First period

The game started off a little slow, with the first goal coming eight minutes into the period. In a harmless looking play, Mario Ferraro threw the puck on net. It deflected off of Ethan Del Mastro in front and found its way past Knight, making it 1-0 San Jose. With three and a half minutes to go, the Blackhawks got their best chance of the period. Ilya Mikheyev got a penalty shot after being taken down by Dmitry Orlov. He tried to go five-hole on Yaroslav Askarov, but was stopped by the Sharks goaltender. The first period would end 1-0 Sharks.

Second period

The Sharks looked like they added to the lead early on the power play. Tyler Toffoli scored on a beautiful goal that he slipped past the pad of Knight. The play was called back for an offsides though, so the game stayed 1-0. A little bit later, though, on another power play chance, the Sharks would convert. With the puck going off of Del Mastro once again, Michael Misa potted the goal to make it 2-0 San Jose. Looking to get back into the game, the Blackhawks managed to get one back before the period would end. In another harmless looking play, Sam Rinzel threw the puck at the net from a terrible angle. It somehow snuck through the pads of Askarov, making it 2-1 Sharks.

ending the second in style pic.twitter.com/Ft1uaBypY8

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 16, 2026

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On it would go to the third period, with San Jose leading 2-1 after two periods.

Third period 

With just under four minutes gone in the period, the Blackhawks would knot this one up. Connor Bedard came up the ice in a 2-on-3 chance. He found Louis Crevier on the far side, who tipped the goal top corner to tie things up at 2-2.

CONNOR FOUND LOUIS pic.twitter.com/bwWXOvWEdw

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 16, 2026

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Three and a half minutes later, the Blackhawks would strike again. Del Mastro found Ryan Greene with a beautiful pass for his third in three games, making it 3-2 Blackhawks.

GREENER GOALS IN BACKTOBACKTOBACK GAMES pic.twitter.com/SpNT24Hwg4

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 16, 2026

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Two minutes later, it was Crevier again, this time from the point. Tyler Bertuzzi passed the puck back, and Crevier hammered home a slap shot, 4-2 Chicago.

CREV WITH 2 GOALS IN THE THIRD pic.twitter.com/UidlwYvLY4

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 16, 2026

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The Blackhawks would get one more four minutes later on a Nick Lardis goal to make it 5-2.

hey we’re up 5-2 https://t.co/vTX5RGri82 pic.twitter.com/7m7iaMgWOu

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 16, 2026

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This one would end the season on a high note, with the Blackhawks hanging on for the victory, 5-2 final.

Analysis

This was a good all-around game from this team. Both Sharks goals came on unfortunate bounces, which there is not much that you can do most times. With both the young guys and the veterans playing well, the Blackhawks managed to put together a win to end the season in comeback fashion. With contributions from all over the lineup, this was the most cohesive game that the Blackhawks have played in quite a while.

From all of us at The Rink, thanks for following along with us this year. We are glad to be along for the ride, and hope to see you back with us next season!

The post RECAP: Blackhawks come back in third, win finale 5-2 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Blackhawks started off this game rough already. Nineteen seconds into the game, Sean Walker circled around twice to get two shots off, and got the second past Spencer Knight, 1-0 Carolina. The defense did nothing to stop him from doing exactly what he wanted in staying exactly where he wanted to in the offensive zone. It would take a few minutes, but the Blackhawks would answer that first Carolina goal. Louis Crevier took the puck hard to the net. He was stopped, but the rebound laid right in front for Anton Frondell to put it home, 1-1.

what a sweet Swede goal pic.twitter.com/tkuMu9E7d4

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 10, 2026

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Just a couple of minutes later, the Blackhawks got another huge chance. Andrew Mangiapane took a beautiful pass from Ilya Mikheyev. He put the puck right on goal, but Frederik Andersen stuck the skate out and managed to keep it out. With just a couple of minutes left in the period, Logan Stankoven stole the puck along the boards. He skated right in and tucked the puck over the shoulder of Knight, 2-1 Carolina.

Second period

Four minutes into the second, the Hurricanes kept coming. Stankoven got his second goal of the game on a rebound after old friend Taylor Hall was stopped. Ten minutes later, Carolina would get another one. Alexander Nikishin put a shot on net from the point that was tipped by Mark Jankowski out in front to make the score 4-1. That is where things would stay going into the third period.

Third period

This period was more of the same. K’Andre Miller got called for a trip of Connor Bedard a few minutes into the period. As the power play expired, William Carrier got the puck in the Blackhawks’ defensive zone. He found Miller as he came up ice and he buried a wrister, 5-1 Hurricanes. Twenty-two seconds later, the Blackhawks got one back. Frondell got the redirection in front off of a Crevier shot toward the net, 5-2 Carolina.

first career multi-goal game for Anton pic.twitter.com/An8Mb2DwDZ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 10, 2026

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Two minutes later, the Hurricanes would keep pouring it on. Shayne Gostisbehere made a beautiful pass through Frank Nazar to Hall, who whipped around and fired a goal past Knight, 6-1. A few minutes later, right off of the faceoff, Ethan Del Mastro got the puck. As he went to make a pass, his stick snapped. The Hurricanes came back the other way, with Jankowski getting his second of the game, 7-2. That would mercifully be the end of this game, with the Hurricanes finishing off the beat-down.

Analysis

Plenty of defensive miscues along with some poor effort led to this blowout. In addition to the exhaustion of the young guys, not getting back on defense is unacceptable, and should not be the reason that another team scores easily. Burakovsky, Connor Bedard, Nick Lardis and Teuvo Teravainen being -4 is horrendous and cannot be the case if this team is to win games. Being on the ice for that many opposing goals shows that something had to be off in your game that night, whether that be lack of effort or otherwise.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Saturday at 4 p.m. CDT on CHSN against the St. Louis Blues.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks beat down by Hurricanes 7-2 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

There was not a whole lot of action in the first period of this game, as the Oilers outshot the Blackhawks 12-5, but neither team solved the goaltenders, keeping it tied at 0-0 through one.

Second period

Five and a half minutes into the second, the Blackhawks got caught flat-footed. Adam Henrique found a seam and exploited it, getting behind the defense for a breakaway. His first shot was stopped by Arvid Soderblom, but he put the rebound home, 1-0 Edmonton. Just under seven minutes later, the Oilers would have another chance on the power play. Louis Crevier got called for a hold and put Edmonton on the man advantage. They capitalized on that opportunity, with Matthew Savoie putting the puck off Alex Vlasic and in, 2-0 Oilers.

With just a couple of minutes left, it looked like Savoie got his second of the game, but it was called back for an offside, as Connor McDavid went into the zone before the puck did. That kept things at 2-0 going into the intermission.

Third period

Five minutes into the third, the Blackhawks snuck their first goal past Tristan Jarry. Nick Lardis got the puck in front after some passing down low. He put the puck just past the reach of Jarry, putting the Blackhawks on the board 2-1.

we Nick Lardis goals! pic.twitter.com/apQdTWuGRJ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 3, 2026

The visitors could not manage to get another to get back in it, however, with Vasily Podkolzin potting an empty-netter to put the game out of reach and give the Oilers a 3-1 victory.

Analysis

The Blackhawks did not have much to give in this game. They looked like a team that accepted defeat from the opening puck drop. They could not keep up with Edmonton’s firepower, and could not come back from a second period with two power plays that they had to kill off back to back. Overall, this simply looked like a team that is ready for their season to end without anything left to play for.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Saturday night at the Seattle Kraken. That game will be on CHSN at 9 p.m. CDT.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks drop another, lose to Oilers 3-1 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Wild struck first in this game. Six minutes in, they won a draw in the offensive zone. Kirill Kaprizov from behind the net got it to Ryan Hartman in front, who buried his chance to make it 1-0 Minnesota. Just 1:41 later, the Wild would strike again. The puck ping-ponged around on a shot from Jonas Brodin at the point. It found a wide-open Marcus Johansson, who could not miss the gaping cage to make it 2-0. Under three minutes later, the Blackhawks would get one back. Louis Crevier skated the puck into the zone and put a slapshot on net. It beat Filip Gustavsson to make it 2-1 Wild.

slapshot
102 mph
Big Lou pic.twitter.com/mtBGeUaxjU

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 18, 2026

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Unfortunately, the Wild would not be done yet. They got a power play with 3:29 remaining on an Andrew Mangiapane cross-check. On that power play opportunity, they would convert, with Vladimir Tarasenko getting the goal, 3-1 Minnesota. The period would end with the Wild on top big.

Second period

It took a while in the second for either team to get something going. The Blackhawks would be the ones to get a goal, with Crevier being involved again. He put a shot on net that could not be handled by Gustavsson. On the rebound, the puck found its way to Ryan Greene, who put the puck home to make it 3-2 Minnesota.

things that just make sense: a Greener goal on March 17th pic.twitter.com/d69fZgg3zL

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 18, 2026

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The second period would end with the Blackhawks down by just one goal.

Third period

The third period had the Blackhawks dominating play for much of it. There were minutes where they kept the puck in the offensive zone and the Wild could do nothing about it. They kept up the relentless pressure until a couple of minutes remaining in the game. The Wild had a bad turnover, with Artyom Levshunov taking the puck at the Blackhawks’ blue line. He got the puck up to Connor Bedard, who went flying into the Wild zone in a 2-on-1. He found Frank Nazar in front, who buried his chance to knot things up at 3-3.

Frank called OT pic.twitter.com/ZQnC9EGnHt

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 18, 2026

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That would send this game to overtime, a result that did not look like it would happen after the first period.

Overtime

After making the Wild completely gassed throughout the third period, they returned the favor in overtime. After keeping the Blackhawks on the ice for an incredibly long shift, Mats Zuccarello found himself wide open just above the circles. He buried the feed from Johansson, giving the Wild the 4-3 victory.

Analysis

This game showcased the Blackhawks’ ability to fight back in games. Coming back from two down to force overtime late is not something every team can do, and not something the Blackhawks of the last couple of years would have done either. Continuing to put pressure on like they were able to do in the third is great to see, too, as it shows that they are not backing down in close games without a fight. The fact that it is all the young guys contributing shows that this team should very much have a bright future ahead. It just takes patience and grit to get there.

The Blackhawks will be back up against these same Wild on Thursday night. That game will be at 6:30 p.m. CDT on ESPN+ and Hulu.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks force OT, but drop at home to Wild 4-3 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The first period was relatively uneventful. Neither team took any penalties, and Connor Bedard had the best chance of the frame with a backhander on net off an Andre Burakovsky pass in front of the net. The Mammoth out-shot the Blackhawks 6-4, but the score remained 0-0 after one.

Second period

The second period had more action than the first. The Blackhawks out-shot Utah this time around 8-7, which has not happened many times this year. The Mammoth would get the first goal of the game, however. With six minutes gone by in the period, Andre Burakovsky had a bad turnover in the offensive end. That led to a 2-on-1 break the other way for Utah. Logan Cooley found Dylan Guenther, who put home his 31st of the season, giving the Mammoth the 1-0 lead. They would take that lead into the intermission, 1-0 Utah.

Third period

Just a couple of minutes into the third period, the Blackhawks found themselves in a 4-on-3 power play. With Ilya Mikheyev and Jack McBain both getting called for roughing, Clayton Keller got called for a high stick to put one more Mammoth player in the penalty box. The Blackhawks would use the whole time, but would get a conversion. Bedard found Tyler Bertuzzi in his office in front of the net. He put home his 28th goal of the season to knot things up at 1-1.

Tyler Bertuzzi notches his 1⃣1⃣th power play goal of the season for a new career high! pic.twitter.com/WHkHN7FqzP

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 13, 2026

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Seven minutes later, the Blackhawks would get another. Bertuzzi got a shot on goal that produced a good rebound. Teuvo Teravainen could not get his stick on it, but he kicked it toward the open side of the net. Frank Nazar got there in time to poke it in the net, 2-1 Blackhawks.

“LET’S GOOOOO” -Frank, probably pic.twitter.com/jnaSX38jD2

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 13, 2026

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Three and a half minutes later, Utah would tie things up again. Alex Vlasic got his pocket picked by Michael Carcone trying to get out of the defensive zone. He found JJ Peterka, who buried a shot through the five hole of Knight, knotting things up at 2-2. This game would go to overtime to decide the winner.

Overtime

The Mammoth would get the first couple of good chances of overtime. The first chance came just 35 seconds in, with Mikhail Sergachev skating all the way into the offensive zone. He got the shot on net, but was stopped by Knight. Old friend Nick Schmaltz got a chance in front, but could not get a great shot off as he got in tight on goal. That stop by Knight sent the Blackhawks down the ice in a 3-on-2 break. Vlasic wrang a shot off the post that was picked up by Bedard. He buried the rebound, giving the Blackhawks the 3-2 overtime win.

an instant classic pic.twitter.com/7PWsCPiBUc

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 13, 2026

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Analysis 

The Blackhawks played an iffy game. With two bad turnovers leading to Mammoth goals, the puck possession in this one left a lot to be desired. They made the most of the opportunities they had, but really struggled in the faceoff dot. They were lucky to will this game to overtime with the last few minutes of the third being dominated by the Mammoth, with the Blackhawks unable to clear the puck from their own end at times. Bedard and Bertuzzi connecting on two goals is not a huge surprise, as those two have been great this season when paired together and seem to be on the same wavelength in reading what the other is going to do. Knight looked solid in his return after illness, which is good to see that there is not much rust that needs shaking off.

The Blackhawks next game is on Saturday night in Las Vegas against the Vegas Golden Knights. That game is a late one, being at 9 p.m. CDT on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks come back to beat Mammoth 3-2 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Halfway through the first, we would get our first goal of the game. After a faceoff win, the Blackhawks attempted to clear the puck, but were unable to get it past the point. It found its way to Nick DeSimon, who put a shot towards the net that was deflected in by Barrett Hayton, 1-0 Utah. Four minutes later, the Blackhawks would get one back. Ryan Donato put a tough-angle shot toward the net. The puck went off of Andrew Mangiapane in front, who pocketed his first goal as a Blackhawk, knotting things up 1-1.

pic.twitter.com/QUOWa1AYzx

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 10, 2026

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Unfortunately, the Mammoth would retake the lead just under three minutes after that. On another bad clearing attempt, the Blackhawks would not be able to get the puck out of their defensive zone. Clayton Keller found Dylan Guenther, who tucked the puck under the pads of Commesso, giving Utah the lead at 2-1. They would take that lead into the first intermission with the Blackhawks having work to do to get that goal back.

Second period

The second period had a lot of penalties early on. Trading off, Utah took the first, with Logan Cooley getting called for holding the stick. Then, Connor Bedard took one for hooking. The Blackhawks then got a huge chance on net. Ilya Mikheyev, who has been so good at getting pucks to the net, had a prime chance that was stopped by a great save by Vitek Vanecek, but he did draw a penalty that put the Blackhawks back on the power play. They were unable to convert on that opportunity, however, and Utah kept their 2-1 lead.

With 4:25 left in the second, Bedard put a shot toward the net that went wide. Andre Burakovsky found it at the side of the net, and tucked it past Vanecek beautifully, knotting things up at 2-2.

screaming, crying, Burakovsky pic.twitter.com/Yap6HDfx3m

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 10, 2026

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That score would stay moving to the third, with things tied up at 2-2.

Third period

Both teams had a few good chances in the third period. Bedard came so close to scoring, but could not poke the puck through the legs of Vanecek on his best chance of the game. The Mammoth would get one more great chance, with Guenther on the doorstep again. Commesso proved up to the task, though, and kept the puck out, sending this game to overtime.

Overtime

Halfway through overtime, the Blackhawks got another power play. Old friend Nick Schmaltz got called for trip, giving the Blackhawks the man advantage. On the 4-on-3 power play, the puck found its way to Frank Nazar. With Tyler Bertuzzi screening the goalie, he would bury the wrister, giving the Blackhawks the 3-2 win.

got franked pic.twitter.com/B6WVZrbNB6

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 10, 2026

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Analysis

This game was one of the Blackhawks’ better games of the year on the whole. They led every statistical category, converting on the power play, winning more faceoffs and returning physicality for physicality better than many other games this year. All around, this game had a lot to like. The young guys played well and the veterans chipped in with a couple from guys who needed to get the monkey off their backs. Seeing Burakovsky and Mangiapane get goals was huge, as these are the guys this team needs to step up the rest of the way this season.

The Blackhawks’ next game is in Utah on Thursday night. That game will be at 8 p.m. CDT on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks take down Mammoth at home 3-2 appeared first on The Rink.

Make sure to bookmark this page and come back as the moves happen for up-to-the-minute analysis and breakdowns from our friends at 

Date	The-Rink Division	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
3/2/2026		Connor Murphy (50% salary retained)		2028 2nd round pick
3/4/2026		Jason Dickinson (50% salary retained) and Colton Dach		Andrew Mangiapane and 2027 1st round pick (top 12 protected)
3/6/2026		Nick Foligno		Future Consideration
3/6/2026		Aidan Thompson		Derrick Pouliot

Trade Analysis/Breakdown:

• • 
    • • • The Edmonton Oilers acquire Connor Murphy (50% retained) from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2028 2nd round pick.

    

    • • • The Edmonton Oilers acquire Jason Dickinson (50% retained) and Colton Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks for Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional 2027 1st round pick.

      

      • • The Chicago Blackhawks trade Nick Foligno to the Minnesota Wild for future considerations.

      

      • The Chicago Blackhawks acquire Derrick Pouliot from the New York Rangers for Aidan Thompson.

Also, be sure to follow the entire The-Rink staff on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates, as well:

The Rink Official

Chicago Divison
The Rinkcast
Jeff Osborn
Andy Campbell
Eric Andrews
Sean Fitzgerald
Jimmy O’Malley
Andrew Bard
Ray Napientek
Matt Csakai

 

The post Chicago Blackhawks 2026 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

First period

It only took four minutes for the Blackhawks to go down in the first. On a 4-on-4, Mark Scheifele knifed through the Blackhawks’ defense, finding Dylan Samberg. He buried a wrister for his first goal of the season, giving the Winnipeg Jets the 1-0 lead. Then, in the last five minutes of the period, Gabe Vilardi got called for a double-minor, giving the Blackhawks a four-minute man advantage. The Blackhawks went to work, with Teravainen getting another goal to add to his streak and tie things up at 1-1.

take a look at the goal from 8⃣6⃣ pic.twitter.com/nCBpEGHMu1

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 4, 2026

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For a period with as little shots as there were, it was action-packed. The teams would go into the intermission tied up at 1-1.

Second period

This period was also full of action for a period without any scoring. A few minutes in, Scheifele rang a shot off the post, beating Knight, but not getting it in the net. Nine minutes in, Ilya Mikheyev got a breakaway chance, but was not able to beat Connor Hellebuyck, who kept that out. All in all, it was a good period for the Blackhawks, who led in shots for the first time in quite a while. That would keep things tied up 1-1 heading into the third.

Third period

The Blackhawks got their first lead of the game quickly in the third. Just 32 seconds in, on a quick feed from the boards by Connor Bedard, Ryan Greene snuck a shot over the shoulder of Hellebuyck, 2-1 Blackhawks.

light. it. pic.twitter.com/HxRmLSzSdJ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 4, 2026

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It was all downhill from there. Winnipeg dominated play the entire rest of the third period, outshooting the Blackhawks 17-5 the rest of the way. Just as the Blackhawks looked like they might escape with the win though, Winnipeg found a way. With the extra man, Scheifele found Cole Perfetti, who put a wrister past the glove of Knight with 39 seconds left to tie things up 2-2. This game was heading to overtime.

Overtime 

This overtime was all Winnipeg. The Jets got multiple chances early in overtime, with Scheifele involved every time. The last chance that Winnipeg had was on his stick, with him streaking onto the ice after a bad turnover and putting a wrister past Knight to give the Jets the 3-2 win.

Analysis

The Blackhawks have an issue with finishing games. As a young team, it really is not a huge surprise, but is a clear deficiency for this roster. Getting outshot by such a margin in the third shows that they simply ran out of gas, but still almost got it done despite letting up the crazy number of shots that they did.

Jeff Blashill: “We played really good for lots of the game. We just stopped getting out of our zone clean. Because of that, we were in our end for the last 10-12 minutes. It’s just a hard way to play. We didn’t get out clean, and when we had it, I thought we had opportunities to…

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) March 4, 2026

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The Blackhawks are back in action on Friday night at home versus the Vancouver Canucks. That game will be at 7:30 p.m. CST on good old CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks downed in overtime, lose 3-2 in Winnipeg appeared first on The Rink.

The only lineup change of note would be Colton Dach checking back in for Sam Lafferty, who barely played in their loss to Columbus on Friday night.

First period

The Blackhawks got three out of four power plays in an eventful first period. On their second attempt on the power play, they made the Sharks pay. With some brilliant puck movement from all five players on the ice, they moved the puck from up high to down low without the Sharks being able to do anything about it. Tyler Bertuzzi found a wide-open Teuvo Teravainen in the middle of the ice. He then found Connor Bedard, who buried the one-timer to put the Blackhawks up 1-0.

make that 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞-𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 with a goal for Bedsy pic.twitter.com/SUnfMjldl0

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 3, 2026

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That would be all the action for the first, as the Blackhawks would head into the intermission with a 1-0 lead.

Second period

This period would get started earlier than the first with the scoring. Just 2:14 in, what looked like a routine shot on net snuck in. Connor Murphy teed up a shot from the right circle that snuck past defenders in front and under the pad of Yaroslav Askarov, making it 2-0 Chicago.

#𝟱 was right on time pic.twitter.com/RkllDP2Jz8

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 3, 2026

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Then, over seven minutes later, the Blackhawks would strike again. This time it was Ryan Donato who got a beautiful pass, and made a beautiful move to get a shot past Askarov, making it 3-0 Blackhawks.

signed, sealed, 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 pic.twitter.com/CN8IQ5wVM9

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 3, 2026

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Next, Sam Rinzel got in on the scoring in his second game back after being recalled. He found space in the middle of the ice and put home a one-timer, making it 4-0 Chicago. The Sharks would get a goal back a minute and a half later. Macklin Celebrini put the puck off of Alex Vlasic’s skate in front of the net. The puck found itself right on the stick of Will Smith, who made no mistake in burying his shot, 4-1 Blackhawks. Thirty-six seconds was all it would take for the Blackhawks to answer. This time, it was Ilya Mikheyev getting in on the scoring. He got a tip in at the side of the net past Alex Nedeljkovic, 5-1 Chicago.

The Sharks would get one goal back before the period ended. This time, it was Celebrini doing the scoring, putting the puck right over the blocker of Spencer Knight, 5-2 Chicago. That is how this crazy period would end, with the Blackhawks up big.

