in the defensive zone for most of the 20 minutes.
The Panthers led 11-6 in shots on goal, 13-7 in scoring chances, and 6-2 in high-danger chances in the third period with the game in the balance.
Bad Night For Bedard’s Linemates
Connor Bedard flashed his uptick in speed and had several quality scoring opportunities that were stopped by Panthers’ netminder Sergei Bobrovsky. He also had his first shot attempt of the season ring off the crossbar less than two minutes into the game.
Bedard ended up without a point in the season opener, but he led the Blackhawks in shot attempts (6) and individual scoring chances (3). The 2023 No. 1 overall pick looked the part on Tuesday; he just didn’t get the finished product.
Perhaps Bedard’s best highlight of the night, he left former Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones in the dust on a 1-on-1 while speeding into the Panthers’ zone.
While Bedard pieced together a strong season debut, the same can’t be said for his two linemates. Both Andre Burakovsky and Ryan Donato were lackluster against Florida, which led to Blashill mixing up his forward lines in the third period.
Burakovsky wasn’t noticeable during his preseason action, and that was the case again in his first regular-season appearance with the Blackhawks. The 30-year-old forward failed to record a shot on goal and had just one individual scoring chance in 15:40 of ice time.
Donato only tallied one shot on goal and was replaced by Ilya Mikheyev for the final 20 minutes. It’s only one game, but it was a disappointing start for the Blackhawks’ leading goal-scorer from last season.
For Bedard to take that next step in his third NHL season, he’ll need more support from his linemates than he received on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
The Blackhawks will look to earn their first victory of the season on Thursday, October 7th, against the Boston Bruins. The game is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at TD Garden and will be televised on CHSN, SN, and NESN.
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