LAS VEGAS — Nineteen years after Patrick Kane played his first game for the Chicago Blackhawks, he made another debut with the team that drafted him with the No. 1 pick in 2007.
This time, the Vegas Golden Knights closed the curtain on Showtime.
Tuesday night’s season opener was Kane’s first game in a Hawks sweater since Feb. 22, 2023, and while it was a quality return for Kane — including a third-period goal — Vegas used a dominant first period to cruise to a 5-2 win.
The Golden Knights have won five of their last six games against the Hawks, who lost their third straight season opener.
“They’re a great team, they’ve got a lot of great players, they know how to play,” Kane said of last season’s Western Conference champions. “(They put a) lot of pressure on the puck, tough to play against.
“Just got to find a way to get better and better as the season goes on here, but obviously a tough start.”
With the Hawks down 3-1 in the third period, Kane used a pretty set of stick moves to score his first Hawks goal since that same 2023 game in Dallas. He finished with eight shots — four on goal — in 21 minutes, 36 seconds of ice time.
“Your eyes get pretty wide when the puck goes by the defenseman and you’re coming in on a breakaway and chasing up to the puck,” Kane said about his goal. “Just wanted to be patient with it, take my time, make him make a move first and hang on to it.
“Nice it worked out, obviously a pretty good feeling.”
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That moment didn’t have time to marinate, as Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin scored the dagger 39 seconds later.
Overall it was a bittersweet night for Kane, who signed a two-year deal with the Hawks in July.
“I’m sure there’s a bunch of lessons in there we can learn from,” Kane said. “Obviously, Game 1, you take these games and try to learn from it and get better as a team.”
Kane skated on the top line with Roman Kantserov centering and Oliver Moore on the left wing. The 37-year-old is creating a mentor-type relationship with the 22-year-old Kantserov, helping the Russian rookie in practice and communicating on the ice.
“I thought we had some looks, probably just one play away here or there,” Kane said of his line. “Sometimes you learn from video and different things where you see time and space — make a play, get the puck to the net, whatever it may be.”
General manager Kyle Davidson, who spoke with the media pregame, has noticed that connection too.
“Kaner is someone that can provide Roman a lot of guidance and advice, and I feel like they’ve kind of clicked in training camp and you see some chemistry there,” Davidson said. “So there’s certainly something to that with their little partnership that they’ve got going on.”
It was a horrid opening 20 minutes on all fronts for the Hawks. The new lines that coach Jeff Blashill ran out didn’t have an iota of chemistry, while the Golden Knights had a field day against the Hawks defense.
The Hawks’ first shot on goal came with 7:40 left in the first period. They were outshot 15-6 in the period.
“I didn’t think we were very good in the first,” Blashill said. “Really shaky with the puck. We didn’t execute and make crisp, clean plays.
“We’d break into the zone, give it away and that weighs you on your heels if you’re turning pucks over in those areas like we did. We got way better as the game went along in terms of our gaps.”
The Hawks, much like last season, gave up too many odd-man rushes and quick-response goals. Goalie Spencer Knight tried his best, saving 32 of 36 shots, but couldn’t lift his team over last season’s Stanley Cup runner-up.
“Last year’s last year,” Blashill said. “I don’t think it’s something that carries over, per se; it’s a different team. I just think as we get better, more confident, you find ways to have that next shift be really good.”
Despite the loss, the Hawks roster is the most solidified it has been in a while. They are the NHL’s youngest team, but training camp had fewer personnel questions than in recent years.
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Davidson said there will be ups and downs — Tuesday was certainly a down — but he has confidence in this team.
“I believe in this group,” he said. “There’s a ton of talent. It’s young, it’s raw and it’s figuring out its way still, but they’re also experienced to the point where they can expect more and continue to take steps. We talk about playing meaningful games, but (if) you want to push for something, you have to expect that walking in (and) you have to deliver on it.
“It’s a hard league. There’s a lot of good teams in our division, but I think our guys are up for the challenge and they want to embrace that. I’m excited. I’m ready to get going and excited for them to take the reins and push forward here.”
Injury news
Forward Andrew Mangiapane suffered a lower-body injury in the second period. The severity and return timetable weren’t immediately known, but Blashill said Mangiapane won’t play in the final two games of the opening trip.