Third period

The third period was much quieter after a crazy second period. The Sharks struck early, with Shakir Mukhamadullin putting home his third for the Sharks on a backhand shot to make it 5-3 Blackhawks. Fourteen and a half minutes into the period, Donato got his second of the game, scoring on a rebound opportunity to make it 6-3 Blackhawks following a bad Celebrini turnover.

Ryan’s 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 goal of the night,
makes it 𝗦𝗜𝗫 for the team pic.twitter.com/Wq0CwH2Gos

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 3, 2026

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That is how the game would finish, with the Blackhawks taking home the victory.

Analysis

This game was a great rebound game. The line of Mikheyev, Donato and Jason Dickinson was hugely productive and total difference-makers in the game. The trio put up their best performance of the season, potting 10 points between the three of them and coming through with some huge goals to take home the victory. The Blackhawks also won this game with all of the supporting stats going against them. They lost shots, faceoff percentage and hits by a wide margin, but still managed to get it done and get back in the win column.

The next game for the Blackhawks is the last before the Olympic break. They will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets again in Columbus on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CST. That game, as usual, will be on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks fend off Sharks, win 6-3 appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks lines in morning skate in Pittsburgh. Just one change: Dach in for Slaggert.

Nazar-Bedard-Teravainen
Greene-Moore-Burakovsky
Bertuzzi-Dickinson-Mikheyev
Donato-Foligno-Dach

Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Levshunov
Grzelcyk-Murphy

Soderblom

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 29, 2026

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First period

The Blackhawks started off strong in this game. It took until 10 minutes into the game, but the Blackhawks would strike first. Ryan Greene had a beautiful pass to find a wide-open Connor Murphy. He buried a wrister to the top corner to put the Blackhawks up 1-0.

#5 is right on target pic.twitter.com/VL7tsAoFBI

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 30, 2026

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Just under two minutes later, the Penguins would answer, although they shouldn’t have. After a missed tripping call in the corner, the puck found its way to the front of the net, with Connor Dewar potting his 12th of the season to knot things up 1-1. The period would end with the score all knotted up, but with the Blackhawks leading play.

1st intermission: Blackhawks 1, Penguins 1

Solid period for the Hawks, who lead in every statistical category:

Shot attempts: 20-12 CHI
Shots on goal: 10-7 CHI
Scoring chances: 10-9 CHI

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 30, 2026

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Second period

The first five minutes of the period were uneventful. The Blackhawks and Penguins traded opportunities, but neither club was able to get the puck to the back of the net. The Penguins broke the stalemate after a long period of holding the puck in the Blackhawks defensive zone. Artyom Levshunov failed to clear the puck, leading to a turnover to Anthony Mantha. He found Ben Kindel, who buried his shot, putting the Penguins up 2-1. Ten minutes later, the Penguins would strike again. Evgeni Malkin found Egor Chinakov, who went right through the Blackhawks’ defense, and put the puck five hole on Soderblom, 3-1 Pittsburgh. Thirty one seconds later, Mantha would score. After some great passing from the Penguins, Kindel found a streaking Mantha, who backhanded the puck five hole on Soderblom, 4-1.

That wouldn’t even be all of it, as with half a minute to go, the Penguins got another on the board. On another non-stop offensive zone possession, the Penguins just kept the puck moving. After a few attempts right in front, the puck found its way back to Ryan Shea. He buried the slap shot past Soderblom, 5-1 Penguins. Luckily, time would run out on this ugliness and that is how the period would end.

Third period

The third period calmed down significantly, but was still ugly. The Blackhawks had five shots on goal to the Penguins’ 13. The Penguins got another goal on the board first, with Dewar getting his second of the game on a stuff shot in front, making it 6-1 Pittsburgh. The Blackhawks would get one back just 30 seconds later though. Connor Bedard had a beautiful goal to beat Arturs Silovs right over the glove to make it a 6-2 game.

what a shot pic.twitter.com/wFdpBijzwW

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 30, 2026

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That would be how the game would finish, with the Penguins dominating in this 6-2 game.

Analysis

This game certainly wasn’t going to change the Blackhawks’ recent losing streak. Some bad miscues, coupled with the inability to clear the puck led to plenty of chances for the Penguins to get the puck into the back of the net. The Blackhawks were dominated in every statistical category in this game. Faceoffs, shots, hits, takeaways, you name it, the Blackhawks were worse. The pairing of Levshunov and Wyatt Kaiser should not stay together after this one, as a -5 is evident of some extremely poor play from that pairing. I don’t think Soderblom has played great in many games this season, but this is one that you cannot blame him for at all, as he was peppered with shots all game long and still managed to keep a good amount out.

The Blackhawks will look to snap their losing streak on Friday night at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets. That game will be at 7:30 p.m. CST on CHSN and NHL Network.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks blasted in Pittsburgh appeared first on The Rink.

#Blackhawks morning skate lineup:
Greene-Bedard-Dach*
Bertuzzi-Dickinson-Mikheyev
Donato-Moore-Lardis
Lafferty-Foligno-Slaggert

Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Levshunov
Grzelcyk-Murphy

Knight
Soderblom

Not on the ice: Burakovsky*
Out: Nazar, Teravainen (upper-body)

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 19, 2026

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First period

For a period without scoring, the first period had some good action. Both teams managed 12 shots apiece, with some decent chances for both squads, but nothing too dangerous for either goaltender. The Blackhawks got the game’s first power play, and a 5-on-3 opportunity at that. They were unable to convert, with Tyler Bertuzzi getting the best chance right in front of the net, but he was unable to get the puck past Connor Hellebuyck. The period would end in the same 0-0 tie that it started with.

Second period

The Jets got their first big chance on a play set up by Toews. He made a great pass in front to Cole Perfetti, who got a great opportunity in tight, but could not convert. A few minutes later, Dylan Samberg skated right in with the puck. The puck was loose in the crease after his shot, but Knight was able to keep the puck out, despite the crowd forming in front of him. In what seemed like a harmless play, Ryan Donato hoisted the puck out of the defensive zone. Jason Dickinson picked it up in the offensive zone, taking it away from the Jets’ defense. He ripped a wrister past Hellebuyck, making it 1-0 Blackhawks.

lamp: lit pic.twitter.com/3ZAQwc3itr

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 20, 2026

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The Blackhawks got a late power play in this period as well. Connor Bedard had a tremendous chance from the right circle that was saved by a diving Hellebuyck to keep it a 1-0 game. The period would end with the Blackhawks holding onto that slim lead.

Third period

With two and a half gone in the third, the Blackhawks got their best opportunity arguably all game. Nick Lardis had a beautiful feed from the back of the net in front. Landon Slaggert got his stick on it, but could not raise it over the pad of Hellebuyck, who kept it out to keep it a one-goal game. Despite 11 more shots in the third, the Jets could not really get anything going. Bedard would end things with an empty-netter to ice the game, giving the Blackhawks the 2-0 win.

Analysis

This game seemed to be played by two decently matched teams. The Blackhawks are a young team on the beginning part of the upswing, and the Jets are definitely a veteran team in decline. Toews had a couple great plays in his return to the United Center ice, coming out first to cheers and applause for all of his efforts in a Blackhawks uniform over the years. Knight stood tall in this game, but did not appear to be tested too many times. Chicago did a good job winning faceoffs and blocking shots defensively to take the victory in this game.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Thursday night in Raleigh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes. That game will be at 6 p.m. CST on ESPN+ and Hulu.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks ground Jets, win 2-0 in Toews’ return to Chicago appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Blackhawks started off more on defense in the first period. Commesso got tested just over 30 seconds into the game, with Ryan O’Reilly getting a big chance on a rebound opportunity. He made another stop a few minutes later on Matthew Wood on another big rebound chance at the side of the net.

The Blackhawks got the first power play of the game with Erik Haula getting called for slashing on Ryan Donato. They could not convert on it, so the game stayed as it began going into the intermission 0-0.

Second period

The first five minutes of the second was all Blackhawks. Juuse Saros had to make multiple great stops to keep his team in the game, but proved up to the task. The Blackhawks got another power play, and this time made the Predators pay. Bedard got the puck in the left circle. He rushed to the front of the net, getting the puck over to a wide-open Tyler Bertuzzi. He buried the shot to put the Blackhawks up 1-0.

another power play goal from #⃣5⃣9⃣ pic.twitter.com/iKZIN5QbWl

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 11, 2026

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The Blackhawks gave up two more power plays to the Predators, but managed to kill them both off, keeping the lead going into the intermission.

Third period

The Blackhawks traded off power plays early in the period. They had the first one, but could not make anything of it, and Commesso again proved up to the task in keeping the puck out on the defensive end.

With just under nine minutes left in the period, the Blackhawks got another on the board. Kevin Korchinski, in his second game of the season, fed the puck along the boards to Bedard. He made a beautiful pass to a streaking Nick Lardis, who did not miss, putting the Blackhawks up 2-0.

another power play goal from #⃣5⃣9⃣ pic.twitter.com/iKZIN5QbWl

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 11, 2026

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The visitors would close it out with a Ryan Greene empty-net goal to seal the deal, 3-0 Blackhawks.

Analysis

This was a great bounce-back game from this team. Despite missing their top two goalies to the flu, Commesso came out and played outstanding. Could he have done better limiting rebounds? Yes. Could he work on directing them away from danger areas? Yes again. But, all things considered, it was a great effort for a first career win and shutout all in one. Bedard was sorely missed, and this game was won all due to his efforts. With both primary assists on the non-empty net goals, he set them up perfectly for his teammates to reap the benefits. Hopefully, both goalies will be back by Monday night, but even if they are not, there is a capable fill-in in Commesso.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Monday night against the Edmonton Oilers. This game will be at 7:30 p.m. CST on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Commesso and Blackhawks blank Predators 3-0 in Nashville appeared first on The Rink.

The lineup would remain the same as the game versus Dallas, with Spencer Knight getting another start between the pipes.

First period

The Blackhawks started off strong in this game, with their first goal coming just over a minute into the period. Ilya Mikheyev put a wrister in the direction of the net, with Ryan Donato getting his stick on it. He tipped it through the five-hole of Logan Thompson, putting the Blackhawks up 1-0 early.

wasting no time getting down to business pic.twitter.com/CIexbjRTnE

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 4, 2026

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Three and a half minutes later, though, the Capitals would get that one back. Old friend Dylan Strome would pick up the rebound off of a Knight pad save and put it to the back of the net, knotting things up 1-1. The period would end the same way that it started, all tied up.

Second period

The Blackhawks got the first power play of the game in the second period. Jakob Chychrun got called for roughing on Colton Dach, putting the Blackhawks on the mad advantage. It took them just over a minute to score, but they retook the lead. Tyler Bertuzzi fed Teuvo Teravainen in the left circle, and he beat Thompson just under the crossbar, 2-1 Chicago.

turbo on the power play pic.twitter.com/saHNm3tqn4

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 4, 2026

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The Capitals got one good chance later in the period from Connor McMichael, but Knight proved up to the task and keep his pad down to keep the puck out. The Blackhawks carried the 2-1 lead into the third period.

Third period

The Capitals got their first power play of the game on a Wyatt Kaiser trip of Alex Ovechkin. They didn’t generate too many opportunities, with the Blackhawks managing to kill it off without a lot of trouble. A few minutes after the penalty expired, the Capitals managed to tie it up. The puck found its way back to Matt Roy at the point. He put a wrister on net with Ryan Leonard in front. He got his stick on the puck just enough to tip it over the arm of Knight, knotting it up at 2-2. The third would end up all tied, sending this one to overtime.

Overtime and shootout

Overtime went by without much happening, with the Blackhawks managing two shots and the Capitals not getting a single one on net. The Blackhawks got a late power play with under a minute to go, but couldn’t convert, sending it to the shootout.

In the first round, the Blackhawks scored, with Nick Lardis putting on some moves to get the puck past Thompson.

a twirl of the stick for the rookie pic.twitter.com/7GWCW0voev

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 4, 2026

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Then, Strome came through again for the Capitals to knot it back up again. The next three shooters were stopped by both goalies. Then, in the fifth round, Sonny Milano and Andre Burakovsky both scored, keeping things knotted up. In the sixth, the Blackhawks got the game-winner from the captain, as Nick Foligno put the puck past Thompson to win it 3-2 in the shootout.

Analysis

Starting off rough after losing Connor Bedard to injury in December, it looked like the Blackhawks might just be as bad as they were two years ago. That has changed as of late, with the team playing well despite the loss of several players to injury, and getting the job done despite some rough underlying statistics. The one area that needs improvement desperately is the faceoff dot, where the Blackhawks consistently get beat game after game.

Beating quality teams in Dallas and now Washington back to back, the Blackhawks look to take down the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night at the United Center. That game will be at 6 p.m. CST on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks slip past Capitals, win 3-2 in shootout appeared first on The Rink.

First period

It did not take long for the Blackhawks to get on the board in this one. After a play by Jason Dickinson to dig the puck out in the defensive zone, the puck got up to Alex Vlasic. He skated in toward the Stars’ net and fed Tyler Bertuzzi, who had a gaping cage to put the puck in, 1-0 Blackhawks.

making it look easy pic.twitter.com/dleGlznCEl

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 28, 2025

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Just over seven minutes later, the Stars would get one back. Mikko Rantanen took the puck out from the corner and banked it back to the point. Nils Lundkvist leaned into a slapshot and got it through traffic past Soderblom, knotting it up at 1-1.

Ryan Donato had a nice chance in sneaking through the Dallas defense to put the puck on net, but Jake Oettinger stopped Andre Burakovsky on the rebound to keep the score knotted up 1-1 to end the first.

Second period

It took until halfway through the second for one of the teams to get something going. Jason Dickinson took the puck all the way through the Dallas defense. He wristed it past Oettinger with beautiful placement, putting the Blackhawks up 2-1.

ooooohhhh my goodness pic.twitter.com/qsGxHyVNcy

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 28, 2025

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It did not take long for Dallas to get that goal back again though, just as in the first. Wyatt Johnston put a shot off the post that brought Soderblom too far out of his crease to challenge it. That left Justin Hryckowian wide open to put the puck past a diving Soderblom, 2-2. Once again, the period ended with both teams all tied up.

Third period

This time, the Stars were the ones to strike first in the period. It still took as long as in the second for both teams to beat their opposition’s goaltender. With 10 and a half minutes gone, Jamie Benn got a breakaway attempt. The Blackhawks’ defense completely broke down, but Soderblom kept the puck out, as Benn could not elevate it. Then, just 30 seconds later, Rantanen took care of a rebound at the side of the net, putting the Stars up 3-2. Ryan Greene had a horrendous turnover in the defensive zone that led directly to that goal. That lead would not last long, however.

Once again, Vlasic took a shot from the point that hit a bunch of sticks on the way in. That rebound found its way to Bertuzzi, who potted his second of the game, tying the game up 3-3.

Tyler Bertuzzi leads the NHL in goals on the road with 14 goals this season pic.twitter.com/c00K9rzyxE

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 28, 2025

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Overtime and shootout

Overtime went by without much in the way of action, with both teams generating two shots apiece, but not beating either goaltender. After the first round, no one put the puck through, and in the second round, Donato got his chance. He slowed down Oettinger, getting him to commit before tucking the puck over his pad on the backhand. As in the rest of the game, Dallas answered immediately. Matt Duchene beat Soderblom on the next shot to knot it up at 1-1. After Burakovsky and Johnston both were stopped, the puck found itself on the stick of Nick Lardis. He beat Oettinger cleanly to give the Blackhawks the win 4-3 in the shootout.

Analysis

The Blackhawks played extremely well in this game. They never let themselves fall too far behind, and fought hard in this game to stay in it. They were a bit too undisciplined as far as penalties go, and the Greene turnover leading to a goal was one of the worst plays you can hope to see. Bertuzzi is huge on the road, as he scored his 13th and 14th goals on the road this season. He was in the right place every time in this game, getting to the front as he is best at. Vlasic also had a great game, knotting two assists, but also looked good in the defensive end as well.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Sunday night back home in Chicago against the Pittsburgh Penguins. That game will be at 6 p.m. CST on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks top Stars in shootout 4-3 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Blackhawks played one of the best first periods they have played all season. In what is normally a struggle for them to get through, they outplayed their opponents finally. Halfway through the period, Dominic Toninato won a faceoff back to Wyatt Kaiser. He moved in and wristed a shot into the upper right corner of the net, making it 1-0 Blackhawks.

admin stands corrected, this is a Wyatt Kaiser goal https://t.co/F9isOrGdnQ pic.twitter.com/XFu8qGI3BY

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 17, 2025

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Just a couple of minutes later, the Blackhawks had what looked like a good goal called back for goaltender interference, even though it looked like Joseph Woll moved all on his own. Jason Dickinson would get a goal, however, on a shorthanded opportunity with five minutes left in the period to make it 2-0 Blackhawks.

#⃣1⃣6⃣ with a beautiful shorthanded goal pic.twitter.com/NGOJ1Z49AK

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 17, 2025

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That would be how the first period would end, with the Blackhawks having the lead for the first time in a long while.

Second period

In what was a relatively uneventful second period, as both teams traded shots back and forth, with no one really getting anything close to past either goaltender. The second period would end the same as it started, with the Blackhawks still up 2-0.

Third period

It took until halfway through the third period for the Maple Leafs to put one in the net, but they finally managed to beat Knight. Oliver Ekman-Larsson got the puck off of the draw and put it over the glove of Knight, 2-1 Blackhawks. Six and a half minutes later, Toninato got called for holding the stick on Nick Robertson. On the ensuing power play, the Blackhawks had a bad turnover to Auston Matthews. He skated out front with the puck and wristed it past Knight, knotting it up at 2-2. Then, on the ensuing face-off, the Blackhawks forgot how to play defense and Knight forgot how to goaltend. The Maple Leafs dumped the puck in, and instead of clearing it to the side of the net, Knight just let the rebound go right in front. Louis Crevier got beat by Dakota Joshua, who scored to put the Maple Leafs ahead 3-2.

Nick Lardis got a big opportunity in the dying seconds of the game, but the Blackhawks would drop this heartbreaker 3-2.

Analysis

The Blackhawks really look like a different team without Connor Bedard in the lineup. They do not have the energy to finish games, and do not show the same intensity that they ordinarily have shown with him. This team needs to play better regardless, as this game was a defensive disaster in the third period. Letting up two goals in nine seconds cannot happen, especially when you get out-hustled to make the first goal and the second goal happen. These games can be long for young guys, but you have to put your best effort every shift, and this team needs to be able to do that night in and night out to get points in the standings and climb out of the funk that they find themselves in.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Thursday night in Quebec to take on the Montreal Canadiens. That game will be at 6 p.m. CST on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks allow late comeback, lose to Maple Leafs 3-2 appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks lines in warmups for Kings rematch feature Levshunov moving up to the first pair:

Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky
Moore-Nazar-Bertuzzi
Donato-Dickinson-Mikheyev
Dach-Lafferty

Vlasic-Levshunov
Kaiser-Crevier
Grzelcyk-Murphy
Rinzel

Knight

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) December 7, 2025

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First period

For the first time in recent memory, the Blackhawks did not get outplayed in the first period. The Blackhawks outshot the Kings 13-7, and got the first power play of the game on a trip of Matt Grzelcyk. They were not able to make anything of it, but managed to keep the game scoreless heading into the second.

Second period

Then, the wheels fell off. After a lazy play along the boards by Oliver Moore turned into a giveaway to Trevor Moore, he found his man. Warren Foegele one-timed the pass right past Spencer Knight before he could blink, 1-0 LA. Knight had a gorgeous save on a shorthanded chance for LA on Foegele again, making a beautiful glove save.

Spencer Knight WOW pic.twitter.com/41r70JOpvo

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 7, 2025

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Almost seven minutes later, on the power play, the Kings would strike again. Right off the faceoff, the puck quickly found its way down low. Andrei Kuzmenko was right in front of Knight, and managed to chip it over top of him, rolling it past the line for the second goal of the game, 2-0 Kings. With just under a minute to go in the period, Los Angeles got one more. Brandt Clarke took a shot that Tyler Bertuzzi blocked. The shot stung him bad, and he got skated around by Clarke who wristed a shot past Knight, 3-0 LA. The Blackhawks would go into the intermission looking to make a comeback.

Third period

The goals just kept coming from LA. Just under five minutes into the third, Clarke would strike again. He went up ice with the forward group and sold Knight on the pass. He wristed the puck over the stick side, making it 4-0 Kings. A minute and a half later, the Kings defensemen kept it going. Mikey Anderson took a pass from Phillip Danault and put it over the blocker of Knight, 5-0 LA. Then, Alex Turcotte got a pass along the boards. He steamrolled his way to the net, the puck deflecting off of him and in, 6-0 Kings. That would be the end of this game, one of the worst of the Blackhawks’ season.

Analysis

This was up there with the Buffalo Sabres beat-down for the Blackhawks. After a good first period, the rest of the game looked like they did not even bother to show up. Miscommunications came at every turn, no one cleared out the paint in front of Knight, lazy dump-ins were just a few of the plays that showed that the effort level was not there from this team in this game. The most puzzling factor is that they figured the Kings out on Thursday, and this was the same team as that. The Kings played better than the Blackhawks in every single facet of the game and clearly came to play, whereas the Blackhawks did not look prepared after the first at all.

The Blackhawks will look to bounce back on Sunday night in Anaheim. That game will be on CHSN at 7 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks dominated by Kings 6-0 appeared first on The Rink.

#Blackhawks morning skate lineup:
Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky
Teravainen-Nazar-Bertuzzi
Donato-Dickinson-Mikheyev
Dach-Lafferty-Moore

Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Levshunov
Grzelcyk-Murphy
Rinzel

Söderblom
Knight

Extra: Slaggert

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 28, 2025

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First period

There was a lot of back and forth in the first period, with both teams even in shots on goal, 10-11. The Blackhawks got a big opportunity late, though, and took advantage. Just after their power play expired, the Blackhawks caught Nashville in a change with Brady Skjei just getting back onto the ice. Ryan Donato, who drew the penalty, got the puck as he skated into the offensive zone. He wristed the puck past Juuse Saros, giving the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead with less than a minute to go in the period.

Ryan Donato, with cotton in his nose after taking a high stick, snipes his 8th goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/xNK36zYGPc

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 29, 2025

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Second period

The second period would not got as smoothly. Just under two minutes into the frame, Nicolas Hague put the puck up off the side boards. It found its way to Matthew Wood, who made no mistake in putting the puck over the glove of Soderblom, 1-1. Then, a couple of minutes later, Soderblom made a huge kick save to keep the puck out of the net.

