CHICAGO — Patrick Kane and Andrew Shaw scored power-play goals and Kevin Lankinen made 30 saves for his first NHL victory, leading the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings in their home opener Friday night at the United Center.
It was a big bounce-back for the Hawks, who lost four straight road games to start the season.
No fans were on hand to witness the Hawks’ offensive fireworks against the Red Wings, their old (and new again) Central Division rivals, because of COVID-19 protocols. It had been 317 days since the Hawks last played at home, beating the Sharks, 6-2, on March 11, 2020.
The pandemic shut down the NHL the next day.
The Hawks started fast Friday. Dylan Strome tapped the puck to Kane, who paused before beating goalie Thomas Greiss with 6 minutes, 38 seconds left in the first period. It was Kane’s third goal of the season.
The Hawks have scored a power-play goal in all five games and have six total.
Calvin de Haan‘s second-period goal was his first of the season, with defensive partner Ian Mitchell assisting for his first NHL point.
Shaw missed most of last season while recovering from a concussion, but he was determined to return. He got an assist from Kane and Alex DeBrincat on a third-period power-play goal, Shaw’s first since Nov. 7, 2019, against the Canucks.
Mattias Janmark added an empty-netter for his first point of the season.
Making a second consecutive start, Lankinen took a shutout into the third period before Dylan Larkin scored from a sharp angle with 7:38.
