Blackhawks drop preseason game as Kane saga takes wild turn

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DETROIT — Andrew Shaw scored a power-play goal, but Tomas Tatar scored a hat trick as the Red Wings beat the Blackhawks, 4-1, on Wednesday night.

The Blackhawks went with a prospect-heavy roster in Detroit. The group tested Red Wings goaltender Petr Mrazek, firing 17 shots at him through the first half of the game. But the Red Wings, dressing most of their regulars, got three from Tatar, including an empty-netter late in the third period.

Brad Richards, who signed a one-year deal with the Wings after winning the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks last season, had the primary assist on Tatar’s first two goals and the secondary assist on the third.

“I thought we had a good 40 minutes,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “We did a lot of good things, had good energy, good pace, lots of direct plays and traffic at the net. We didn’t have the finish they had but certainly couldn’t fault the effort.”

[MORE BLACKHAWKS: Lawyer of Patrick Kane's accuser says evidence bag opened, tampered with]

The Blackhawks continued to prep for this season on a day when the Patrick Kane investigation took a strange turn. Thomas Eoannou, who represents the woman accusing Kane of rape, said Wednesday that the evidence bag containing the accuser’s rape kit had allegedly been opened, tampered with and left at the home of the accuser’s mother.

Kane’s lawyer, Paul Cambria, who spoke later on Wednesday, said if evidence were compromised, his client would be the one hurt. The Hamburg Police Department issued a statement saying its handling of the evidence in the case “is unassailable” and it will cooperate if there’s an investigation regarding its handling of the evidence. Kane, who did not travel to Detroit for Wednesday’s game — most of the Blackhawks’ top players did not — has not been charged with any crime.

Asked if today’s events changed the NHL’s stance regarding Kane being at camp, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, via email, said, “Not at this time, no.” As for the impact Wednesday’s events might have had on the Blackhawks, Quenneville said, “It’s business as usual for us. We keep moving forward. That’s where we’re at.”

[MORE BLACKHAWKS: Kane's attorney responds to allegations of evidence tampering]

Briefly

— Marcus Kruger was expected to be in Chicago by Wednesday night. Quenneville said Kruger could skate on his own on Thursday before joining the team in practice on Friday.

— Michal Rozsival will probably participate in heavier skates on Friday or Saturday. “We’re going to put a little bit more intensity over the next couple of days,” Quenneville said. “Once he’s on the ice, we’ll get a better indication of how far along he is or how far away.”

— Gordie Howe visited Quenneville prior to tonight’s game. “I’ve met him many nights, had many dinners with him,” Quenneville said. “It’s good to see him. He’s a great man and great for the sport.”

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