Five and a half minutes later, the puck found Steven Stamkos in front of the net. He buried the backhander past Soderblom, making it 2-1 Predators. With less than four minutes to go, the Blackhawks would answer. On the power play, Oliver Moore found Ryan Greene in front, who put a snap shot past Saros, 2-2.

another power play goal pic.twitter.com/DjMoIUP24C

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 29, 2025

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With “tree chirty tree” left in the second, the Predators would strike back. With Stamkos and Ryan O’Reilly cycling in the corner, the puck found its way to Luke Evangelista. He wristed a puck past Soderblom, giving the Predators a 3-2 lead to end the second.

Third period

After getting out-shot in the second period, the Blackhawks had the advantage in the third. Just over seven minutes into the period, though, the Predators struck again. O’Reilly got the puck all alone in front of the net and put it past Soderblom, 4-2 Nashville. Then, just over three minutes after that, Saros misplayed the puck coming off the boards. It found Teuvo Teravainen in front, who put it home to get the Blackhawks back within one.

BOOM BOOM BOOM pic.twitter.com/hoauy6joVh

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 29, 2025

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That would be all that the Blackhawks could muster, however, and the Predators took this one 4-3.

Analysis

The Blackhawks really need to figure out the second period. After a well-played first, they fell apart in the second, against a team that really has not managed to get much right this season, just like last year. Giving up multiple power plays, not getting the puck deep to make a line change when everyone is exhausted and letting yourself get caught flat-footed are all good ways to let up goals. Soderblom was left out to dry in this one more often than not, and made some big saves when he could, but cannot be expected to stop them all. Something has to give here, whether it be switching up the lines or going back to 12 forwards or something for the time being to shake this team awake.

On the plus side, the Hawks looked amazing in their black alternate jerseys, being worn for the first time in over a decade.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Sunday afternoon against the Anaheim Ducks. That game will be at 2:30 p.m. CST on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks beat by Predators 4-3 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

After some back and forth through most of the period, with Buffalo dominating possession, the Sabres finally broke through. Tage Thompson, with his great puck control, found Josh Doan streaking to the front of the net. He was able to beat an outstretched Soderblom to put the puck to the back of the net, 1-0 Buffalo. After that, the floodgates seemed to open. Less than two minutes later, Buffalo would strike again. This time, Jack Quinn had a beautiful drop pass to Jason Zucker who wristed a shot right past the Blackhawks’ netminder, 2-0 Sabres. The Sabres would then get a power play on a high stick from Artyom Levshunov with 4:20 left in the period. They used the full time, but put another past the Blackhawks goaltender, with Bowen Byram getting the tip-in at the side of the net, 3-0 Buffalo.

The Blackhawks would get one back before the period ended to try to claw back into the game, however. Sam Rinzel got the shot from the point on net with Tyler Bertuzzi being there to clean up the rebound, making it 3-1 Sabres going into the intermission.

a goal in his 100th game as a Hawk pic.twitter.com/YyOL3ObmLD

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 22, 2025

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Second period

This time, the Blackhawks did not make it nearly as far into the period without allowing a goal. With the puck in the Blackhawks’ defensive end, Zucker dug the puck out of the corner and fed it in front to a streaking Ryan McLeod, who buried the wrister, 4-1. EIGHT SECONDS later, they struck again. Just off the faceoff and initial dump in, the puck found its way back to Mattias Samuelsson, who wristed a shot from the point that beat Soderblom, 5-1 Sabres. Almost nine full minutes later, the Blackhawks would get one back. With Ryan Greene coming out of the corner with the puck, he fed it across to Alex Vlasic. He one-timed the puck that beat Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen glove-side, 5-2 Buffalo.

right on target pic.twitter.com/Bc1PELJ2um

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 22, 2025

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A few minutes later, Connor Bedard got a huge chance on a breakaway, but was stopped by Luukkonen with the pad. Buffalo would get another one on the board before the period was over. Rasmus Dahlin found Doan again on the 2-on-2 rush, and he potted his second of the game to make it 6-2 Sabres.

Third period

Still having some power play time left over from the second period, the Blackhawks started out on the man advantage. They were able to make something of it, with Bedard ripping a shot that Bertuzzi tipped in front, making it 6-3 Sabres early in the third.

teamwork pic.twitter.com/JtpV0SVeA2

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 22, 2025

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It was all downhill from there, as the Sabres would put three more goals past Soderblom, with Thompson putting one of his own past next. Then, five minutes later, it was Jack Quinn making it 8-2 Buffalo. The final goal of this beat down came from Jacob Bryson, on a beautiful move out in front to deke his way past Soderblom, with the final score in this one 9-3 Buffalo.

Analysis

This game had little in the way of good to come out of it. Many players, including Rinzel, Vlasic and Soderblom, had their worst games of the season, and it wasn’t even close. The Blackhawks looked gassed, outmatched and generally outclassed by the Sabres, who were able to skate circles around this team. They did not look remotely prepared to play this game at all. Back-to-back games happen, and you have to be ready to give it all you have got or else you will suffer a horrendous defeat like this game where nothing really went well from any metric you would like to look at. Hopefully, the team can rest up before their next game or else that could easily be a bloodbath as well.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Sunday night against the Colorado Avalanche back home in Chicago. That game will be at 6 p.m. CST on NHL Network and CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks beat down in Buffalo, drop 9-3 loss to Sabres appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks lines in warmups in Vancouver are the same as last game:

Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky
Teravainen-Nazar-Bertuzzi
Moore-Donato-Mikheyev
Dach-Foligno

Vlasic-Rinzel
Kaiser-Levshunov
Grzelcyk-Murphy
Crevier

Knight

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) November 6, 2025

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First period

The first period in this game was a relatively uneventful one. The Blackhawks got out-shot by Vancouver 16-11, but generally looked evenly matched. Knight made saves that he needed to make, and everyone else generally did their jobs. Ryan Greene had one of the Blackhawks’ best chances, with former Hawks netminder Kevin Lankinen steering his shot in tight aside. Connor Bedard had a few chances, but was not able to get anything past Lankinen, who kept the puck out on his end as well. The first period would end as it had started, in a 0-0 tie.

1st intermission: Blackhawks 0, Canucks 0

That was a lot more fun than Seattle. Free-flowing hockey with plenty of chances both ways.

Shot attempts: 20-26 VAN
Shots on goal: 11-14 VAN
Scoring chances: 9-15 VAN

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) November 6, 2025

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Second period

This is where it all kind of fell apart. The Canucks absolutely owned the second period. They got a power play five and a half minutes in and got some high-quality chances. Knight absolutely stood on his head to keep the puck out of the net. It looked like the Canucks might get a gift goal after the officials did not call for goaltender interference when Knight got checked down by Drew O’Connor, but upon a challenge, the call was overturned and they disallowed the goal. Connor Murphy had the Blackhawks’ best chance in front of the net on a feed from Matt Grzelcyk, with Lankinen proving up to the task in stopping that opportunity. The Blackhawks got bested badly by the Canucks in this period as a whole, though, and only were able to keep the puck out thanks to one goalpost and Knight absolutely playing sensational in net.

Chicago challenges for goaltender interference and win it.

I imagine Jeff Blashill would have been unhinged if this call didn’t go their way given how their last challenge against Vancouver went at the United Center. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/FvODywKi7z

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 6, 2025

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Third period

Three minutes into the period, the Blackhawks got their first. Grzelcyk again got the puck along the boards and put it on net. It deflected off of Tyler Bertuzzi in front and into the back of the net, 1-0 Blackhawks. Three and a half minutes later, Bertuzzi set up in his office again at the side of the net. He took a feed from Bedard and put it home again, putting the Blackhawks up 2-0.

Tyler Bertuzzi goal no. pic.twitter.com/qyGCmYusrq

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 6, 2025

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Just under a minute later, after a scramble in front, Ilya Mikheyev found a loose puck in front of the Canuck net and wristed it past Lankinen, making it 3-0 Chicago.

The visitors were not done yet. Louis Crevier got a shot on goal with a lot of traffic in front, with Bertuzzi picking up the rebound. He took his time and wristed his third goal past Lankinen, putting the Blackhawks up 4-0.

AND THAT’S A TYLER BERTUZZI HAT TRICK pic.twitter.com/LVU85kRmJv

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 6, 2025

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The Canucks would pick up two goals quickly to try to get back into the game. Aatu Raty got a wicked wrister over the shoulder of Knight to puck the Canucks on the board, 4-1. Just over a minute later, with the goaltender pulled, Evander Kane got onto the ice and put a one-timer past Knight to make it 4-2. Bedard would pot an empty-netter after that to take care of things once and for all, and the Blackhawks took this one 5-2 in Vancouver.

Analysis

The Blackhawks got a win in what was an incredibly inconsistent game from this team. The second period was all Vancouver, and the only reason they made it through unscathed was because of Knight. He played stellar in net, only letting up two goals late that would have been very tough stops as well. Bertuzzi came alive in the third by planting himself beside the net, which is his best spot, causing traffic and getting in the way of the goalie seeing the puck. It has been a long time since I have watched a game where it got to the third period and exploded with offense all of a sudden. It is good to see the Blackhawks able to come out after a bad period, though, and put something together to take home the win.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Friday night in Alberta against the Calgary Flames. That game will be at 8 p.m. CST on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Bertuzzi’s hat trick powers Blackhawks past Canucks 5-2 appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks lines in warmups in Seattle:

Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky
Teravainen-Nazar-Bertuzzi
Moore-Donato-Mikheyev
Dach-Foligno

Vlasic-Rinzel
Kaiser-Levshunov
Grzelcyk-Murphy
Crevier

Soderblom

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) November 4, 2025

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First period

The first period had some chances for both teams. The Blackhawks and Kraken both got 10 shots on net apiece, with Colton Dach getting the Blackhawks’ best chance of the period. Alex Vlasic skated all around the back of the Kraken net, putting the puck right on the stick of Dach. He got a one-timer off that led to a mad scramble in front of the Seattle net, with the puck managing to stay out. The period would end just as it started, with both teams scoreless.

Second period

The second period did not go nearly as well as the first. Less than three minutes in, the puck found its way back to Jamie Oleksiak at the blue line. He put a quick snap shot on net that fooled Soderblom, and Seattle was up 1-0. Matt Grzelcyk was a better door than a window and screened his goaltender from really seeing the puck as it went right through his legs.

Unfortunately, that was not all the damage that would be done. About four and a half minutes later, Seattle was on the power play. Jordan Eberle got the puck behind the Blackhawks’ net from the point. He fed it in front to a wide-open Matty Beniers, who burried the shot to make it 2-0 Kraken.

The Kraken got one more huge chance before the period would end. Once again it was Beniers and Eberle, with Eberle getting a great shot on net. Soderblom fully extended his left leg to make the stop, trapping the puck between his skate and the post to keep the puck out and keep the score 2-0 heading into the third.

Third period

The third started off relatively quiet, with both teams not getting a lot of quality chances. With about eight and a half minutes to go in the period, Soderblom made some big stops on the defensive end to keep the puck out of the net, with the puck then going the other way. Connor Bedard beat Vince Dunn along the boards and got the puck to Andre Burakovsky in front. He buried a wrister past Joey Daccord to make the score 2-1 Seattle.

Andre Burakovsky has goals in three straight games pic.twitter.com/YLxcscgDHn

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 4, 2025

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Four and a half minutes later, the Kraken stole the puck from Frank Nazar in the center-ice circle. Eberle once again got a great chance and did not miss this time, burying the wrister past Soderblom to put this game out of reach, 3-1 Seattle.

Analysis

The Blackhawks really looked lethargic at points in this game. They got caught defensively lapsing several times, and were bailed out more often than not by Soderblom in net. He was hung out to dry on all three Seattle goals. The team around him seemed to lose their defensive assignments at times, leading to great chances for the Kraken. That team is far too offensively gifted to let things like that happen and be able to get away with it. Then, there was the offense. There were not many great chances in this one, and it did not appear to me that Daccord was really tested. Yes, the Blackhawks outshot the Kraken which is good, but you do need to have guys moving around more and trying to get different looks in front of the net.

The Blackhawks try to get back to winning some games again against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night. That game will be at 9 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks stopped in Seattle, lose 3-1 appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks lines in morning skate in Winnipeg with Mikheyev out:

Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky
Teravainen-Nazar-Bertuzzi
Donato-Dickinson-Dach
Foligno-Slaggert

Vlasic-Rinzel
Kaiser-Levshunov
Grzelcyk-Murphy
Crevier

Knight

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) October 30, 2025

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First period 

The scoring got started early in this one. Just 1:21 into the game, Colton Dach put Winnipeg on the power play with a hooking call. Winnipeg made quick work of their power play opportunity. Just 21 seconds into the power play, Vladislav Namestnikov got a feed in front of the net and buried his shot, 1-0 Jets.

It took a little bit for the Blackhawks to answer, but they did on a gift goal. A Connor Murphy dump-in took a crazy bounce that came in front of the net, with Connor Hellebuyck stuck behind the net. Teuvo Teravainen put the puck home, making it 1-1.

now let me hear you say Teuvooooooo pic.twitter.com/SIDxBUAyvY

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 31, 2025

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The Jets would come back and put another goal past Spencer Knight before the period was over, though. It was Alex Vlasic versus two Jets on a rush towards the Blackhawks’ net. Mark Scheifele found Gabe Vilardi, who tapped it home to put Winnipeg up 2-1 to end the period.

Second period

Like a broken record, in the same amount of time as the first period, Winnipeg would get a goal past Knight. Under two minutes into the second, Kyle Connor got the puck over to Scheifele. It was not a particularly strong or good shot, but it went right through the five-hole of Knight, 3-1 Jets. Just under 10 minutes later, it was Vilardi again on a feed in front from Dylan DeMelo to make it 4-1 Winnipeg. That would be how the second period would end, with the Blackhawks in a massive hole.

Third period

The Blackhawks managed to make it through the first few minutes of the period unscathed, but the Jets did come back and score first all the same. Josh Morrissey put a shot on net from the point that went off the post, off of Knight’s skate and into the back of the net to make it 5-1 Jets.

Around three minutes later, Bedard fished a Murphy shot out from the front of the net. It found its way to Vlasic, who put home his first of the season to make it 5-2 Winnipeg.

Vlasic on the rebound pic.twitter.com/46mOe6Gdka

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 31, 2025

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Two minutes later, the Blackhawks would strike again. Bedard took a shot from the point that found Andre Burakovsky in front. He made a fancy move to put the puck through his legs and put it top shelf, 5-3 Jets.

we like this pic.twitter.com/19KN8w0XrH

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 31, 2025

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With less than three minutes left, Knight was going to leave the ice for an extra attacker. He never got the chance to, as the Blackhawks turned the puck over to the Jets. Connor then got a backhander from in front of the right circle and roofed it past Knight, putting the cherry on top for the Jets in a 6-3 victory for Winnipeg.

Analysis

This was by far the Blackhawks’ most lopsided loss this season. To this point, even in losses, they have been able to keep it close and always seemed to have chances to come back. This was too deep of a hole to dig out of. Knight definitely played his worst game of the season by a landslide, with multiple weak shots leading to goals that should not have happened. Some of that can be blamed on the defense, but the five-hole goal from Scheifele is all on him. Defensively, the Blackhawks looked like they were not ready for the quickness that the Jets would come at them with, and definitely that led to some breaks in the other direction. It was a bit of a mess in this game, as the Blackhawks clearly were not ready for this game. Hopefully this gets them back on track for the rest of this road trip or else it will be a long five-game stretch here for this team.

The Blackhawks next head to Alberta on Saturday night to take on the Edmonton Oilers. That game will be at 9 p.m. CDT on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks downed by Jets in first battle against Jonathan Toews appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks lines in morning skate in Tampa. One of those forwards will be scratched.

Reichel-Bedard-Bertuzzi
Teravainen-Nazar-Mikheyev
Lafferty-Greene-Donato
Slaggert-Foligno-Dach

Vlasic-Rinzel
Kaiser-Levshunov
Grzelcyk-Murphy
Crevier

Knight

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) October 23, 2025

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First period

The Blackhawks had a few chances, but the Lightning got more shots on net in the first. Ilya Mikheyev led a 2-on-1 with Frank Nazar into the offensive zone, but was stopped by Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Blackhawks got the first power play of the game in this one. About halfway through the period, Tyler Bertuzzi got the puck beside the net and waited patiently. Nazar had himself positioned perfectly and took a feed right in front of the net to give the Blackhawks the 1-0 lead.

91 on the power play pic.twitter.com/SMxWoYADms

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 23, 2025

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Three more penalties would be taken in the period, but nothing came of them. The Blackhawks would carry that lead into the intermission.

Second period

Seven minutes into the second, the Lightning got back into the game. They had the Blackhawks in chaos in front of their own net, with Knight having to dive to make a couple of saves. The puck found its way back to the point, with Ryan McDonagh putting the puck on net. It was tipped past Knight by Jake Guentzel, knotting things up at 1-1.

Then, right around the 10-minute mark of the second, with a delayed penalty upcoming, Ryan Donato took the puck. He went end to end and put a nasty wrister on net that beat Vasilevskiy, putting the Blackhawks back up 2-1.

Ryan Donato has goals in four consecutive games pic.twitter.com/nDYbtDKgOb

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 24, 2025

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In a brutal end to the period, the Blackhawks let up the tying goal with less than a minute to go. Nikita Kucherov got the puck on the left end boards. He found McDonagh in the right circle, and he buried the wrister past Knight. The period would end with everything knotted up at 2-2.

Third period

After both teams played a clean second period, the third turned into another penalty-riddled mess. On a 4-on-4 with six minutes to go, Ryan Greene got a takeaway right in front of the Lightning net. He couldn’t sneak it past Vasilevskiy though, and the game stayed tied at 2-2. Then, with just over a minute to go, Teuvo Teravainen took the puck from Kucherov in the defensive zone. He made a beautiful pass through the neutral zone to Nazar. His shot was saved, but the rebound came right out to Donato, who didn’t miss with his second of the game.

donato’s second of the night pic.twitter.com/9K52003lrd

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 24, 2025

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That would do it for this game, giving the Blackhawks the 3-2 victory over the Lightning.

Analysis

This game goes to show that looking at the statistics themselves doesn’t tell the whole picture. The Blackhawks were outshot, and didn’t win as many faceoffs as they should have. It was truly a penalty-riddled mess in the first and third, with both teams playing sloppy hockey and taking nine combined penalties, with none of those penalty minutes coming from fights. Donato and Nazar both continued their strong starts to the season. Those two and Mikheyev are a huge part of the Blackhawks’ early season success along with Knight keeping them in games in the early part of the season with his strong play.

hungry to win pic.twitter.com/lY0Br8JGWB

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 24, 2025

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The Blackhawks’ next game is on Sunday night versus the Los Angeles Kings at the United Center. That game will be at 6 p.m. Central on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Donato does it again, Blackhawks top Lightning 3-2 appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks lines in warmups vs Mammoth have them going 11F/7D. Dickinson and Levshunov IN, Reichel and Lafferty OUT.

Dach-Bedard-Burakovsky
Teravainen-Nazar-Bertuzzi
Donato-Dickinson-Mikheyev
Foligno-Greene

Vlasic-Rinzel
Kaiser-Crevier
Grzelcyk-Murphy
Levshunov

Knight

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) October 14, 2025

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First period

This came would start with a good defensive battle. Some hits were doled out both ways, with the Blackhawks getting the majority of the scoring chances. The closest came on a Teuvo Teravainen shot from the right circle that beat Vitek Vanecek, but didn’t find twine as it rang off the far post. The strangest thing happened with about six minutes to go, when the lights just randomly dipped in the United Center.

Blackhawks forget to pay the light bill? pic.twitter.com/DgaFntzbjB

— Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) October 14, 2025

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The period would end in the same scoreless tie that it started with.

Second period

The second period was more of the same early on. Mostly, though, the action centered on the Blackhawks’ end of the ice, with Utah getting far more shots than they allowed early on. With just under 10 and a half minutes to go in the period, Mikheyev got the puck down low and tried a stuff shot on net that got past Vanecek for the first goal of the game, putting the Blackhawks up 1-0.

Ilya Mikheyev’s first of the season pic.twitter.com/6BLIRBYtgl

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 14, 2025

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The Blackhawks killed off the one penalty they took in the period, keeping their 1-0 leading going into the intermission.

Third period

The Mammoth struck early in this period. The Blackhawks had a dump-in from their end, getting fresh bodies on the ice. They didn’t get back on defense in time, leading Dylan Guenther to get a good chance that sent the rebound to John-Jason Peterka, who buried his first of the season to knot things up 1-1.

JJ Peterka fires home his first goal with the Mammoth pic.twitter.com/15QyPBhYd4

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 14, 2025

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With just over 11 minutes left in the game, the Blackhawks went on the power play. Mikhail Sergachev got called for a hold on Connor Bedard, giving Chicago the man advantage. They did indeed take advantage, with Nick Foligno finding a wide-open Andre Burakovsky, who potted his second as a Blackhawk, 2-1 Chicago.

score a goal in your 700th NHL game pic.twitter.com/Jdg2JKLUUr

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 14, 2025

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With 12 seconds left, Bedard won a defensive-zone draw to get the puck out of danger. Mikheyev would put one more goal on the board with the empty-netter, and the Blackhawks would take the win 3-1.

Analysis

The Blackhawks, despite looking like they weren’t quite ready to play at times in this game, managed to make the plays they needed to get the win. The line of Mikheyev, Dickinson and Ryan Donato is a feisty one and hopefully will stay intact the rest of the season. Knight continued his strong start to the season. Even though the Blackhawks hadn’t won yet, he is the reason that the Hawks were close at all in each of his appearances. Overall, this was a good team effort to get the W.

The last time the Bears and #Blackhawks won on the same day was November 9, 2023! pic.twitter.com/p1sf1dOQ6U

— Tony (@jaycTony) October 14, 2025

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The Blackhawks’ next game is on Wednesday night in St. Louis to take on the Blues. That game will be at 8:30 p.m. CDT on TNT for Wednesday Night Rivalry.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks best Mammoth 3-1 for first win of season appeared first on The Rink.

Join your fellow Rinkrats below to discuss what the Blackhawks accomplished (or did not accomplish) this year as the market opened.

Player	Pos	Prev Team	New Team	Age	Ht / Wt	Term	Notes
Dominic Toninato	F			31	6’2” / 202	2 x $850k	Two-way contract

These are Blackhawks trades relevant to this offseason.

