Larkin suspended as Blackhawks fall 4-1 in Detroit

Dylan Larkin sat on the bench in Detroit on Thursday after the Red Wings suspended the center without pay. The team announced the move hours before the puck drop against the Chicago Blackhawks. Larkin informed the organization he no longer wished to play for the club and reiterated his request for a trade. The suspension costs him $41,000 in salary for the day. Fans in the arena voiced their frustration with the former captain.

The Blackhawks lost the contest 4-1 at Little Caesars Arena. The defeat dropped Chicago to a 0-5 record on the road this season. Their overall record fell to 4-9-0. This marked the fifth consecutive game in which the Hawks scored two or fewer goals. The loss ended a two-game road trip that began against the Boston Bruins.

Patrick Kane made his first appearance in Detroit since joining the Blackhawks in the offseason. The 37-year-old right wing spent the last three seasons with the Red Wings. He recorded 57 goals and 106 assists in 189 games while playing alongside Larkin. Kane praised his former teammate in a Tuesday interview in Chicago. He described Larkin as a special player and a special human who was always intense and engaged.

The crowd gave Kane a standing ovation before the game began. A video tribute played on the arena screens during a first-period stoppage. The clip featured highlights from his time in Detroit, including an overtime goal. Kane’s son Patrick and Alex DeBrincat’s son Archie sounded the horn together before the start of play. The two fathers played together for eight seasons.

Connor Bedard opened the scoring for the Hawks at the 5:59 mark of the first period. He deflected a shot by Wyatt Kaiser into the net. Bedard now has seven points in the last seven games. The Red Wings took control after that. They outshot the Blackhawks 13-3 in the second period. Viktor Arvidsson tied the game with a shot from the blue line at 7:31 of that period.

Frank Nazar won a penalty shot less than four minutes after Arvidsson’s goal. Red Wings goaltender John Gibson stopped Nazar’s attempt. Gibson played well for the rest of the night. Coach Jeff Blashill said the team did not compete hard enough. He noted that too many players lacked attention to detail. He called the performance a step backward.

The Red Wings took the lead in the third period. Lucas Raymond scored a power-play goal at 1:09. Arvidsson added two more goals, including an empty-netter, to record his sixth career hat trick. The Hawks finished with 19 shots on goal. They had six shots in the first 7:38 of the game and only 13 over the final two and a half periods.

The Blackhawks face the Boston Bruins in a matinee on Saturday. Their next six opponents have a combined record of 48-22-10. Ian Cole said the team must find consistency for 60 minutes. He noted that playing well for only 10 or 30 minutes is not enough. Kane added that players must look internally to improve their offensive play.