The Blackhawks opened the 2026-27 season the hard way: on the road, against the reigning Western Conference champions, without their captain. They lost 5-2 in Las Vegas on Tuesday night, but the game offered a useful first look at what this team is while Connor Bedard recovers.

Kane, again

Patrick Kane’s goal early in the third period, a backhand that cut the deficit to 3-2, was his first in a Blackhawks sweater since Feb. 19, 2023. It was also his eighth goal in a Chicago season opener, which moved him past Denis Savard into second place in franchise history, behind only Bobby Hull’s 11. For a team built around players in their early twenties, having a veteran who has done this before is worth more than one goal.

Jordan Greenway scored the other, in his Chicago debut. He arrived from Buffalo in June in the same trade that brought defenseman Bowen Byram.

What the numbers say

Vegas outshot Chicago 37 to 26. Shots on goal are a rough measure of who spent more time in the attacking zone, and on this night it was the home team. Spencer Knight’s 32 saves are the reason the game stayed close: the Blackhawks twice pulled within a goal, and each time Vegas answered.

The faceoff circle is worth watching too. Chicago won 43.1 percent of draws. Every faceoff decides who starts the next sequence with the puck, so winning fewer than half means spending more of the game chasing it. That gap tends to narrow as a young group of centers gets more reps, and it will be one of the clearer measures of progress over the first month.

Bedard’s timeline

Bedard, named captain before camp, had shoulder surgery in July with a recovery estimate of about four months, which points to early November. He begins the season with an injured, non-roster designation. He traveled with the team to Las Vegas but will not play on this road trip and is not yet practicing with his teammates. Because a player needs to take contact in practice before returning to games, the Oct. 6 home opener looks unlikely for him.

That makes October an audition. With 13 forwards on the opening-night roster, players like Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov will get minutes and responsibility that might otherwise have gone elsewhere. How they handle it will shape what the lineup looks like once Bedard is back.

What’s next

The trip continues tonight in Utah and finishes Saturday in Buffalo, where it is the Sabres’ home opener. The Blackhawks then play their first game at the United Center on Tuesday, Oct. 6, against the St. Louis Blues at 7 p.m.