Date	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
6/13/25	Victor Soderstrom		Ryan Mast and a 2025 7th round pick
6/21/25	Joe Veleno		Andre Burakovsky
7/1/25	2026 sixth-round pick		Sam Lafferty

Trade Analysis

• The Boston Bruins acquired Victor Soderstrom from the Chicago Blackhawks for Ryan Mast and a 2025 7th round pick

The Boston Bruins acquired Victor Soderstrom from the Chicago Blackhawks for Ryan Mast and a 2025 7th round pick

• The Chicago Blackhawks acquired forward Andre Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for forward Joe Veleno

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Andre Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken for Joseph Veleno

• Chicago Blackhawks acquire Sam Lafferty from Buffalo for a 2026 sixth-round pick

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Sam Lafferty from the Buffalo Sabres for a 2026 6th round pick

The post Chicago Blackhawks 2025 Real-Time Free Agency Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

Check out Rink prospect guru Jimmy O’Malley and Rink staffers for a LIVE reaction podcast:

The players that the organization selects will be listed below, with links to their prospect profiles and all their vital stats.

2025 Blackhawks NHL Entry Draft

Chicago Blackhawks Draft Picks

Trades made leading to and during the draft:

Date	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
6/13/25	Victor Soderstrom		Ryan Mast and a 2025 7th round pick
6/21/25	Joe Veleno		Andre Burakovsky
7/1/25	2026 sixth-round pick		Sam Lafferty

Trade Analysis

• The Boston Bruins acquired Victor Soderstrom from the Chicago Blackhawks for Ryan Mast and a 2025 7th round pick

The Boston Bruins acquired Victor Soderstrom from the Chicago Blackhawks for Ryan Mast and a 2025 7th round pick

• The Chicago Blackhawks acquired forward Andre Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for forward Joe Veleno

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Andre Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken for Joseph Veleno

• The Chicago Blackhawks acquired a 2025 1st round pick (#29) from the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2025 2nd round pick (#34), a 2025 2nd round pick (#62), a 2027 5th round pick

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired a 2025 1st round pick (#29) from the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2025 2nd round pick (#34), a 2025 2nd round pick (#62), a 2027 5th round pick

The post Chicago Blackhawks 2025 Upper Deck NHL Entry Draft Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks’ lineup versus Montreal was as follows:

Blackhawks lines in Montreal:

Donato-Bedard-Mikheyev
Teravainen-Nazar-Bertuzzi
Foligno-Greene-Moore
Slaggert-Veleno-Reichel

Vlasic-Rinzel
Murphy-Crevier
Kaiser-Levshunov

Soderblom

*Korchinski and Kurashev are scratches

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 14, 2025

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First period

The scoring started off fairly quickly in this one. With a save on one end, the Canadiens took the puck to the offensive zone. Ivan Demidov, also in his NHL debut, took the puck around the defense and fed it out front. Alex Newhook buried the shot to put Montreal up 1–0 at the six-minute mark of the first. Five and a half minute later, Demidov would again bring the Bell Centre crowd to its feet. The Canadiens dumped in the puck and it popped out in front. Demidov was there to backhand it past Arvid Soderblom, putting the Habs up 2–0 early in this one.

With just a couple minutes left in the frame, the Blackhawks went on the power play. With some beautiful passes from Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar, the puck found its way to Tyler Bertuzzi. He put the puck over the shoulder of Sam Montembeault, pulling the Blackhawks back within one.

we think you’ll like this pic.twitter.com/AKRUgL2NzQ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 14, 2025

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The first would end with the Canadiens holding onto their 2–1 lead.

Second period

The most action in the second period was due to penalties. Between both clubs, there were five power-play opportunities in one period. The Blackhawks made the most of their second power play of the period, with Nazar taking a quick pass from Teuvo Teravainen and one-timing it past Montembeault, knotting things up at 2–2.

that’s goals in back to back games for Frank Nazar pic.twitter.com/hSCuMVCp3R

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 15, 2025

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The Blackhawks took a late penalty, sending the Canadiens to the power play to start the third.

Third period

The Blackhawks killed off that penalty, and traded chances early on in the period. Then, with Joe Veleno blocking a shot, Landon Slaggert took the puck up ice. He fed the puck across to Lukas Reichel, who went in on a partial breakaway. He buried his shot, putting the Blackhawks up 3–2. Blackhawks fans would be pleased to know Demidov and uber-hyped rookie defenseman Lane Hutson both badly blew coverage on the play to lead to Reichel’s break.

let’s go Lukas pic.twitter.com/S22WDHzN8h

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 15, 2025

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Unfortunately, the Hawks would not be able to hold onto that lead. Giving the Canadiens another power play, the Habs managed to knot things up. Hutson skated in with the puck, which then went off of the stick of Cole Caufield and then Juraj Slafkovsky before bouncing off the post and Soderblom’s leg to cross the goal line, tying things up at 3–3, and sending the game to overtime.

Overtime and shootout

After neither team generated much in the overtime, with three shots total between them, the game went to the shootout. After a save on Montreal’s first attempt, Nazar was up next for the Blackhawks. He backhanded the puck over the Canadiens’ goaltender, wedging it between the net and the water bottle, which the referees somehow completely missed but later deemed it a good goal. That was the only goal in the shootout, as the Blackhawks took home the win 4–3.

Analysis

It is a lot of fun to see the young guys play for the Blackhawks. With a much more youthful roster, including Greene’s debut, the team has some energy and desire to play hard every shift. There are still some shifts where players will look out of place, or may get beaten, but overall it has been an impressive youth movement coming together the last few games of the season. These games should make fans excited for the future of Blackhawks hockey, as it looks bright with a lot of their recent draft picks debuting and looking the part.

The Blackhawks’ final game of the season is on Tuesday night in Canada’s capital against the Ottawa Senators. That game will be at 6 p.m. CDT on everyone’s favorite CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks spoil Demidov’s debut, beat Montreal 4–3 in shootout appeared first on The Rink.

#Blackhawks lineup in Boston:
Moore-Bedard-Mikheyev
Teravainen-Nazar-Bertuzzi
Donato-Foligno-Kurashev
Slaggert-Veleno-Maroon

Vlasic-Rinzel
Korchinski-Crevier
Del Mastro-Levshunov

Söderblom
Knight

Extras: Reichel, Kaiser (sick), Murphy (sick)

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) April 10, 2025

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First period

It took until the halfway point of the period, but we got a goal in the first. David Pastrnak looked like he stuck his knee out to trip Philipp Kurashev, but it was not called. That initiated a turnover that ended up with Pastrnak tipping the puck into the net, 1–0 Bruins. That would be the only goal of the frame, as both teams put up double-digit shots, but were not able to put anything else into the net.

Second period

The second period was more of the same in the goal scoring department. No one had scored anything for the first eight plus minutes of the second. The Bruins tried to make a pass back to the blue line in the offensive zone. Nick Foligno managed to steal the puck from there, and went in on a breakaway. He put a wrister on target that beat Jeremy Swayman stick-side, knotting things up at 1–1.

Just a few minutes later, the Bruins got their best chance of the period. They put on a passing clinic, with the puck winding up on the stick of Fabian Lysell. He put a shot on net that Arvid Soderblom made a diving stop in kicking out his skate to keep the puck out. The second period would end 1–1, with both teams getting some chances to get in front, but neither one being able to put another puck to the back of the net.

Third period

All of the scoring happened in the third in this game. The Blackhawks managed four shots on net in the period; they scored on all of them. The first goal came at the 3:14 mark of the period, with Ryan Donato putting home his 30th of the season to put the Blackhawks up 2–1.

a goal in Boston for the Boston native https://t.co/fGRZTOqJQH pic.twitter.com/lmm0aPvWuU

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 11, 2025

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It just started coming fast and furious after that. Just over a minute later, Tyler Bertuzzi put a shot toward the net that was knocked down by the Bruins’ defense. He picked up the puck again and wristed it past Swayman, 3–1 Blackhawks. The Blackhawks were not done yet. Just 24 seconds later, Kevin Korchinski took a pass in the slot from Connor Bedard and snapped it over the glove of Swayman, 4–1 Chicago.

we know y’all have been waiting for this https://t.co/8EvLg5yG0t pic.twitter.com/RKfZMVjMgI

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 11, 2025

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A little later in the frame, the Bruins would get one back. Pastrnak again got the puck and this time got it to Morgan Geekie in front. He put his shot past Soderblom, bringing the Bruins within two. That would be it though, as Foligno would add one more empty-netter on the penalty kill, and the Blackhawks would take the victory by a score of 5–2.

Analysis

The Blackhawks put on a clinic in this game. They showed that they are capable of taking advantage of opportunities when they are there, as they made the most of every shot in the third. They also did not have a single player with a negative plus/minus rating in the game, which shows they were doing what they can to be in the right places defensively and offensively in order to generate the most opportunities. Watching the young guys out there can be a bit of a roller coaster depending on the game, but this was one where everyone kept their composure and worked well together. Of course,  special shoutout to The Rink staffer Andy Campbell, who was on hand to cheer the Blackhawks to victory!

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Saturday night versus the Winnipeg Jets. That game will be at 6 p.m. CDT on NHL Network and everyone’s favorite CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks down listless Bruins 5–2 in Boston appeared first on The Rink.

First period

This game got off to a fast start, with both teams generating plenty of chances. Just under four minutes into the period, Philadelphia opened the scoring. Jamie Drysdale was credited for the goal, even though it looked like Travis Konecny tipped the puck in front. Regardless, it put the Flyers up 1–0. The Blackhawks would knot things up a couple of minutes later. Nick Foligno took the puck back in the offensive zone and got it in front to Pat Maroon. He tipped it past Ivan Fedotov to make it a 1–1 game.

The Big Rig gets the @NHLBlackhawks on the board! #Blackhawks | #NHLNShowcase pic.twitter.com/3JYt1ItyGb

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) March 23, 2025

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Just under a minute later, Tyler Bertuzzi was fighting to keep the puck in the offensive zone. He managed to get the puck over to Joe Veleno, who put a wrist shot home for his first as a Blackhawk. The Flyers wasted no time in tying things back up, though. Twelve seconds later, Travis Sanheim put a shot on net that snuck through the arm of Knight and across the line, 2–2. Just under four minutes later, the Flyers would strike again. Bobby Brink got a scrappy goal out in front, fighting to get the puck through Knight, and the Flyers were up 3–2.

With 1:48 left in the period, Connor Bedard took the puck right off the faceoff and wristed it past Fedotov, knotting it up again 3–3.

bedsy wasted no time at all pic.twitter.com/UangoEaOy8

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 23, 2025

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The period would end after all that action the same way that it started, with everybody all tied up.

Second period

The Blackhawks got the scoring going in the second period. Bertuzzi put a backhand shot past the Flyers’ goaltender after Veleno and Kurashev put shots on net, putting the Blackhawks in front 4–3. The Blackhawks went on the power play shortly thereafter, as two Flyers got called for tripping, sending the Blackhawks to a 5-on-3 advantage. After a great keep-in by Teuvo Teravainen, he put a shot-pass on net. It was tipped in front by Ryan Donato past the Flyer’s goalie, 5–3 Chicago. The Flyers got one back three and a half minutes later. Drysdale took a shot from the point that went off of Konecny out in front, bringing the Flyers within one.

The Blackhawks got another power play with six and a half minutes left in the period. Like watching a replay, the puck found itself in front on the stick of Donato again. He put home his second on the power play, making it a 6–4 game.

RYAN DONATO IS ON HAT TRICK WATCH! @NHLBlackhawks | #Blackhawks | #NHLNShowcase pic.twitter.com/LsnPLtFXpF

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) March 23, 2025

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The Blackhawks would take that lead into the intermission, after their 16-shot second period produced great results.

Third period

The third period was uneventful compared to the first two. Lukas Reichel got a flukey goal past the Flyers’ netminder. He took a pass from Maroon and beat the Flyers’ goalie in outwaiting him. He threw the puck right in front, deflecting off of the Flyers’ defenseman and into the net, putting the extra point on this one for the Blackhawks, 7–4. Though not quite as intense as game one of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, the same result came to pass, with the Blackhawks taking the victory.

Analysis

The Blackhawks took advantage of some sloppy play by the Flyers in all areas of the game. Defensively, there were a good number of lapses from the Flyers that allowed Blackhawks players to get in close on net, or steal the puck along the boards, or just beat them with a move to get to the net. The Hawks took advantage of power play chances, too, putting two in the net, and killing off the two penalties taken on their side. It is nice to see Maroon getting a couple of points after announcing that this will be his final season, as he has proven to be a good mentor to this young team, and is a good presence and influence on the younger guys.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. CDT. That game will actually be watchable without an antenna, as it will be on TNT and truTV.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks down Flyers 7–4 in high-offense thriller appeared first on The Rink.

Here would be the lines for the evening:

Blackhawks in warmups:

Dach-Bedard-Dickinson
Teräväinen-Donato-Mikheyev
Slaggert-Nazar-Foligno
Bertuzzi-Veleno-Reichel

Del Mastro-Murphy
Vlasic-Kaiser
Martinez-Levshunov

Knight
Söderblom

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) March 14, 2025

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 First period

The first period was all Sharks. They got started fairly early with a beautiful feed from Macklin Celebrini to Will Smith. He used Colton Dach as a moving screen, giving Spencer Knight no sightline to the puck and putting it in the back of the net, 1–0 Sharks.

Halfway through the period, the Blackhawks were struggling to get the puck out of their own zone. Alex Wennberg got the puck along the half boards. He skated towards the front and fed Collin Graf in front, who buried the shot past Knight, 2–0 San Jose. The Blackhawks got a late power play, but were not able to do anything with it, ending the period with San Jose up by two.

Second period

The Blackhawks decided to show up in the second after a rough first period. Right off the opening faceoff, Frank Nazar got the puck and skated in on a pass from Wyatt Kaiser. He put a wrist shot right past the blocker of Alexander Georgiev to get the Blackhawks back to within one.

guys wake UP Frank just scored pic.twitter.com/8LxQ0QGm0M

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 14, 2025

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The Sharks hopped on the power play twice in the period. Both calls were earned by Celebrini, one on a hooking call, and the other on a cross check. The Sharks made the Blackhawks pay on the second power play chance. Graf again got the goal, this time on a broken shot play from Smith out in front. It was another goal that Knight had no chance on, making it 3–1 Sharks.

Jason Dickinson would get in a fight with Barclay Goodrow a few minutes later, who took exception to the cross-check of Celebrini earlier in the period. After a hard-fought battle to keep the puck in the offensive zone, it found its way to Ryan Donato. He fed Ilya Mikheyev in front of the net, who tipped the puck in, 3–2 Sharks.

Ilya makes it a one goal game pic.twitter.com/d2bDKOOCGP

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 14, 2025

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The period would end with the Sharks ahead by one.

Third period

The Blackhawks fought hard to get back into the game in the third. They put 12 shots on net in an attempt to get back even with the Sharks, but were not able to generate anything. Connor Bedard got called for the weirdest penalty you will see in a long time. He got a 10-minute misconduct for “berating” officials that made no sense if you were watching the game at all. Tyler Toffoli would add an empty-netter for the Sharks, putting it away in the last minute to give the Sharks a 4–2 victory.

Analysis

The Sharks outplayed the Blackhawks in this game, despite what the stat sheet said. The Blackhawks won almost every statistical category, but the Sharks got better chances, and a few of them looked like they controlled the play from start to finish to get a goal. The Blackhawks have to get better defensively, as there were a few plays that made it look like the Sharks had a power play, when they did not at all. Mikheyev has continued his strong play of late. He has had a great second half of the season so far, seeming like a good fit alongside his linemates and putting goals up when the Blackhawks need them.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks. That game will be on CHSN+ at 9 p.m. CDT.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks fall to lowly Sharks 4–2 in San Jose appeared first on The Rink.

Make sure to bookmark this page and come back as the moves happen for up-to-the-minute analysis and breakdowns from our friends at 

Date	The-Rink Division	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
3/1/2025		Seth Jones and a 2026 4th round pick		Spencer Knight and 2026 1st round draft pick
3/7/2025		Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith		Joe Veleno
3/7/2025		5th round draft pick in 2026		Shea Weber, Victor Soderstrom and Aku Raty

Trade Analysis/Breakdown:

• • The Florida Panthers acquired Seth Jones and a 2026 4th round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks for Spencer Knight and a 2026 1st round pick
  • The Detroit Red Wings acquired Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith from the Chicago Blackhawks for Joe Veleno
  • The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Shea Weber, Victor Soderstrom and Aku Raty from the Utah Hockey Club for a 2026 5th round pick

Also, be sure to follow the entire The-Rink staff on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates, as well:

The Rink Official

Chicago Divison
The Rinkcast
Jeff Osborn
Andy Campbell
Eric Andrews
Sean Fitzgerald
Jimmy O’Malley
Andrew Bard
Ray Napientek
Matt Csakai

 

The post Chicago Blackhawks 2025 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Despite being outshot by the Kings by a huge margin, the Blackhawks managed to escape the first tied up. Alec Martinez opened the scoring with a shot from the point through some traffic in front, putting the Blackhawks up halfway through the period. Some sloppy play from the team led to a Los Angeles chance shortly thereafter. Anze Kopitar put a snap shot on net that beat Knight, knotting things up at 1–1. The period would end that way despite the 17–7 shot advantage for the Kings. Knight was solid in the frame, making multiple big saves to keep his new team in it.

Second period

The Blackhawks settled things down in the second. In the first minute of play in the period, they had the puck down in the offensive zone. It was fed out in front for a beautiful chance for Teuvo Teravainen. He fed the puck over to Ilya Mikheyev, who buried his shot to put the Blackhawks up 2–1 early in the second.

Ilya Mikheyev gets his 12th goal of the season to open the 2nd period pic.twitter.com/5pIfjgqFlM

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 4, 2025

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At the 13:30 mark of the period, Ethan Del Mastro put a shot toward the front from a bad angle. It deflected off of a Jacob Moverare’s skate and into the net, 3–1 Chicago.

Third period

The third period was once again marked by a huge shot discrepancy. The Blackhawks were massively outshot again, but managed to score the only goals of the period. At the 1:20 mark, Colton Dach found Andreas Athanasiou out in front, who buried his first of the season, making it 4–1 Blackhawks.

Dach Athanasiou pic.twitter.com/hPpehlRJl2

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 4, 2025

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The Blackhawks would add one more on a Ryan Donato empty-netter, and put away the Kings by a 5–1 final score.

Analysis

This team has just been finding ways to get it done. Knight absolutely stood on his head in his first game as a Blackhawk, keeping them in this game throughout, even through a rocky first period. Making the most of shot attempts is something that is good to see as well, as the Dach to Athanasiou goal was one of three shots in the third, and putting that and an empty-netter in definitely put it out of reach of the Kings coming back. It is also nice to get contributions from guys like Martinez and Del Mastro, who are not known for their offense normally, but contributed big goals in this game.

The next Blackhawks game is on Wednesday versus the Ottawa Senators at the United Center. That game will be on CHSN at 6:30 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks best Kings 5–1 in Spencer Knight’s debut appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Neither team got any goals in the first. The Blackhawks put eight shots on net, while the Ducks managed 10. Two minors each from Ross Johnston and Colton Dach were the penalties in the period, with neither team doing anything on the man advantage. We would head to the second still scoreless.

Second period

We almost made it to the midpoint of the game before either team put a goal in the back of the net. Wyatt Kaiser managed to sneak through the Anaheim defense from the point. He put a shot past John Gibson, making it 1–0 Blackhawks. The Ducks got that goal back almost as quickly as it was scored, with Leo Carlsson putting a beautiful backhander over the glove of Soderblom, knotting things up at 1–1.

The Blackhawks got a power play on a Drew Helleson cross-check of Connor Bedard. The Blackhawks would take care of business on the man advantage, with Pat Maroon taking a pass from Reichel and tucking it home to make it 2–1 Blackhawks.

with his assist on Pat Maroon’s goal, Alec Martinez has reached 200 NHL assists#AtturoTires pic.twitter.com/upLErS8r5L

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 2, 2025

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Then, a few minutes later, after Brodie and Ryan Donato dug the puck out of the corner, it came out in front to Teuvo Teravainen. He made no mistake and buried a wrister past Gibson, 3–1 Chicago.

The Ducks would get one back before the period was out. Jackson LaCombe tipped a Ryan Strome shot in front and then cleaned up the rebound himself. We would go to the intermission with the Blackhawks carrying a 3–2 lead.

Third period

After killing off another Dach penalty, the Blackhawks were on the break. Reichel got the puck from Craig Smith and got in all alone on Gibson. He tucked the puck stick side, giving the Blackhawks a 4–2 lead.

7⃣3⃣ on the breakaway pic.twitter.com/cfwTipzAAZ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 2, 2025

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Just about three minutes later, with the Blackhawks having a two-man advantage, they would strike again. Donato picked up a bouncing puck in front of the net and put it behind Gibson. Just over three minutes later, he would do it again. This time, he got in on the breakaway and juked Gibson out of his skates making it 6–2 Chicago.

EWWWW

Ryan Donato, that was gross. pic.twitter.com/CI5QEygtj5

— NHL (@NHL) March 2, 2025

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The Ducks would get one back just over six minutes later with another goal by Carlsson, but it would not be enough as the Blackhawks cruised to a 6–3 victory.

Analysis

The Blackhawks looked re-energized in this game. Without the drag of a player who clearly did not want to be on the team anymore, they were able to play like a cohesive unit, taking care of business in almost all aspects of the game. For a young team, a few defensive lapses will still happen, as at least two of the Ducks’ goals would suggest, but they were able to take advantage of a few of their own to get a couple of pucks past the Ducks’ netminder. Donato continues to increase his trade value with a goal and two assists. Reichel had a game that will make it tough to bench him again for at least a couple of games now, with a beautiful goal on the breakaway and an otherwise steady performance in this game.

The one area that definitely needs improvement is the faceoff dot. You cannot win less than 40% of your draws and expect that to go well most nights. You can get out-hit and the other team can have more shot blocks than you, but if you are not maintaining possession in the most straightforward way possible, it is going to be tough to compete many nights in this league.

The Blackhawks are next up against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night in Chicago. That game will be at 7:30 p.m. CST on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks take season series, win 6–3 in Anaheim appeared first on The Rink.

First period

After a bit of a slow start to the action, with two shots apiece through the first nine and a half minutes, the Blackhawks got something going. Alex Vlasic skated the puck in behind the net, feeding Frank Nazar in the circle, who buried his shot, giving the Blackhawks a 1–0 lead. It would not last long, though, as the Predators got a 2-on-1 20 seconds later. Colin Smith had a beautiful feed to Colton Sissons, and he snuck it past Mrazek, knotting things up at 1–1.

Just under six minutes later, though, the Blackhawks would retake the lead. Lukas Reichel had a great shot on net that got cleared out. The puck found itself on the stick of Pat Maroon, who made no mistake, giving the Blackhawks the 2–1 lead. They would take that lead into the intermission, with Connor Bedard taking a last-second penalty to put the Predators on the power play to start the second.

right on target pic.twitter.com/Z7Hxg4ucEi

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 8, 2025

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Second period

The Predators were not able to make anything out of that power play, but the Blackhawks gained one of their own a few minutes later. With Bedard not in the penalty box this time, he took a beautiful pass from Ryan Donato and buried a shot from the left circle, 3–1 Chicago.

CONNOR BEDARD

How about that release?! pic.twitter.com/5AWHJ8LrUq

— NHL (@NHL) February 8, 2025

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Just under 10 minutes later, the Blackhawks would put another one home. Donato took a pass from Teuvo Teravainen and put some moves on Juuse Saros to score his 17th of the season, 4–1 Blackhawks.

With nine seconds left in the frame, and the Blackhawks on the power play, Seth Jones got in deep and put home his sixth after a beautiful passing play all around from the Blackhawks.

Bedard Donato Jones

The @NHLBlackhawks are buzzin’ tonight! pic.twitter.com/oGCmjovTBC

— NHL (@NHL) February 8, 2025

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The second would end with Chicago holding a dominant 5–1 lead over Nashville.

Third period

Nashville massively outshot the Blackhawks in the third period, but it did not end up mattering much, as the damage was done. Donato picked up his second of the game streaking in alone against Saros, with a nice wrister over the pad.

POINT NO. 201 pic.twitter.com/FrTNHQW7P5

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 8, 2025

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The Predators picked up a goal late from Thomas Novak, but the Blackhawks cruised to a 6–2 victory.

Analysis

The Blackhawks looked light years better than the Predators did. This team reminds me of how the Blackhawks looked in the couple prior years to Bedard’s arrival. They were aging and had little to show with regards to prospects coming up to instantly improve the team. The Blackhawks looked like they had things together this game. This team played smart hockey, but also took it to the Predators when situations presented themselves. The penalty kill and power play took care of business, which is the best thing you can ask for from a team that is still a few pieces away from putting it all together. Donato continues to have himself a season, and I would personally love to see the Blackhawks re-sign him if a killer offer does not arise come the trade deadline, as he seems like a great team player to keep around.

For their next game, the Blackhawks are taking on the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night. That game will be at 6 p.m. CST on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks back in win column, beat lowly Predators 6–2 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

This game started off very slowly, with neither team getting much going in the early part of the game. With just under four minutes left in the frame, and the Blackhawks on the power play, the shots were 5–0 Carolina. Then, the Hurricanes got something going. The Blackhawks attempted to keep the puck in the offensive zone, but the Hurricanes fought to push the puck out. They ended up in a 2-on-1 following a Philipp Kurashev turnover, even with Lukas Reichel pushing to get back to help. The puck found its way to Seth Jarvis, who buried the goal past Arvid Soderblom, 1–0 Carolina. Dach almost had one back for the Blackhawks on a clearing attempt by Pyotr Kochetkov, but the netminder managed to dive back and stop the puck from way out of position following his miscue.

With 1:22 left in the frame, the Blackhawks would get even. Nick Foligno passed from just inside the zone to a streaking Ilya Mikheyev, who buried a snap shot right under the arm of Kochetkov, knotting things up 1–1 heading into the intermission.

Ilya equalizer pic.twitter.com/FI1lmplAY0

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 31, 2025

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Second period

It took a little less time in the second, but the Hurricanes got on the board. The newest member of the team, Mikko Rantanen, took a pass and managed to squeak a puck through the five hole of Soderblom, 2–1 Hurricanes. That is definitely one that the Blackhawks would like to have had back, as a poor offensive zone read by Frank Nazar resulted in the counterattack for the Canes. Just over a minute later, the Hurricanes had a couple of chances back to back. Jackson Blake had a shot in tight go off the crossbar and out. That puck found its way to Jaccob Slavin, who buried it to make the score 3–1 Hurricanes. It would go to the second intermission with Carolina holding onto that two-goal lead.

Third period

The Hurricanes once again started off with some good chances in the third. They had a few shots in a row saved by Soderblom, with the puck finally finding its way to Seth Jones. He saw Connor Bedard streaking up the wing and found him with a pass. Bedard was in all alone and fired the puck past Kochetkov, getting things back to a one-goal game.

we want you to watch this Bedsy goal pic.twitter.com/HaIDkSVdaP

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 31, 2025

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Unfortunately, the Blackhawks were unable to get anything else going, and the Hurricanes held on to win 3–2 in Raleigh.

Analysis

The Blackhawks struggled to get things going against Carolina. They played decent defense, created some giveaways and got a couple of power plays to work with, but could not get many shots on goal. It is always deflating to give up shorthanded goals, especially when it is the first goal of the game. Soderblom surely would have liked to have Rantanen’s first goal as a Hurricane back, as that puck had no business getting to the back of the net. Mikheyev and Bedard were able to get their chances on the breakaway. That is not a good source of goals normally, so in some ways they were lucky to get the two goals they had.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Saturday in Sunrise against the Florida Panthers. That game will be on ABC and ESPN+ at 12 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks come up short in Carolina 3–2 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

This game started off looking like one team showed up to play, and the other team looked like they had played five games in a row to get to this one. Minnesota dominated the first period, getting their first goal of the game fairly early on. Ethan Del Mastro tried to get the puck up the side boards from the point, but it got intercepted by Marco Rossi. Then, that sprang the Wild on a 4-on-2, with Jared Spurgeon putting the puck past Mrazek, 1–0 Wild.

Then, a few minutes later, the Blackhawks would give up a goal that everyone would have liked to have back. Frederick Gaudreau put the puck on net from a bad angle that fooled Mrazek and got by him, 2–0 Minnesota. This first period would end with a grand total of one shot recorded on net by the Blackhawks.

Second period

It was more of the same from the Blackhawks in the second, only generating four shots on net this time around, but having to fight back from an even bigger deficit. The Wild picked up another goal on the power play, with Joel Eriksson Ek getting the tip in front to get it past Mrazek. The period would end with Minnesota up 3–0.

Third period

Something must have rattled the Blackhawks’ cages in the intermission, because they came out seeming like they actually wanted to play in the third. Right away in the period, Jake Middleton got called for a cross-check on Ryan Donato, putting the Blackhawks on the power play. They made quick work of that, with Seth Jones putting the puck to the back of the net. A few minutes later, Del Mastro flew toward the net. He put the puck off of Filip Gustavsson’s pad, giving up a juicy rebound. Frank Nazar flew in to clean it up, making it 3–2 Wild.

simply *chef’s kiss* pic.twitter.com/m3ofzNQRbS

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 27, 2025

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The Blackhawks would continue to fight back to try to get back even with the Wild, but could not quite get there. The Wild would tack on an empty-netter, giving them the 4–2 victory.

Analysis

This game was a tale of two games if there has ever been one. The first and second periods were, without a doubt, the worst periods that the Blackhawks have played offensively this entire season. Five shots on goal through two periods is bush league crap, as no professional hockey team should only be able to generate five measly shots on net in 40 minutes. They looked like the computer when you play against them in an NHL video game on rookie mode, they were that bad at generating anything. The third period was like it was from a totally different planet. The Blackhawks came out with a fire in them in the third; they looked like a totally different team that actually wanted to try to win a hockey game.

If there is more of that kind of play the rest of the season, this team will surprise some people and win some more games that on paper they should not be winning. If this team looks like the team through the first two periods, they will continue their current woes of losing seven of the last eight games they have played.

Connor Bedard doesn’t back down against Zach Bogosian. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/ycnhhHTTCX

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 27, 2025

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The Blackhawks’ next game is on Tuesday night in Tampa Bay against the Lightning again. That game will be on CHSN at 6 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks beat down by Wild, drop third straight 4–2 appeared first on The Rink.

Hoping to get off to a better start against Edmonton, the Blackhawks’ lines would look like this:

#Blackhawks lineup vs. Edmonton:
Bertuzzi-Bedard-Mikheyev
Foligno-Dickinson-Teravainen
Dach-Nazar-Reichel
Hall-Donato-Maroon

Martinez-Jones
Vlasic-Crevier
Allan-Brodie

Söderblom
Mrazek

Extras: Kurashev, Kaiser, Smith (back)

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 11, 2025

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First period 

The Blackhawks got things started fairly early in this game. Just 4:45 into the first, Jason Dickinson fed Teuvo Teravainen in the slot, who ripped one past Calvin Pickard.

5 points in 5 games for Teuvo pic.twitter.com/96feBAOq0h

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 12, 2025

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The Blackhawks were not done yet. Nick Foligno took an Alec Martinez shot off the end boards and tucked it home, 2–0 Chicago. The first period would end with the Blackhawks up by two scores over Edmonton.

after 20 pic.twitter.com/ntcQo23HlR

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 12, 2025

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Second period

The second period featured a lot of action on both ends of the ice. The Oilers cut the Blackhawks’ lead in half early, with Vasily Podkolzin getting a nice feed in front to get the Oilers back to within one. Halfway through the period, though, the Blackhawks would get one back.

After a steal in the offensive zone, Taylor Hall came up with the puck in the right circle. Then, he fed Nolan Allan, who in turn got the puck to Ryan Donato, who ripped it past Pickard, putting the Blackhawks back up by two.

13th of the year for Ryan Donato

: SNW
: Stream on Sportsnet+ pic.twitter.com/9JiGRVLr5L

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 12, 2025

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That is where the good news would stop for the Blackhawks. Five minutes after they scored, the Oilers came right back to cut the lead. Ty Emberson put a shot toward the net that got deflected by Adam Henrique in front, bringing the Oilers within one. TJ Brodie failed to tie up Henrique’s stick, allowing him to get the tip in the first place. Then, the Oilers would claw all the way back. Old frenemy Corey Perry was allowed to skate right into the middle of the ice and shoot, knotting things up at 3–3.

Third period

The big momentum swing toward Edmonton carried on into the third period. Allan got called for a trip, putting the Oilers up on the power play. They made the most of it, with Leon Draisaitl putting a shot on net that garnered a rebound. Zach Hyman was right in front to tuck it around the pad of Arvid Soderblom, giving the Oilers their first lead.

Even in pulling their goalie, the Blackhawks were unable to generate chances to claw back in. They even had a 6 on-4 due to a power play for the last minute, but could not convert. Edmonton would take this game by a score of 4–3 final.

Analysis

The Blackhawks dropped off after a good start to this game. As easily as they had gained momentum in the first 30 minutes, it dropped off just as quickly in the last 30. If I am the Blackhawks’ coaching staff, I would be preaching that they need to clear the front of the net. If someone is taking the puck right out in front, pick up that guy. There seemed to be way too much zone defense being played with the puck in close, especially given the fact that the Oilers were not on a power play. Everyone has their assignments, and they need to do them. When they do not, that is when things break down defensively. It also seemed like the Oilers scoring at all completely deflated the Blackhawks. As a team, you still need to come back and play with everything you have, and that just was not evident.

The Blackhawks will look to get back on track against the Calgary Flames on Monday night. That game will be at 6:30 p.m. CST on CHSN and NHL Network.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks bested by Oilers, lose 4–3 at home appeared first on The Rink.

Against the Buffalo Sabres, the lineup changes were minimal, with Philipp Kurashev coming back into the lineup for Josh Anderson and Petr Mrazek getting the start in net.

First period

The first period got off to a slow start, with only three shots in the first 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the third shot got into the back of the net. Rasmus Dahlin put a shot on net that was deflected home by Zach Benson, giving the Sabres a 1–0 lead. Mrazek’s rough night was just getting started. A couple of minutes later, Tage Thompson put a shot on net that was deflected down by Alex Tuch. The puck squeaked through Mrazek’s pads and crossed the goal line, 2–0 Buffalo.

Fifteen seconds later, Dylan Cozens skated the puck back into the offensive zone. He whipped the puck across to Jack Quinn, who one-timed it off the post and in, 3–0 Sabres. With under a minute to go, the Blackhawks had the puck in the offensive zone. An errant pass from Tyler Bertuzzi sent the Sabres back on the attack. Quinn skated up into the offensive zone, dropping the puck off to Cozens for a goal of his own, putting the Sabres up 4–0 going into the intermission.

Second period

After an abysmal start to the game, Mrazek got pulled for Arvid Soderblom. The Blackhawks hoped they could claw their way back into the game with some personnel changes. Despite a 4-on-4 opportunity, the Blackhawks were unable to put any real chances on net until late in the period. Then, the Blackhawks got their first moment of the game to get back into it. Taylor Hall skated into the offensive zone and passed across to Bertuzzi. He put a shot on net that found twine, getting the Blackhawks on the board.

Bedard Hall Bertuzzi pic.twitter.com/JchzSRj4pd

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 28, 2024

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Third period

Three minutes into the third period, it looked like the Blackhawks might be clawing their way back one more time. Lukas Reichel set everything up with a drop pass to Pat Maroon. He put the puck across ice to Seth Jones, who buried the shot, making the score 4–2.

HAWKS GOAL pic.twitter.com/wHjJohRewT

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 28, 2024

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Unfortunately, that would be all of the good news Blackhawks fans. A couple of minutes later, Tuch would strike again after coming out of the penalty box. He snuck the puck past Soderblom again, putting Buffalo back up by three. Tuch would manage to tuck in one more before the game was over, netting a hat trick for himself and giving the Sabres the 6–2 victory.

Analysis

The Blackhawks got behind too early in this game to really come back. Down by four goals in the first, with many of them not ones that should go in, will go a long way to demoralize a team. Two of Tuch’s three goals were weak and should not have gotten past the goaltender. The Cozens-Quinn combo were both avoidable with a little better defense. Overall, this was simply not a good showing for this team, and puts them right into a spot where they need to start winning in their own home rink to right the ship. The Blackhawks’ next game is against the Dallas Stars at home on Sunday night. That game will be on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks beat down in Buffalo, lose 6–2 appeared first on The Rink.

Seth Jones and Petr Mrazek checked back into the lineup versus the Flames, having missed time due to injury.

The Blackhawks would roll out the following lines versus the Flames:

#Blackhawks projected lineup vs. Flames:
Foligno-Bedard-Donato
Hall-Nazar-Bertuzzi
Teravainen-Dickinson-Mikheyev
Maroon-Reichel-Anderson

Vlasic-Murphy
Allan-Jones
Korchinski-Brodie

Mrazek
Söderblom

Extras: Kurashev, Crevier

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 21, 2024

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First period

The first started off with a fair amount of puck movement by both sides. Nine and a half minutes in, Mrazek made a tremendous save on Jake Bean to keep things knotted up at zeroes. That unfortunately would not last for the whole period. With the Blackhawks on the power play, Jonathan Huberdeau got sprung up the left boards. He kept Frank Nazar at bay and backhanded the puck past Mrazek, making it 1–0 Flames. The home team did not let up. Forty-seven seconds later, Nazem Kadri stole a pass from Kevin Korchinski. With the Blackhawks’ defense backing up, he put a wrister on net and quickly made it 2–0 Calgary. It just kept getting worse for the Blackhawks in this frame, as Connor Murphy would take a dumb penalty on Huberdeau again and he was granted a penalty shot.

Mrazek stood tall and managed to keep that one out of the net, sending the Blackhawks to the intermission down 2–0.

Second period

This period took a little while to get going. Ten minutes in, the Blackhawks looked like they might be right back in it. Tyler Bertuzzi got a good pass up to Taylor Hall in front of the benches. He skated in and got the puck across to Connor Bedard, who one-timed the puck to the back of the net, 2–1 Flames.

Connor Bedard gets the Blackhawks on the board. pic.twitter.com/R4XmpxwxbR

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 21, 2024

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This second period was all Flames after that. Twenty-eight seconds after Bedard scored, Calgary got the goal right back. Jakob Pelletier got the puck over to Connor Zary, who had the easiest tap-in of his season, 3–1. Just under two minutes later, the Flames were on the power play due to some retaliation on the part of Ryan Donato. They made quick work of that, with Matthew Coronato tucking home another easy goal, 4–1 to the home team. Unfortunately, that goal put an end to the Hawks’ remarkable penalty-killing streak, which had climbed to over 30 consecutive kills before the Coronato tally. The worst goal to let in was the next one, though. Bean took a shot that got knocked down on the way through to the net. Blake Coleman got a stick on it to deflect it to the ice, making it 5–1 Calgary. This one looked like it was all but over.

Third period

Less than a minute into the third, it was clear that the Blackhawks got a talking to in the locker room between periods. Fifty-seven seconds in, Bedard put the puck across to Bertuzzi, who was tied up in front of the net. He fell over, freed himself and put the puck past Dustin Wolf, making it 5–2.

oh my goodess tyler bertuzzi pic.twitter.com/g68kcyqSgc

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 21, 2024

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Bertuzzi would end up with the next one, too. On the two-man advantage, with some good puck movement, it found its way down to Bedard again. He once again fed Bertuzzi on the far side of the net, making it 5–3, and bringing the Blackhawks back within two.

At the 18:52 mark of the frame, the Blackhawks were back in it officially, but running out of time. Ilya Mikheyev continued his hot streak, potting his seventh of the year, making it really closer than it looked like it would have been, 5–4 Calgary.

#Blackhawks final goal

Ilya Mikheyev
Nick Foligno, Teuvo Teravainen

pic.twitter.com/k2xwXOHX1W

— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) December 21, 2024

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Unfortunately, that was all that the Blackhawks were able to muster. Mikael Backlund put home an empty-netter for the Flames, putting this one away and giving the Flames the 6–4 victory.

Analysis

The Blackhawks won the most faceoffs of any game that I have seen them play this season, which is a great thing to see in a team, as that is often the easiest way to get things going on offense. The game as a whole was sloppy. The first and second periods were both lacking in terms on having enough effort on defense and following your man. Sixty-eight penalty minutes is quite a lot of time there too, as Martin Pospisil was taking hits on people he should not have, and forcing the Blackhawks to retaliate, forcing that total up ever higher.

Overall, it a good performance for a loss, especially seeing them fight to get back into the game in the third period.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Monday night in Minnesota to take on the Wild. Coverage will be on CHSN at 7 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks’ comeback flames out, fall 6–4 to Calgary appeared first on The Rink.

Arvid Soderblom got the start in net in this second game versus the Islanders, and Joey Anderson drew in for Nick Foligno, who was out sick, and Louis Crevier replaced Wyatt Kaiser on the back end.

First period

It took almost half of the period, but the Blackhawks would be the first to strike. Nine minutes and eight seconds in, Teuvo Teravainen found Ilya Mikheyev, who put a shot on net from in between the circles that went through, 1–0 Blackhawks.

a Mikheyev goal highlight for your feed pic.twitter.com/kAusYjw5Mi

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 15, 2024

The first would be back and forth, and the Islanders would strike back. After a clearing attempt was held in, Ryan Pulock put a slapshot on net that got past Soderblom, knotting things up at 1–1. We were not done yet, though! With just 20 seconds left, and after some beautiful passing, Taylor Hall put a wrister on net from the right circle that beat Ilya Sorokin, ending the period at 2–1 Blackhawks.

Taylor Hall with a quick response for the @NHLBlackhawks #Blackhawks | #NHLNShowcase pic.twitter.com/fqtTXrh63J

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) December 15, 2024

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Second period 

The second period involved some more back and forth, with both teams getting chances on the power play, but only one converting. The Islanders struck first, but on 5-on-5 play. Pierre Engvall got the puck in near the crease, with his pass to the front deflecting off of Simon Holmstrom and into the net, knotting things up at 2–2. The Blackhawks managed to draw two penalties back to back, putting them on the two-man advantage. Teravainen took a beautiful pass from Bedard and slapped it past Sorokin, 3–2 Blackhawks.

THREE POINTS FOR TEUVO KIND OF DAY pic.twitter.com/reQpLokFCF

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 15, 2024

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The Blackhawks were unable to do anything with the remaining power play, and the period would end with Chicago retaining its 3–2 lead.

Third period

Just 47 seconds into the frame, the Blackhawks’ defense did what they have done all season: broke down. They allowed Noah Dobson to skate in and put a shot on the ice that went past Soderblom to knot things up. Chicago then challenged, and it was not overturned, likely due to Soderblom being too far out of his crease.

In the last minute of the game, things got interesting. Ryan Donato took a rebound and got it around the net to Bedard, who squibbed the puck past the goaltender, giving the Blackhawks the lead again.

Bedsy in the final minute of the game? Clutch. pic.twitter.com/4p9o4oP2By

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 15, 2024

Connor Murphy would add an empty-netter for good measure, giving the Blackhawks the 5–3 win.

Analysis

The Blackhawks, despite their own selves, managed to eek out a win. The Dobson goal was inexcusably bad defense that allowed the Islanders to get too close to the net and score. That simply cannot happen when a team is trying to win games. The penalty kill was a success, as they killed off all four chances against, not really allowing anything too dangerous to get to Soderblom. Hopefully, more forwards will step up and start getting some more shots on net. Bedard and Teravainen having multi-point games is good, but if other lines would participate in the scoring a little more, it would be way more beneficial to this team to put more wins together.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Tuesday night versus the Washington Capitals at the United Center. That game will be on CHSN at 7:30 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks get back on track, beat Islanders 5–3 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Things looked good for the Blackhawks early on in this game, with their first goal coming in under a minute and a half into the game. Alex Vlasic took a beautiful feed from Nick Foligno and wristed his first of the year past Jeremy Swayman, 1–0 Blackhawks early.

pickles pair perfectly with goals pic.twitter.com/4itbyi3twF

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 5, 2024

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Eleven minutes later, Morgan Geekie would come back for the Bruins as he followed up his own shot to put home the rebound, knotting things up into the first intermission, 1–1.

Second period

Just three minutes into the second, the Blackhawks would be back in a familiar position. Brad Marchand took a pass from David Pastrnak circle to circle and put it past Mrazek, 2–1 Boston. Just over two minutes later, it was Pastrnak to Marchand again to make it 3–1 Bruins. Pastrnak took the puck from former Blackhawk defenseman Jordan Oesterle on a failed clearing attempt by Ilya Mikheyev, and before anyone could react, it was in the net. Mikheyev would get some redemption before the period was out, though. He got the puck along the boards and fed Jason Dickinson in the left circle, who wristed one to the back of the net, sending things to the intermission at 3–2 Bruins.

what a shot from Dickinson pic.twitter.com/4gbGg14rAk

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 5, 2024

Third period

Five minutes into the period, the Blackhawks had the puck in the offensive zone. Lukas Reichel was unable to get a shot through to the net on a backhand attempt. With no Blackhawk but Reichel in the vicinity, Justin Brazeau got the puck up quickly to Geekie again. He went in on the breakaway and put the puck in the back of the net, 4–2 Boston. That would do it for this one, as that took all of the wind out of the Blackhawks’ sails, netting them their fourth loss in a row.

Analysis

Once again, I believe that this loss comes down to fundamentals. If you do not take penalties, you do not have to spend energy and time killing them off, and maybe you have more of both to be able to work at getting back into the game. Being disciplined is key to winning, as winning teams do not tend to take dumb, lazy penalties like delay of game and tripping. The Blackhawks had so many pucks given to them by the Bruins that they were not able to do anything with either, as the Bruins racked up 20 giveaways somehow, but won two-thirds of the faceoffs in the game. The Blackhawks need to get back to the basics, as it is showing that even working hard to overcome your own mistakes is not enough in this game if you cannot first do everything else you are supposed to do to win games.

The Blackhawks will look to break their losing streak on Saturday afternoon, hosting the Winnipeg Jets. That game will be at 3 p.m. CST on good old CHSN, or wherever you are able to stream from.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks’ skid continues, downed by Bruins 4–2 appeared first on The Rink.

Petr Mrazek will start in goal tonight vs. Dallas.

Philipp Kurashev and Wyatt Kaiser are back in. Joey Anderson and Nolan Allan will sit. #Blackhawks

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 27, 2024

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First period

The Blackhawks got this one started right off the jump. Taylor Hall skated into the offensive zone with the puck and 17 seconds in, put the Blackhawks up 1–0 on a nice wrist shot.

DECK THE HALLS pic.twitter.com/SYN8kG1Bji

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 28, 2024

Just under five and a half minutes later, Hall would strike again. Ryan Donato stopped the puck up the boards on a clearing attempt by Casey DeSmith. He got a pass out in front to Hall, who tucked it around the pad, 2–0 Blackhawks.

WITH BOUGHS OF HOCKEY pic.twitter.com/uvtfyazaDx

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 28, 2024

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The hat trick watch would continue into the second, though, as the first period ended up 2–0 Blackhawks.

Second period

Having ended the first on the power play, the Blackhawks got started on the man advantage in the second. Very quickly, that advantage would be over. Tyler Bertuzzi held the puck in at the point and got the puck over to Connor Bedard, who wristed the puck over DeSmith’s shoulder, 3–0 Blackhawks, ending a lengthy drought for Bedard.

we’re SO back pic.twitter.com/SdgCA3FEPw

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 28, 2024

Then, just under three minutes later, the Blackhawks would strike again. Teuvo Teravainen took a pass just outside the circles and wristed a shot to the back of the net, 4–0 Chicago.

turbo o’clock pic.twitter.com/aUtfbKtD5k

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 28, 2024

However, 35 seconds later, the Stars got one back. Former Blackhawk forward Colin Blackwell chipped in the puck from in front of the net, 4–1 Blackhawks.

The second period just kept on giving goals. Hall got his fifth hat trick of his career, with a wrister from the left circle just after a power play expired.

here come the hats pic.twitter.com/w9sJV4fJc2

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 28, 2024

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Then, recent call-up Louis Crevier got in on the action with his first in his NHL career, putting the Blackhawks up by five off a beautiful setup from Ilya Mikheyev.

BIG LOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU pic.twitter.com/XS46GOORDx

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 28, 2024

The second period would end with Chicago leading by a massive 6–1 margin.

Third period

The third period was rather uneventful, as the main action was two penalties against the Blackhawks. They were able to kill off the first, but not the second, as Matt Duchene potted a power play goal for the visitors. The game would end with a 6–2 Blackhawks victory.

Analysis

This was a dominant effort by the Blackhawks. The offense was firing on all cylinders, Petr Mrazek made the stops that he was asked to and some he was not and the amount of blocked shots was higher than one would expect based on the scoresheet. Hall got his first hat trick as a Blackhawk, and Bedard got off his goalless drought as well. All lines had something going in this one, which is always impressive when unexpected players are chipping in to make things happen. All around, a great game, and maybe the Blackhawks’ best this season.

The Blackhawks next play against the Minnesota Wild on Friday afternoon in Minnesota. That game will be on CHSN at 1 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks finally ignite, take down Stars 6–2 appeared first on The Rink.

No real lineup changes to speak of, except for Alec Martinez coming back into the lineup after being activated from injured reserve, with Nolan Allan coming out to create space.

First period

The first period was mostly driven by the Kraken, as they managed 10 shots on goal to the Blackhawks’ three. There were not any really close calls. Though a couple of pucks rang off the post by Mrazek, nothing was too close to getting past him and into the net.

Second period

The second period was all Seattle. After a rebound came right out front to Seth Jones, he fanned on the clearing attempt, turning the puck over for a shot that Mrazek saved off of the shoulder. A couple minutes later, Philipp Kurashev turned the puck over in behind the Seattle net. The Kraken quickly moved the puck up ice, giving them a 2-on-1 opportunity. Teuvo Teravainen tried to dive back to help, but the puck was slowed down by his stick, setting up Matty Beniers to put it home, 1–0 Kraken. Jason Dickinson had a chance that rang off the post on a 2-on-1, but the puck stayed out, keeping the score 1–0 Seattle going into the intermission.

Third period

Seattle had ended the second period on the power play, with Jones getting called for interference with 20 seconds left in the frame. They used almost all of their time, but converted on a Jaden Schwartz shot in front on a beautiful feed from Chandler Stephenson, making it 2–0 Seattle. About two minutes later, Ryan Donato got the puck in the middle of the ice. His first shot through the defender’s legs was saved, but he followed up and tucked in the rebound, bringing the Blackhawks within one at 2–1.

goal #⃣8⃣ for #⃣8⃣ pic.twitter.com/2R2qImZSqq

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 15, 2024

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A few minutes later, Lukas Reichel got a great chance off a feed from Tyler Bertuzzi, but Daccord saved it off of his mask. Brandon Tanev would tuck in an empty-netter, as the Kraken took this one by a final score of 3–1.

Analysis

The Blackhawks played some good hockey even in a losing effort. They do, however, need to do a much better job of staying out of the penalty box. Jones in particular takes some brutal penalties, as he is getting beat badly in some games, just like this one with some brutal turnovers and bad defensive zone play. Mrazek did all that he could to keep pucks out, but when you are hung out to dry, there is only so much that you can do.

This team also cannot keep getting beat in every statistical category and expect to win hockey games. They take stupid penalties and cannot kill off all of them, are not converting on the power play themselves and tend to lose more faceoffs than they win. If these categories in particular do not turn around, they are going to continue to be on the receiving end of losses.

The Blackhawks play next on Saturday night in British Columbia against the Vancouver Canucks. Of note, it will be Connor Bedard’s first opportunity to play an NHL game in his hometown. That game will be at 9 p.m. CST on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks downed by Kraken in Seattle 3–1 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Sharks opened the scoring in this one with a goal that Petr Mrazek would like to have had back. Will Smith scored his first NHL goal on a wide-open wrister from the left circle that went stick side on Mrazek, putting the Sharks up 1–0.

Thirty-seven seconds later, the Blackhawks would get one back. Ilya Mikheyev took the puck from the side boards and passed it to the middle of the zone. It got deflected, but Ryan Donato came up with it and wristed it past Mackenzie Blackwood, tying things up 1–1.

a killer shot from Donato pic.twitter.com/dQTkmpnhYv

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 1, 2024

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Just under a minute later, the Blackhawks’ first line showed that they were ready for action. Off the faceoff, Connor Murphy got the puck at the point. He put a shot on net that was saved by Blackwood, but the rebound came right to the side of Tyler Bertuzzi. He tucked it in past Blackwood’s pad, 2–1 Blackhawks.

give ’em pumpkin to talk about pic.twitter.com/abW6BORRSs

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 1, 2024

That is how the first would end, with the Blackhawks holding their one-goal lead.

Second period

The Sharks knotted things up early in the second. Fabian Zetterlund put a shot on net that Mrazek thought he had. It trickled behind him, with Alexander Wennberg following up and poking it home, tying it up 2–2. Just over nine minutes later, the Sharks were up on the power play due to a Craig Smith high stick. Murphy passed the puck from along the boards to a dangerous area in front of the net. It went right to Will Smith again, who went bar down for his second of the game, 3–2 San Jose.

Third period

The Blackhawks got a couple of power plays, but were unable to do anything with them, including one in the last two minutes of the game, giving them a 6-on-4 advantage after pulling the goalie. Mikheyev was buzzing around the net for most of the period, as the first line was doing what they could to get back even, but to no avail. The Sharks took this one 3–2.

Analysis

Looking at the statistics, the Blackhawks were lucky to be as close as they were. The Sharks blocked more shots, won significantly more faceoffs, got more hits and made the most of the one power play that they got. The Blackhawks could not convert on any of theirs, and also let up a power-play goal on the other end so, all in all, some atrocious special teams play from the Blackhawks in this game. Mrazek also did not have a good game; after losing sight of the puck on the Wennberg goal somehow, and getting beat on Smith’s first on a shot that probably should not have gone past him, either.

Cali-ween…Cali WIN pic.twitter.com/mye2dP1gyV

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) November 1, 2024

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The Blackhawks’ next game is on Saturday at 3 p.m. CDT versus the Los Angeles Kings on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Donato tallies another, but Blackhawks dropped by Sharks 3–2 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

This one started real rough, real quick. Twenty-one seconds in, Kiefer Sherwood got a steal alongside the boards in the Blackhawks’ zone. He passed it across to Teddy Blueger and then to Danton Heinen, making it 1–0 Canucks. At the 4:39 mark of the frame, Jason Dickinson got called for a trip against J.T. Miller. On the ensuing power play, Quinn Hughes put a shot off the end boards that came out in front to Miller, who quickly made it 2–0 Vancouver.

The Blackhawks would get one back, though, in short order. After a pinch by Alex Vlasic, Dickinson stuck with a play behind the net, feeding it in front to Ryan Donato for his second of the season, 2–1 Vancouver. But, just over a minute later, Heinen would pick up his second on a deflected shot from Filip Hronek at the point, 3–1 Vancouver. The goal debatably should have been disallowed due to an offside from Vancouver upon entering the zone, but after a Blackhawks challenge, the goal was upheld.

We were not done with scoring in the first, though. Taylor Hall came up with a loose puck in between the circles and fired it home for the 700th point of his career, making it 3–2 Canucks.

Taylor Hall rips it home for the 700th point of his career!

: Frozen Frenzy action all night on @espn & @ESPNPlus https://t.co/S5tPrXCygm pic.twitter.com/Rvo7A4zJQd

— NHL (@NHL) October 23, 2024

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Two minutes later, the Canucks got it right back on a Conor Garland rebound opportunity, giving the Canucks back their two-goal lead, again in controversial fashion.

I stand corrected: Vancouver had SEVEN players on the ice prior to scoring their fourth goal. The officials missed it. Chicago’s bench was irate. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/TJpYqXeIiZ

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 23, 2024

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The back-and-forth first would end with Vancouver up 4–2.

Second period

The Blackhawks received two more power play opportunities in the second, but could not convert and could barely get any opportunities to score on these chances. Seth Jones was brutal, with an abundance of turnovers and overall brutal play to keep things where we ended the first, 4–2 Canucks.

Third period

It took halfway through the period this time, but the Blackhawks gave up another power play on a Connor Murphy trip of Elias Pettersson. Brock Boeser got the tip out in front this time, 13 seconds into the power play, making it 5–2. Old friend Pius Suter showed up a few minutes later to increase the lead further, 6–2 Vancouver. The Blackhawks would get one back on a two-man advantage, with Tyler Bertuzzi scoring to make it 6–3. That is how this one would end, with Vancouver taking control the whole way through.

Analysis

The Blackhawks played, to this point, their worst game of the season on Tuesday night. Defense was horrid, special teams may as well have not shown up and Mrazek was hung out to dry several times throughout this very one-sided contest. The top line has to be producing, and with Connor Bedard a -3 on the evening, it is clear that they were not playing their best in this one, either.

Mrazek put up his first stinker of the season, with a .800 save percentage in this one, compared to being over .900 in every other game he has played this season. Vancouver got away with a couple, including having seven skaters on the ice at one point leading up to a goal, but that still would not have made a difference in the end. With some brutal play from Jones, it is clear that he is not the player the Blackhawks’ previous regime thought they were getting when they traded for him, as he has played his worst hockey here in Chicago.

Hall was the lone bright spot, picking up point No. 700 in this one as he looks to work his way back from missing almost all of last season. He looks good so far, as he is playing with confidence and playing smart hockey.

Congrats on 7⃣0⃣0⃣ career points, @hallsy09! pic.twitter.com/ujZXTw3Cp8

— WGN Radio 720 (@WGNRadio) October 23, 2024

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The Blackhawks’ next game is on Friday versus the Nashville Predators. That game will be at 7:30 p.m. CDT.

The post RECAP: Hall hits 700 points as Blackhawks lose 6–3 to Canucks appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Los Angeles Kings mustered a good amount of shots on goal with 14, but Soderblom stood tall and kept them out of his net. With just over five minutes remaining in the period, Lukas Reichel stole the puck off the face-off and beat the Kings’ defense to put it past Cam Talbot, making the score 1–0 Blackhawks. They would take that lead into the intermission, despite getting just four shots on net themselves.

Lukas Reichel puts the Hawks up first! pic.twitter.com/fxABFyYzgo

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) April 19, 2024

Second period

The second period was all LA. The Kings went on a rampage, with 11 shots on net, and putting three of them in. Viktor Arvidsson got his fifth of the season to sneak through Soderblom’s legs, knotting things up at 1–1. The Blackhawks showed a sign of life on the first penalty kill. Jason Dickinson put home his own shorthanded rebound, but it was called back after it was determined to have been put in with a kick. It would take until their next power play, but Quinton Byfield would put the Kings in front 2–1 with a tip-in right out in front of the Blackhawks’ net.

The Kings would increase their lead just a couple minutes later. Former Blackhawk forward Phillip Danault would steal the puck from Jarred Tinordi behind the net and get it in front where it found Trevor Moore, who buried it to make it 3–1 Kings heading into the second intermission.

Third period

The Blackhawks went on the power play early in the third and made the Kings pay. Tyler Johnson scored what may be his final goal in a Blackhawks uniform, potting his 17th of the season past Talbot, making it a 3–2 hockey game. Just over two minutes later, Joey Anderson got the puck from Landon Slaggert in front and tucked it under the arm of Talbot, knotting the game up at 3–3.

Anybody awake? We’ve got a tie game! pic.twitter.com/OAcT4hso33

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) April 19, 2024

The Blackhawks were not satisfied with simply tying it though; they wanted to go full spoiler mode in game 82. On only the 11th shot of the game, Ryan Donato tipped home the go-ahead goal, making it 4–3 with chird-teen chirdy…two, in the words of the great Pat Foley, left in the third. That would prove to be too much time though, as the Kings tied things up again with 1:20 left on another Arvidsson goal, sending the game to overtime.

Overtime

The Blackhawks’ season was over very quickly, as Adrian Kempe would put home the game winner just six seconds into overtime, giving the Kings the 5–4 victory, and sending the Blackhawks home for the summer.

Analysis

Not to sound like a broken record, but this Blackhawks season has been defined by the same characteristics: Lack of shots, lack of face-off wins and too many stupid penalties to give their opponents chances to score. This game was not different, as they were lucky to even have the chance to send the game to overtime with 13 total shots on goal. But, with young players come plenty of growing pains, and plenty of chances to learn. With Slaggert and Nazar making their debuts toward the end of the season, we have been able to see a glimpse of what the Blackhawks’ future is, and it is a bright one. Patience will be their friend, as they need to let the young core they have develop, as well as add more young pieces to put together a competitive team.

With the season over, we at The Rink want to say thanks for being along for the ride this season. We know this has not been an easy one to stick with, but we appreciate you being with us in following this team. Stay tuned for more coverage this summer!

The post RECAP: Blackhawks drop season finale, lose 5–4 in OT to Kings appeared first on The Rink.

The only lineup change made by the Blackhawks from their loss to the Islanders was Colin Blackwell switching in for Taylor Raddysh, with Petr Mrazek once again getting the start in net.

First Period: 

The first twenty minutes involved a lot of back and forth from both teams. The first few minutes were especially hectic with both sides getting chances one after the other. Every time he was tested, Mrazek stood on his head and kept the puck out, though he did have his defense helping him for once. Mason Marchment got the best chance for Dallas in the period, putting a shot in tight off of the far post past Mrazek. The period would end as it started, in a zero-zero tie.

Second Period:

The second started off as hectic as the first, with the Stars getting in a bunch of shots on net in the first three minutes. Their best chance in that sequence came on a Roope Hintz wrister from the right circle. Mrazek came out to challenge and made a beautiful glove save. The Blackhawks got their first powerplay opportunity of the game on a Matt Duchene slash of Connor Bedard. Bedard then went to work. He got the puck along the wall, skated in towards the net, and fired a wrister that beat Scott Wedgewood far post, 1–0 Blackhawks.

CONNOR BEDARD. pic.twitter.com/uyRz439rFO

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 6, 2024

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Just over a minute later, Andreas Athanasiou got in on the action with his first of the year. Lukas Reichel was skating through the middle of the offensive zone and drew a penalty, but got the puck back to Athanasiou. He wristed it right into the back of the net, 2–0 Blackhawks.

Three minutes later, Seth Jones was the recipient of a beautiful pass from Ryan Donato. He wristed a shot past Wedgewood, making it 3–0 Blackhawks. The Stars woke up before the end of the period, however. After a Tyler Johnson attempt at one end of the ice, the Stars took the puck quickly the other way. Miro Heiskanen made a beautiful pass tape to tape to Hintz who tipped the puck in past Mrazek, putting Dallas on the board. The period ended with the Blackhawks leading 3–1 despite a heavy shot advantage for Dallas.

Third Period:

Just under nine minutes into the frame, the Dallas Stars looked as though they were clawing their way back in. Mavrik Bourque took the puck into the net and ran over Mrazek, so the goal that followed ended up being disallowed. Heiskanen was around the Stars’ second goal as well. He got a backhander on net that was tipped in by Jamie Benn in front, getting the Dallas Stars to within one goal. Mrazek stood on his head for the rest of the game, though, stopping the ensuing Dallas chances, and leading the Blackhawks to a 3–2 victory.

Analysis:

The Blackhawks had no business winning this game. They were getting outshot by massive margins every period, with the Stars clearly outclassing them in skill as well as desire to win. They did tighten down defensively, allowing high shot totals, yes, but also playing good defense as a team. Chicago had more hits, takeaways, and blocked shots than Dallas, even as they were outshot 44-17 for the game. MacKenzie Entwistle stood out this game, as he was all over the place, and trying to do everything he could in all areas of the game. Athanasiou deserved his first, and Seth Jones played one of his best games of the season too, playing some great defense, and getting on the board himself.

the chicago blackhawks when they play playoff bound teams: pic.twitter.com/sGDfiCOp5Z

— x – addie | #1 lukas reichel defender (@reichelhughes) April 6, 2024

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The Blackhawks are up next against the Minnesota Wild tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon. That game will be at 2:30 Central on NBC Sports Chicago+.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks hold on to defeat first-place Stars, win 3–2 appeared first on The Rink.

First period 

The first period was controlled by the Blackhawks from the outset. They got two power play chances within the first two minutes of the game, making the Flames pay on the second. Seth Jones got the puck back at the point and pounded a slapshot on net, making it 1–0 Blackhawks early. Later on in the period, Landon Slaggert got his first NHL point. He got the puck up the side boards to Joey Anderson. Anderson skated in, faked a shot and got the puck across to Jason Dickinson, who buried his 19th goal of the season. The period would end with the Blackhawks up 2–0.

Secondary assist for Landon Slaggert on the 2-0 Dickinson goal for his first career NHL point!

Dickinson’s 19th goals of the season #Blackhawks #HOTR

pic.twitter.com/fM4QVO66Ty

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) March 27, 2024

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Second period

The Blackhawks got outshot by roughly the same margin that they outshot the Flames in the first. They still got the better overall scoring chances, in particular one for Slaggert. Jacob Markstrom misplayed a carom off of the boards, and Slaggert just could not reach far enough around the defenseman to tuck it home.

Landon Slaggert is going to thinking about this in his sleep tonight after missing out on his first career NHL goal. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/GqZ23TXq11

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 27, 2024

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The Blackhawks took two penalties in the second, but killed off both power plays, keeping the score 2–0 after two.

Third period

The Blackhawks again were badly outshot in the third as a whole. They got another goal early on though—another from Dickinson—4:15 into the frame. Once again, Slaggert with the secondary assist, and Anderson with the primary made it 3–0 Blackhawks. Slaggert had another huge chance in this period, too. It was called a goal on the ice, but did not cross the goal line after review, going off of the bottom of the crossbar and out. The Flames would get one back on a MacKenzie Weegar wrist shot through traffic from the point. The Blackhawks were standing around defensively and did not cover well, allowing Weegar to be wide open. The Flames ended up pulling their goalie and kept peppering Petr Mrazek with shots. He stopped every other one he faced, and the Blackhawks took home the victory 3–1.

Analysis

After a dominant first, the Blackhawks looked gassed. They gave their everything in that period, but the rest of the game, there were a good amount of defensive lapses that allowed the Flames to rack up shots on goal. Slaggert played his best game so far in a Blackhawks uniform. He was buzzing around the net all night, and came as close as he could to getting his first career goal. If he keeps up this level of play, he could be a welcome addition to this team for years to come. Mrazek took over the game in the second and third, even if his defense did let him down. He has been outstanding considering the caliber of players in front of him night after night.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Thursday night in Canada against the Ottawa Senators. That game will be at 6 p.m. CDT on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks oust Flames, win 3–1 at home before road trip appeared first on The Rink.

Landon Slaggert was in the lineup to make his NHL debut in front of friends and family at the United Center, which was the one highlight of the game for the Blackhawks. Hopefully he is able to show off his talent in the remaining games of the season and get some good exposure to the pro level to be a part of things next season.

A rookie lap in front of the home crowd

Welcome to the National, Landon Slaggert!@NHLBlackhawks | #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/tQjpGrE674

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) March 16, 2024

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Los Angeles went up 1–0 early in this one. Just 3:10 in, Pierre-Luc Dubois took the carom off the boards and put it past Soderblom. A little over two minutes later, the Kings struck again. Jarred Tinordi missed his man in front of the net, and Alex Laferriere got a tip on a shot from the point past Soderblom to make it 2–0. The remaining two goals from the Kings came on the stick of Anze Kopitar, and both were far too easy. Soderblom was five feet out of his net on the first goal, and no one picked up Kopitar on his second, giving him easy tap-ins both times.

The Kings would add one more goal in the second period, on a bad angle shot from defenseman Jordan Spence, who picked up his first goal of the season on that shot. Neither team put up any goals in the third. They did not need to, though, as this game just needed to be done and over by that point.

• After two solid outings previously, Soderblom reverted to his former awful form. Nearly every game he has appeared in this season has been unwatchable, as his performance has been so terrible. He seems to need a reset, and even in a lost season, the Blackhawks should give him one.
• With four opportunities on the power play, one goal would be an expected outcome. Not even getting that is a tough pill to swallow for team and fans alike, especially with the power play being red hot entering the night.
• This was just an ugly game all around. The whole team looks lethargic at this point in the season, especially when there is not much to play for.

The Blackhawks are next up against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday afternoon in a battle for 32nd place in the standings. That game will be airing at 5 p.m. CDT on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks man-handled by Kings, lose 5–0 at home appeared first on The Rink.

First period

This one got ugly early. After a few minutes of trading shots, the Capitals got one past Mrazek. Just over seven minutes into the game, John Carlson put a shot on net from the point. Hendrix Lapierre gained positioning on Seth Jones to get his stick on it and redirect it past Mrazek, 1–0 Capitals. Just 1:45 later, Washington struck again. With a loose puck in front of the net, Michael Sgarbossa got his stick on a backhander and put it right past Mrazek, 2–0. Later on in the period, the Capitals got a power play opportunity, after Jarred Tinordi got called for boarding against Sgarbossa.

On that ensuing power play, Dylan Strome got the puck from behind the net to Tom Wilson in front, who buried the shot to make it 3–0 Capitals. The Capitals then seemed to make it 4–0, but the goal was called back due to being offside. The successful challenge by the Hawks marks a 13-for-14 record on offside challenges during the Luke Richardson administration. The first period would end with the Capitals up big.

Second period 

Both teams traded shots early, and the Capitals got a power play opportunity early. They did not make anything of it, as the Blackhawks managed to kill it off, but the Capitals clearly had all the momentum. With 2:36 left, Washington added to their score. Sonny Milano, who is on an absolute tear, potted his 10th of the season for Washington, making the score 4–0 officially heading into the intermission.

Third period

The Blackhawks finally got a goal in this game. Halfway through the third, Tyler Johnson got a redirection past Charlie Lindgren, making it 4–1 Capitals. It was too little, too late, though, as Washington cruised to victory in this contest.

Tyler Johnson scores on a redirection for his 13th goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/L7DKzG3siZ

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 10, 2024

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Analysis

Right after the Blackhawks show some signs of life, we as fans are brought right back to reality every time. This team is so far away from contention, but when they play well against a team better than themselves, it gives more hope than it should that you will not have to watch a team that has a long way to go for the rest of the season. Hopefully we can see some more glimmers of hope along the way, but now that we have officially been eliminated from the playoffs, player development is what is left to play for.

I interrupt your timeline to show you some nasty stick handling from Connor Bedard pic.twitter.com/yPNgfQl27y

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 10, 2024

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The Blackhawks are next up against the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday. That game will be at 5 p.m. CDT on NHL Network and NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks beaten in the nation’s capital, lose 4–1 appeared first on The Rink.

Date	The-Rink Division	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
3/7/2024		Anthony Beauvillier		2024 5th Round Draft Pick

Trade Analysis/Break Down:

• • • The Nashville Predators acquired Anthony Beauvillier from the Chicago Blackhawks for 2024 5th Round Pick

Also, be sure to follow the entire The-Rink staff on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates, as well:

The Rink Official

Chicago Divison
The Rinkcast
Jeff Osborn
Andy Campbell
Ray Napientek
Eric Andrews
Sean Fitzgerald
Andrew Bard
Matt Csakai

 

The post The Rink’s Chicago Blackhawks 2024 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Both sides traded shots early on, with both goalies proving up to the task early. With five an a half minutes to go, the Avalanche won a face-off in the offensive zone. Mikko Rantanen ripped a shot that beat Petr Mrazek, but not the post, keeping things at a draw. Just a few minutes later, at the 17:58 mark of the period, Jack Johnson led a 2-on-1 break into the Blackhawks’ zone. He got the puck over to Zach Parise, who put the puck past Mrazek to put the Avalanche up 1–0.

Zach Parise is already scoring important goals for the Colorado Avalanche.pic.twitter.com/8nFPKvrDLI

— Avalanche Forever (@citchmook) March 1, 2024

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Second period

The second period was all Avs. Connor Bedard took a penalty on an interference call, putting the Avalanche on the power play. They would use all of the man advantage, finally putting one home with two seconds left on the power play. Ross Colton stuck with the puck, and managed to put it past a sprawling Mrazek, 2–0 Avalanche. The Avs just kept rolling. Just 42 seconds later, Ryan Johansen faked a shot, and got Mrazek to bite hard. He went down, and Johansen got the puck around him to Parise, who deflected it home, 3–0 Colorado.

Good mitts from Johansen. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/TYNctI0qRo

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 1, 2024

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They would just sneak in another before the period ended. Often, just getting pucks on net can lead to great things. Devon Toews ripped a shot from between the circles and beat Mrazek glove side, putting the Avs up 4–0 just before the end of the period.

Pucks! On! Net!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/cgTHVByhRi

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 1, 2024

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Third period 

The Avalanche continued to dominate in the third period. They outshot the Blackhawks 13–6 and definitely got the better of the scoring opportunities as a whole. Nathan MacKinnon felt that he needed to get in on all the scoring that was going on this game. On what seemed like a harmless clear from the defensive zone by Cale Makar, the puck found its way up the side boards to MacKinnon. He turned on the jets and ripped the puck short side on Mrazek, putting the Avalanche up 5–0, which is how the game would end.

Analysis

The Blackhawks look like they still have a lot of work to do in fielding a competitive team. They needed improvements in every area to compete against a powerhouse offensive team like the Avalanche. The Avalanche look like they are ready to roll the rest of the season. Parise seems like a great pickup, as he might not be the same player he used to be, but he is proving that he can still contribute even on a team as deep as the Avalanche.

The Blackhawks play next at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night. That game will be at 7 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago. The Avalanche are next up on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. MST against the Nashville Predators in Tennessee. That game will be available on Altitude.

The post RECAP: Avalanche blank Blackhawks in 5–0 beatdown appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Both teams traded chances early, with the first goal coming late in the period. At the 14:47 mark of the frame, in what seemed like a relatively harmless rush, Nikolaj Ehlers put a shot on net from a sharp angle. It went over Mrazek’s shoulder short side and found twine, giving the Jets a 1–0 lead. The Blackhawks out-shot the Jets in the first, but it did not matter, as the score stayed 1–0 going into the intermission.

Second period

It did not take nearly as long for a goal to come in the second, as Ehlers would go on to pot his second of the game. On a delayed penalty call, he took the puck coast to coast and ripped a shot past Mrazek’s pad, 2–0 Winnipeg. The Blackhawks would answer later in the period, though. At the 15:58 mark of the period, Seth Jones intercepted a pass in the slot. He put the puck up to Colin Blackwell, who broke into the Jets’ zone on a breakaway. Then, he tucked the puck over the glove of Connor Hellebuyck to make it 2–1 going into the break.

this angle tho pic.twitter.com/QHZbHt5tGN

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 24, 2024

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Third period 

The Blackhawks were putting everything they had into tying this game up. They outshot the Jets 14–7 in the third period as a whole. It still took until the last minute for them to get the equalizer. With the goalie pulled and an extra skater on the ice, Jones managed to keep the puck in the zone despite a diving Ehlers’ best efforts. Jones got the puck to the front of the net, where Jason Dickinson tried to get the puck through. Then, the puck found its way to Tyler Johnson, who knotted this one up 2–2 with 43 seconds on the clock. This one was going to overtime.

TYLER JOHNSON TIES IT UP pic.twitter.com/BjZGk5AvRO

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 24, 2024

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Overtime

Unfortunately, this one did not last long into overtime. As the Blackhawks have shown many times this year, they cannot withstand heavy offensive firepower in the 3-on-3 overtime frame. Kyle Connor skated into the Blackhawks’ zone with the puck. He put a shot towards the net that went off of Nick Foligno’s skate and redirected past Mrazek. The Jets snatched the victory 3–2 in overtime.

Analysis

As per usual this season, the Blackhawks’ undoing is the amount of turnovers they give up. I did not see any in particular that directly led to a goal, but that is not to say that they did not indirectly. This was just a rough loss, as they tried to do what they could to win, outshooting the Jets and putting the puck on net whenever possible.

The Blackhawks play next on Sunday afternoon against the Detroit Red Wings. That game will be at 5 p.m. CST on NHL Network and NBC Sports Chicago. Blackhawks legend Chris Chelios will have his No. 7 retired in a 3 p.m. ceremony before franchise icon Patrick Kane makes his return to the UC for the first time since being traded in 2023.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks dropped by Jets 3–2 in overtime appeared first on The Rink.

Against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night, Connor Bedard would make his return after a lengthy absence due to a fractured jaw. Boris Katchouk would also draw in, with Lukas Reichel and Reese Johnson coming out of the lineup. On defense, it was Isaak Phillips coming out for Jarred Tinordi, and in goal Arvid Soderblom got the start.

First period

This game did not start off well. Fifteen seconds in, the Penguins had already put one in the back of the net. A shot from the point went off of Sidney Crosby in front, as the Blackhawks completely missed the assignment, and the Penguins went up 1–0. Colin Blackwell had the best chance for the Blackhawks in the first, with Alex Nedeljkovic making the diving stop on that attempt. The Penguins would get one more before the period was over, with Reilly Smith sneaking a backhander over the shoulder of Soderblom, making it 2–0 Penguins going into the intermission.

Second period

It took until the 7:45 mark of the period for the first really good shot on net, and it came on the stick of Crosby. He skated through the Blackhawks’ defense, putting a backhander on net that went off of the post, beating Soderblom, but not the net. Just 33 seconds after that, the Blackhawks got one back. Connor Bedard put a saucer beautiful pass over to Philipp Kurashev, who buried it, making it 2–1 Pittsburgh.

Saucy pass by Connor Bedard, who records a primary assist in his return to action. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/hqzWWR2b9t

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) February 16, 2024

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Third period

Once again, when you leave Crosby wide open, bad things happen. At the 5:51 mark of the period, the Blackhawks left Crosby wide open on the side of the net and he made them pay, tucking home his 30th of the season. The Penguins would deposit an empty-netter before the game was over, making the final 4–1 Pittsburgh.

Analysis

It is extremely difficult to win hockey games when you cannot even win 50% of your face-offs. Losing 2/3 of them is a recipe for losing. You also cannot give up the puck more than double the amount of times your opponent does, as the Blackhawks had some brutal giveaways in this one. All of this just seems self-explanatory, but the Blackhawks continue to surprise even longtime fans with the levels of ineptitude they seemingly are able to reach some games. If you cannot get the basics right, with good goaltending being among those, how do you expect to win games?

Pete Blackburn summarized what all of us here at The Rink have been discussing, as Soderblom has continued his tough season.

I’m not great at evaluating goaltending but Arvid Soderblom is absolutely painful to watch pic.twitter.com/xdea6Hix0u

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) February 16, 2024

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The Blackhawks play next on Saturday afternoon against the Ottawa Senators. That game will be at 2 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks flightless versus Penguins in Bedard’s return appeared first on The Rink.

Louis Crevier was in the lineup for Jarred Tinordi, and Rem Pitlick swapped into Zach Sanford’s spot on the forward lines.

First period

The Blackhawks got off to a good start in this game. They got a lot of good chances early on, with one paying off. Boris Katchouk got the puck and tried to pass it to Taylor Raddysh. The Rangers swatted the puck away on the pass, but it went right to Alex Vlasic. He buried a wrister past Igor Shesterkin, giving the Blackhawks a 1–0 lead early. Just a couple minutes later, though, the Rangers would answer. On a beautiful passing play, the puck would find its way to Alexis Lafreniere, who knotted things up at 1–1. A minute and a half later, the Blackhawks were effectively down a man due to a missing skate blade, and with bodies flying all over the ice, Chris Kreider got a tap-in to make it 2–1 New York. The period ended with the Blackhawks trailing 2–1.

Second period

After both teams traded good chances, halfway through the period, the Rangers would get another. They skated the puck in on Petr Mrazek, who made the initial save on a bad-angle shot. The puck sat right next to him, thought, and Jonny Brodzinski was able to put it home to make it 3–1 Rangers.

Third period

The Blackhawks did not give up on this game. It took until the 13:37 mark of the third for them to put another goal in the net, but they managed to do so. After a battle out in front, Nick Foligno got the puck right off of Shesterkin’s pad and put the puck past him to make the game 3–2. Then, with just over a minute left in the game, Jason Dickinson tipped a Seth Jones shot in front of the net past the Rangers’ goaltender, tying things up at 3–3 to send the game to overtime.

THE BLACKHAWKS TIE IT WITH A MINUTE LEFT pic.twitter.com/6auuJKfJY4

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 10, 2024

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Overtime

Unfortunately, the Blackhawks could not keep the momentum going into the overtime period. It was mostly good chances for the Rangers, and Mika Zibanejad would win it for the visitors. On a 3-on-2 opportunity, he put the puck up high over Mrazek’s shoulder to give the Rangers the 4–3 victory.

Analysis

The Blackhawks looked better in this game, as they actually continued to fight back, and managed to find their offense in the process. That is what has been missing the most on this losing streak, so it was good to see it come back. I wish this team had more secondary scoring, but they simply do not, as it was Foligno and Dickinson who came up with the final goals to send the game to overtime. Hopefully the offense will continue to come through moving on here, as this team can definitely fight against the best of them, as they proved on Friday.

The Blackhawks’ next game will be on Tuesday night against the Vancouver Canucks. That game will be at 7:30 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks earn point against Rangers, lose 4–3 in OT appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks lines in morning skate vs Flames are unchanged from Edmonton:

Foligno-Kurashev-Raddysh
Blackwell-Dickinson-Anderson
Reichel-Entwistle-Donato
Katchouk-Sanford-RJohnson

Vlasic-Jones
Korchinski-Megna
Tinordi-Phillips

Mrazek

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 27, 2024

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First period

Just over two and a half minutes into the game, the Blackhawks got their first huge chance. Boris Katchouk got a breakaway chance off of a bad Calgary pass. He had Jacob Markstrom down early, but could not slip the puck past the outstretched pad. Both teams traded some good chances, with Joey Anderson and Jason Dickinson getting good opportunities, but were unable to convert. The Blackhawks continued to pepper Markstrom for the rest of the period, but the score remained tied at 0–0 after 20 minutes.

Second period

The Blackhawks continued to get shots on goal to start the second. Colin Blackwell got the first good opportunity on a one-timer from Dickinson, but was not able to get enough on the puck. With just over five and a half minutes gone, Philipp Kurashev got in on Markstrom on a breakaway. Markstrom was able to make the stop on Kurashev’s backhand bid to keep the game scoreless. On the other end, Petr Mrazek continued to hold his own, making some beautiful stops of his own to make sure the game did not get away from the Blackhawks.

#Blackhawks have had so many breakaways tonight and we’re not even halfway through the game yet. pic.twitter.com/eJwvjdlOt5

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 28, 2024

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With just over four minutes remaining in the period, the Flames went to the man advantage on a trip by Blackwell. On the ensuing power play, Jarred Tinordi blocked a shot from Yegor Sharangovich in front. The puck bounced right to Elias Lindholm, who tucked the puck into the back of the net, making it 1–0 Calgary. Isaak Phillips attempted to score, going coast to coast, but was stymied by Markstrom in the last two minutes of the period.

Third period

The Blackhawks continued to send shots to the net and try to get this game tied up. The Flames did not go away either, though, and Mrazek had to make some more great stops to keep the score where it was. In a last-ditch effort to knot the game up, the Blackhawks pulled Mrazek. This led to a couple of good chances from Taylor Raddysh, as well as one huge chance for Dickinson, but they were unable to convert and the Flames won the hockey game 1–0.

Analysis

This was a tough game to watch. The Blackhawks had so many opportunities, especially on the breakaway, but nothing was falling their way. Mrazek shined in net once again, and kept them in the game throughout its entirety, giving them every opportunity to score and get back into the game. There is not much more to say than has already been said about how tough it has been to find offense for this team. The Blackhawks played great defensively, but could not figure out the opposing goaltender. This is becoming a theme for this team, as they have so many injured players at present. It seems as though they will only get offense back when some of those players return to the ice.

The Blackhawks are now off on the all-star break until Feb. 7. They will be back in action then against the Minnesota Wild. That game will be at 8:30 p.m. CST on TNT.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks burned by Flames, lose 1–0 appeared first on The Rink.

Soderblom starts tonight vs Kraken. That means Mrazek will probably start tomorrow at Oilers.

Tinordi replaces Phillips. Rest of Blackhawks’ lineup the same, so Reichel remains scratched for second straight game.

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 24, 2024

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First period 

After a few minutes of back and forth to open up the game, the Kraken got the first goal of the game. Soderblom got caught staring down Jordan Eberle behind the net, even after he skated up a bit. Jared McCann got a wrist shot off that went right over the glove, putting the Kraken up 1–0. Just under three minutes later, the Kraken struck again. This time, Andre Burakovsky put a shot toward the net that was going way wide. Jaden Schwartz positioned himself right by the side of the net, and it deflected in off of his leg to make it 2–0 Seattle.

The Blackhawks were able to get one back, though, toward the end of the frame. After a couple of chances in front, the puck found its way back to Seth Jones at the point. He put a shot on net that redirected off of Joey Anderson in front, making it 2–1 Seattle to end the first.

JOEY ANDERSON GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL pic.twitter.com/ppHsKPB6Lt

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 25, 2024

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Second period

Sixteen seconds into the second, the Blackhawks let in perhaps the ugliest goal of the season. Jones attempted to get the puck out of harm’s way by passing it up to one of his forwards. Instead, the puck deflected off of Alex Vlasic’s skate, and went right past Soderblom, 3–1 Seattle. With two and a half minutes left in the frame, the Kraken would strike again. Brian Dumoulin passed the puck across the ice to Brandon Tanev in the right circle. He deflected the puck toward the net, and it just snuck it past Soderblom’s skate. The period would end with a 4–1 lead for Seattle.

Third period

The Blackhawks started off the period with a power play, as Burakovsky got called for a hold. Philipp Kurashev set up in the right circle. He got a pass across the ice to Nick Foligno, who tipped the puck into the back of the net, 4–2 Kraken. The Blackhawks got another huge opportunity with just under 16 minutes left in the frame. Rem Pitlick got the puck over to Ryan Donato on the breakaway. He went forehand to backhand to try to beat Joey Daccord, but could not slip the puck past him.

Seattle came roaring right back with a breakaway of their own. Tomas Tatar got the puck from Eberle at center ice. He skated right in, and tucked the puck past Soderblom, 5–2 Seattle. With just over three minutes to go in the period, Tatar would get another one. Will Borgen took a shot off of Soderblom’s pad that bounced right out to Tatar. He one-timed the puck into the back of the Blackhawks’ net, putting the Kraken up 6–2. That is how this one would end, giving the Blackhawks an 0–2 start to this road trip.

Analysis

This was another weird game, if you are just going by the statistics. The game on TV did not match up with what the statistics would have you believe. The Blackhawks outshot the Kraken, killed off all power plays against them, got more takeaways, blocked more shots and laid more hits on their opponents.

It just goes to show you that a bad goaltending performance can cancel out all the good that the rest of the team may have put together. Soderblom was bad in this game, and in my opinion has been brutal all season. He should not be playing in the NHL right now, as it is clear to anyone watching that he needs more seasoning. I am not suggesting that the Hawks give up on him just because he has early-career Craig Anderson statistics to this point, but he really should not be the backup on this team right now.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Thursday night against the red-hot Edmonton Oilers. That game will be at 8 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks crushed by Kraken, dropped 6–2 appeared first on The Rink.

The biggest change to the lineup was Connor Murphy coming out in exchange for Jarred Tinordi, as Murphy had missed a couple practices due to maintenance this week. The lineup otherwise remained unchanged.

First period

After only three shots apiece through the first 10 minutes of the game, the Blackhawks went on the power play. Ryan Donato got the puck right out in front for the initial shot on goal. Cole Guttman got the rebound from there, putting it through his legs off of the defenseman in front of the net and scoring, 1–0. The rest of the period was fairly uneventful. The Sharks had a power play, which was killed off successfully by the Blackhawks. We moved on to the second with the score 1–0 Blackhawks.

Second period

The second period did not add to the score. It did bring us this heavyweight battle between Tinordi and Scott Sabourin, in which both landed some huge blows.

The heavyweights are goin at it pic.twitter.com/SvK0htkE87

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) January 17, 2024

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Petr Mrazek stood on his head in this period, stopping everything in sight. He was able to get a glove, stick, blocker or pad on anything coming his way. All 15 of the Sharks’ shots did not find twine in this frame thanks to his brilliant goaltending.

The United Center also had someone playing Pro Skater on the Jumbotron during the intermission, which was a fun thing to see. The period would end the same way it started, 1–0 Blackhawks.

Ohhhh the @NHLBlackhawks had someone playing @tonyhawk’s Pro Skater last night on the JumboTron during intermission pic.twitter.com/JgPGFIRq5Q

— X Games (@XGames) January 17, 2024

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Third period

It took five minutes and 13 seconds, but the Sharks finally figured out Mrazek. Former Blackhawk Ryan Carpenter got the puck from in behind the net and put it right under the pads of Mrazek, knotting things up 1–1. This game was headed for overtime.

Overtime

Each team managed only a couple of shots each in the period, and were not able to put anything in the net. The Sharks came scary close at the end, as Tomas Hertl got a shot that snuck through Mrzaek. Kevin Korchinski cleared the rebound to the corner before damage could be done, sending things to the shootout.

Shootout

After the first shooter for both teams were stopped, the Sharks’ second shooter proved successful. Kevin Labanc put the Sharks up, and with the Blackhawks having only one chance to tie it back up. In Rem Pitlick’s fourth game as a Blackhawk, he had a chance to put them right back into the game. With an absolutely gorgeous move, he did. He slipped the puck right past the outstretched skate of Mackenzie Blackwood, making it all tied up again going into the fourth frame of the shootout.

Boris Katchouk came up for the Blackhawks in the ninth round of the shootout. He put one past Blackwood, putting the Blackhawks up. Then, Mrazek stopped Filip Zadina of the Sharks, giving the Blackhawks the 2–1 victory.

Analysis

Mrazek has proven that this team would be so much worse without him. They would not have won so many of the games that has started this season if it was not for his strong play. This is one of those games that could have gone against the Blackhawks if they did not have a goaltender capable of stopping everything thrown his way.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Wednesday night against the Buffalo Sabres in New York. That game will be on TNT at 6:30 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks sink Sharks in shootout, 2–1 appeared first on The Rink.

#Blackhawks lineup vs. Predators:
Beauvillier-Bedard-Kurashev
Foligno-Dickinson-Blackwell
Reichel-Entwistle-Guttman
Katchouk-Seney-Donato

Vlasic-Crevier
Tinordi-Murphy
Korchinski-Zaitsev

Söderblom
Mrazek

Extras: R. Johnson, Phillips

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 3, 2024

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First period

After some back and forth, Nashville took to the power play on a “hold” by Seney, in one of the more questionable calls that I have ever seen in a game.

Nashville scores on the power play after this very questionable holding penalty on Brett Seney. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/bzTZmNF6w9

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 3, 2024

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Nashville put one home on the ensuing power play, as Gustav Nyquist put a wrister in on Soderblom from the left circle, 1–0 Predators. They did not stop coming after that either, as Soderblom continued to get peppered with shots. The Predators ended up outshooting the Blackhawks 16–5 in the first, but the score only had them leading by one.

Second period

The second period was just filled with ugliness and injuries for the Blackhawks. Both Anthony Beauvillier and Colin Blackwell went down with injuries in the period. That made it so that the Blackhawks had to ice two defensemen on the penalty kill the next time out, as they were running out of healthy forwards at the midpoint of the game. Philipp Kurashev took a nasty hit from Jeremy Lauzon toward the end of this period that sent Nick Foligno to his defense.

Jeremy Lauzon lays a big hit on Philipp Kurashev, and Nick Foligno immediately comes to his teammate’s defense.

What a scrap. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/tJRP4dAsbz

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 3, 2024

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Third period

It took until late in the third for more scoring to happen, but it was the Predators once again. On the two-man advantage, Filip Forsberg got the puck from one side of the net to Ryan O’Reilly on the other side, who put it home to put the Predators up 2–0. An empty-net goal from Luke Evangelista would make it a 3–0 final. The Blackhawks were not able to muster any offense and got shut out for the first time in the new year.

Analysis

The Blackhawks continue to struggle with injuries this season. They are down so many bodies that Luke Richardson jokingly wondered if the team will have bodies to call up. Soderblom played as well as you could have asked him to in this game. He made most of the stops that he should have made, as the only goal that he might have been better positioned on was Nyquist’s first period tally.

Foligno has continued to provide veteran leadership to this young Blackhawks team. It is always good to see him standing up for his teammates and always answers the bell when called upon.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Thursday night against the New York Rangers. That game will be at 6 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks put up a goose egg, lose 3–0 to Nashville appeared first on The Rink.

#Blackhawks lineup vs. Stars:
Foligno-Bedard-Kurashev
Beauvillier-Dickinson-Raddysh
Donato-T. Johnson-Blackwell
Reichel-Guttman-Entwistle

Vlasic-Murphy
Tinordi-Phillips
Korchinski-Crevier

Mrazek
Söderblom

Scratches: R. Johnson, Zaitsev

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 30, 2023

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First Period:

The injury bug struck early for the Blackhawks in this game. Taylor Raddysh played two shifts early in the first and was unable to come back for the rest of the game. That meant the Blackhawks were only icing eleven forwards for the remainder of this contest. Despite that, they were the ones able to grab the first goal of the game. After an Anthony Beauvillier shot on goal, Tyler Johnson cleaned up the rebound to put the Blackhawks up 1–0 eight minutes into the frame.

Tyler Johnson pokes home his eighth goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/A3LnIUx3Lj

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 30, 2023

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Three minutes later, Lukas Reichel got the puck behind the Stars’ net. He fed it in front to Cole Guttman, who buried his third of the season, making it 2–0 Blackhawks early in this one. It would only take a minute or so for Dallas to get right back into the game. On a powerplay rush into the Blackhawks’ zone, the puck went from Jamie Benn to Joel Pavelski to Roope Hintz, who had a wide-open net to put the puck into and make the score 2–1 Blackhawks to end the frame.

Second Period:

It took the same amount of time into the second period for either team to get another goal. This time, Dallas would tie things up. Nils Lunkqvist put the puck right on net and got a tip in front from Pavelski, knotting things up at 2–2. It took all of twenty seconds for the Stars to get another one. Eerily similar to his first of the game, Roope Hintz had another wide-open Blackhawks’ net to tap this one home, putting the Stars up 3–2. The Blackhawks’ forwards were beaten badly on this play, giving the Stars the three-on-two to get the wide-open net.

Third Period:

Two minutes and ten seconds into the third, Reichel had an absolutely brutal giveaway along the boards. Wyatt Johnston skated in and put the puck off of Petr Mrazek’s pads. The puck bounced right out to Jamie Benn, who put the Stars up 4–2 early in the third. The Blackhawks didn’t just play dead though, as they would show they still had life. Just after their powerplay expired, Jason Dickinson got the puck out in the slot and ripped a slapshot past Scott Wedgewood, getting the Blackhawks back to within one, 4–3 Dallas. The Blackhawks went on the powerplay again late in the period. With 2:26 left on the clock, and the Blackhawks on the powerplay, Johnson put in another rebound goal to knot things up at four, and send this game to overtime.

The Blackhawks tied it with 2:36 left and forced OT pic.twitter.com/wcpUgoanCX

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 30, 2023

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Overtime:

The Stars poured it on in overtime with a furious barrage of shots on Mrazek. The Blackhawks looked absolutely gassed but were surviving. In the last ten of overtime, Hintz got the puck on his stick once again, and put home his hattrick goal, giving the Stars the 5–4 win.

Analysis:

The Blackhawks did not look like they were on even terms with the Stars. The Stars looked like they were skating circles around them, especially Jarred Tinordi. He had an absolutely brutal game, getting beat so many times by players who are much smaller than him, but faster. Mrazek looked out of position too, as he bit hard on several of the Stars’ goals, giving them tap-ins when the initial man passed instead of taking a shot. Despite the ugliness of this game, it’s good to see this team fight back from being down by two goals. That at least shows some resilience, as even if they are getting beat, they aren’t backing down from playing out the rest of the game and fighting back.

The Blackhawks are playing again in Dallas on Sunday. That game will be at 7:00 central on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks drop in overtime to Dallas 5–4 appeared first on The Rink.

First Period:

The Blackhawks and Canadiens traded chances for much of the first period. The Canadiens had some good shots on Petr Mrazek, but he managed to stop them all. A bad misplay by Nikita Zaitsev almost cost them a goal, but Mrazek managed to stop the Canadiens’ Jake Evans with the pad right in front of the net. The Blackhawks would get the next great chance to score. MacKenzie Entwisle got a good shot on Cayden Primeau in close. The rebound was lying right in front of him, and Anthony Beauvillier put a backhander right past him. Unfortunately, Jayden Struble was right there to have the puck go off of him, as he took up the goal crease.

But, with just over three minutes left in the period, the Blackhawks would find twine. Connor Bedard skated into the offensive zone and stopped along the boards. He got the puck over to Ryan Donato, who wristed the puck past Primeau, 1–0 Blackhawks. The Blackhawks would go into the intermission with that slimmest of leads.

The UC was owed a goal and Ryan Donato delivered!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/WVpW2kp8QI

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) December 23, 2023

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Second Period:

The second period took a few minutes to get started, but Colin Blackwell made sure it got going. He got the puck at center ice, deked a defender, and got the puck back to Jason Dickinson, who wristed the puck right past Primeau for a beautiful goal, 2–0 Blackhawks. This was Dickinson’s tenth goal, giving him a new career high.

Colin Blackwell makes it all happen and Jason Dickinson scores his 10th goal of the season, which is now a new career-high. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/OBlX1XnNY1

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 23, 2023

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Unfortunately for the Blackhawks, that is all the good that would come out of this game. Thirty-seven seconds later, the Canadiens won an offensive zone faceoff. The puck came back to Mike Matheson, who put the shot on net from the point. Mitchell Stephens was right in line with the shot to get the redirection, 2–1 Blackhawks. Then, with just under five minutes left in the period, things would get knotted up at two apiece. Sean Monahan got the puck from along the end boards out in front of the net. Josh Anderson was right there to put that puck past Mrazek and into the back of the net.

Unfortunately, the Blackhawks weren’t done taking shots in the chin in this period. Nick Suzuki put a shot on net that got slowed down by bodies in front. The puck settled in front, where Juraj Slafkovsky put a backhander on net, making it 3–2 Montreal. Then, Tyler Johnson managed to get a redirection right on net on a beautiful chance out in front. Primeau stopped that opportunity, sending the game to the intermission with that same 3–2 Canadiens lead.

Third Period:

In the third, both teams would trade chances early on, without anything to show for it. Then, with seven minutes remaining in the frame, the Canadiens would strike again. Cole Caulfield got a shot on net, with Nick Suzuki cleaning up the rebound to make it 4–2 Montreal. The Canadiens looked like they had added to that lead, but somehow got that goal from Jake Evans called back due to offsides. The play appeared to be completely onsides based on an overhead angle that, but still wasn’t allowed. Montreal would pick up that fifth goal on an empty netter from David Savard, giving them the 5–2 victory.

Analysis:

The Blackhawks really seem to struggle in games giving away the puck way too many times. Even against the Avalanche, where they won the game, they still had more giveaways. In this game, some of those even came in dangerous areas that could have resulted in a much worse outcome. They also have not done a good job recently of taking care of the fundamentals, like winning faceoffs. Winning less than fifty percent of your draws is not a good recipe for success in the same manner as giveaways.

The Blackhawks are back in action against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night. That game will be at 7:00 pm Central on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks bounced into loss column, drop to Montreal appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The game got off to a rough start for the Blackhawks, as, just over three minutes in, the Kraken would light the lamp first. Kailer Yamamoto took the puck in the neutral zone, skated in and fired a shot glove side of Soderblom, 1–0 Kraken. It was an ugly goal to give up, and that would not be nearly the end of those goals in this game. After some back and forth, late in the period, Yamamoto would strike again. Vince Dunn put the puck on net, which Soderblom fought off. He lost the puck completely, and it came down right at the feet of Yamamoto, 2–0 Kraken. The period ended with the Kraken leading by two.

Second period

The Blackhawks looked like they might claw their way back into the game early in the second. At almost the same time stamp as Yamamoto’s first, Taylor Raddysh would get the Blackhawks into the game. Anthony Beauvillier stole the puck at the blue line, and got it down to Raddysh, who snapped it on net, 2–1 Seattle.

raddy pic.twitter.com/LpdOOMXbIo

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 15, 2023

Unfortunately, that would be the end of the excitement for Blackhawks fans in this one. Seattle got their two-goal lead back just 1:20 later. Oliver Bjorkstrand threw the puck across the ice. It went off of Jason Dickinson’s skate and into the back of the net, 3–1 Seattle. Then, 10 minutes later, Will Borgen took a shot from the point. Tye Kartye was right in front and redirected the puck home, 4–1 Seattle. It only took three minutes for them to add to that lead. Bjorkstrand got the puck over to Yanni Gourde, who put it back across to Eeli Tolvanen. He tapped the puck home to put the Kraken up 5–1.

Third period

Like a broken record, at the 3:07 mark of the period, yet another goal found the back of the Chicago net. The Blackhawks gave up the power play to the Kraken on a Connor Murphy high stick. The Kraken took advantage, with Jared McCann bombing a slap shot from just outside the left circle, making the score 6–1 Kraken. To add insult to injury, and to make the extra point, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare would score 21 seconds later. He got the puck from behind the net on a feed from Devin Shore and tucked it past Soderblom, 7–1 Kraken.

Petr Mrazek replaced Soderblom for the rest of the game, but it did not make any difference, as the damage had already been done, making this a 7–1 Seattle victory.

Analysis

This game was just a masterclass in how not to play hockey. Watching every goal that was scored, something was done wrong by a Blackhawk on the ice. Soderblom was horrid, as he has been in his last few starts. His save percentage and goals allowed are higher than even last year, and some fans would argue that was an even worse team than this year’s version. This whole team did not play well, though, as evidenced by the impact card for each player.

#NHL GameScore Impact Card for Chicago Blackhawks on 2023-12-14:#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/G88mg18ea4

— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) December 15, 2023

Filip Roos looked lost on the last goal the Kraken scored, Dickinson should not have kicked the puck toward his own net, but above all else, you cannot let the other team screen your goalie for the entirety of the game and expect to win hockey games. He may have looked like Swiss cheese in this game, but the team in front of him could have done a lot more to help him out.

The Blackhawks are back in action on Sunday afternoon against the Vancouver Canucks. That game will be at 2 p.m. CST on NHL Network and NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks drop third straight, shellacked by Seattle 7–1 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

After the first few minutes of the game, both sides traded penalties, with Nick Foligno and John Carlson getting called for tripping. Those penalties overlapped, giving an extended 4-on-4 period. Once the Capitals’ power play had expired, the Blackhawks went on the man advantage. It seemed like they had scored, with Philipp Kurashev celebrating in front of the net, but it was called back due to a kicked puck. The Blackhawks’ fourth line showed up once again, getting the best chances of the period. Lukas Reichel got a huge rip right on that was saved by Darcy Kuemper. The rebound came right out to MacKenzie Entwistle, who put the puck hard off the boards, but that was covered up by Kuemper. The period would end as it had started, with neither team putting a puck in the net.

Second period

It took a while into the second period for some serious action to happen, but then it started to come fast and furious. After maintaining possession in the offensive zone, the Blackhawks switched players out for fresh bodies. Connor Bedard got the puck down to the right circle to Seth Jones, who put the puck in front to Kurashev, who put the first of the game home, 1–0 Blackhawks.

Philipp Kurashev gets on one knee and scores his sixth goal of the season. And this time it counts. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Pyg7ABPDJG

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 11, 2023

Just a couple of minutes later, the Capitals would answer with a goal of their own. After a couple more Blackhawks opportunities, the Capitals took the puck back up ice. Connor McMichael dished the puck across to Anthony Mantha in the neutral zone. He took the puck in on net, beat two Blackhawks defenders and slid the puck backhand past Soderblom, tying things up 1–1. Five minutes later, the Capitals would gain the lead. T.J. Oshie freed the puck up with a huge hit on Alex Vlasic behind the net. The puck found its way to Joel Edmundson between the circles, who got the puck to old friend Dylan Strome. He tapped home the goal to put the Capitals up 2–1.

Physical forecheck by TJ Oshie made this possible. Stromer finished it. Osh plays so hard it changes the way the whole team operates. #Caps pic.twitter.com/5lcwaLe7cB

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) December 11, 2023

Unfortunately, the Capitals were not done yet in this period. A few minutes later, after a goalmouth scramble, Nic Dowd tapped home another goal for the Capitals. He got the puck on net in the first place, and never gave up on the play, putting the Capitals up 3–1.

Third period

It took a while for more goals to be scored, but there was a lot of action in the third. Nic Dowd of the Capitals was all over the place, single-handedly giving the Capitals their best chances by himself. With four minutes left in the game, he was left in front of the Blackhawks net and wristed his second of the game past Soderblom, 4–1 Capitals. All the Blackhawks’ players on the ice were right around him, and still were not able to stop him from scoring. The Blackhawks would pick up another goal a few minutes later. Bedard saucered a filthy backhand pass across the ice to Connor Murphy, who tucked home his first of the season, 4–2 Washington.

Saucy backhand pass by Connor Bedard. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/7Owi0bTw2q

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 11, 2023

That is unfortunately how the game would end, as despite a late-game power play, the Blackhawks were not able to claw their way back in this one. Final score, 4–2 Capitals.

Analysis

The Blackhawks looked like they were exhausted in this game. There were so many defensive lapses that they did not make in the previous two games that were made constantly in this one. Vlasic looked especially bad, as he was out of position constantly, and looked lethargic when he was on the ice. Bedard, true to form, looks like he will be such a great player in the future. He has such good hockey sense, and he makes his teammates better just by being on the ice.

Soderblom has been a struggle bus so far this season. Some games he has been the only reason the team is still in the game, but that has not been the case lately. He does get left out to dry some games, but he also needs to make more saves, as an .852 save percentage is horrid. The second Dowd goal really got me mad. I cannot for the life of me understand how you end up looking like a peewee team because you all bunched up defensively to cover one player with five people. They left everyone on the ice wide open besides the one guy who had the puck.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Tuesday night versus the Edmonton Oilers. That game will be at 9 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks’ streak comes to a halt, lose to Capitals appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Blackhawks and Blues traded chances early in this game. Seth Jones began the game by taking the puck deep into the offensive zone, allowing an early Jason Dickinson shot. Right after, the Blues came up the ice, with Jake Neighbours taking the puck to the net and was taken down on a hold by Alex Vlasic. The Blackhawks killed off the ensuing power play, and would get another great chance of their own. Cole Guttman had the puck along the boards in the offensive zone. He got it all the way across the ice to Nikita Zaitsev, who put a shot toward the net. That shot deflected off of Anthony Beauvillier and into the back of the net, 1–0 Blackhawks.

when the puck finds you, you score pic.twitter.com/XbitQbkjy2

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 10, 2023

Five minutes later, after a hardworking shift from the Blackhawks’ fourth line, the puck found its way back to Vlasic at the point. Vlasic put a wrister on net through traffic that found twine, putting the Blackhawks up 2–0. Louis Crevier would pick up the first point of his NHL career on the play.

make that two goals from the d-men pic.twitter.com/hwridbMPxH

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 10, 2023

The Blackhawks would get a few more good chances, in particular one from Taylor Raddysh that went off the post, but they were not able to put any more into the Blues’ net in the first.

This period did not end without some more fireworks, though, as the Blues were looking to do what they could to will their team back into this contest. Brayden Schenn dropped the mitts with Reese Johnson, with both guys getting in some good jabs in this bout.

Fight night in Chicago: Reese Johnson and Brayden Schenn drop the gloves. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/nS1Za6qGk2

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 10, 2023

Second period

This second period took a while to get going, as both sides traded possession for much of the early part of the frame. However, at the 14:53 mark of the period, Zaitsev made a beautiful slap-pass in front to Jason Dickinson, who redirected the puck home for his ninth of the season, putting the Blackhawks up 3–0.

Jason Dickinson (9) pic.twitter.com/vtVmaorh2C

— Blackhawks Goals (@HawksGoals) December 10, 2023

The Blues outshot the Blackhawks this period, but Mrazek stood tall and stopped every shot he faced. That tremendous play allowed the Blackhawks to maintain a big lead heading into the final frame.

Third period

The Blackhawks kept getting power play opportunities early on in the third period. While they were unable to convert, they did put some good chances on net, but Jordan Binnington stood tall and kept the puck out. Then, on their second power play of the period, they gave up a shorthanded chance to the Blues. With three and a half minutes remaining, the Blues got into the Blackhawks’ zone in a 3-on-1. Nick Leddy got the puck back to the trailing Oskar Sundqvist, who wristed the puck past Mrazek, cutting the margin to 3–1. But, the visitors were unable to get anything else past Mrazek the rest of the way, giving the Blackhawks the victory.

Analysis

The Blackhawks look like a full team at this point in the season. Not only did they get five points from defensemen in this game, but all lines were visible as well. The fourth line stood out, with their help on Vlasic’s goal, and Johnson stepping up to fight when called to as well. Almost everyone on the ice had some sort of positive contribution for once, which is refreshing to see. There have not been many games where it feels like the entire team contributed, which made this a fun game to watch.

Mrazek had back-to-back great games, winning the last one by himself, and not needing the goal support that would have been necessary last year just to keep this team in games, as they were so bad defensively. It is also good to see role players step up, such as Zaitsev, who had arguably his best game in a Blackhawks sweater on Saturday night.

The Blackhawks next play host to the Washington Capitals in a quick turnaround on Sunday. That game will be at 6 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks make it two in a row, down Blues 3–1 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Jets got the majority of offensive time in the first few minutes of the game, pinning the Blackhawks down on their own end for the majority of the time. Then, with four and a half minutes gone, the Blackhawks cleared the puck down the ice. Connor Bedard took away a lead pass from Winnipeg and got it to Philipp Kurashev. Kurashev put the puck toward the net, but it deflected off a defender right back to Bedard, who put the puck past Connor Hellebuyck, making it 1–0 Blackhawks.

Connor Bedard with a wicked one-timer pic.twitter.com/fxpAca1xNn

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 2, 2023

The Blackhawks took the first penalty of the game, as Connor Murphy was called for interference. On the ensuing power play, Gabriel Vilardi skated through the Blackhawks defense, getting the puck to Mark Scheifele, who snapped it past Soderblom, tying things up at 1–1, which would hold as the score after 20 minutes.

Second period

After some back and forth action to start the second, the Blackhawks took another penalty, as Jarred Tinordi got called for hooking. On the ensuing penalty kill, the Blackhawks got a great chance when Jason Dickinson took a pass up the side boards. He skated in on a 2-on-1 with Joey Anderson, who could not quite control the rebound off of the initial shot, but did kill off more of the Winnipeg power play. Then, Nikolaj Ehlers got the puck up ice to Morgan Barron past a diving Connor Murphy. Ehlers skated in and fired the puck past Soderblom, putting the Jets up 2–1. The Jets kept coming, but the Blackhawks’ defense stood strong to close out the period. In another Bedard highlight to close out the period, he put a wicked backhand pass across to Kurashev for a shot on net.

Connor Bedard is ridiculous pic.twitter.com/tPNArIj9Iz

— Neil Pierre-Louis (@pierreanalytics) December 2, 2023

Third period

It took five and a half minutes for the first really good chance to come in the third. Adam Lowry put a shot on net that squirted through Soderblom’s pads. The puck was lying there, but Nikita Zaitsev swept it away quickly before any damage could be done.

Zaitsev saves a goal off the line after the puck trickled through Soderblom. Hawks still down 1 with 14:38 left.

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) December 2, 2023

With 10 minutes left in the third, the Jets were on the attack again. They won the face-off, getting the puck back to Declan Chisholm, who got it over to Dylan Samberg. Cole Perfetti deflected the shot right over the stick side of Soderblom, putting the Jets up 3–1. The Blackhawks tried with all of their might, even pulling their goalie, but it was to no avail. Winnipeg would take this one, with a final score of 3–1.

Analysis

The Blackhawks are struggling as of late in scoring goals. In every loss that they have recently, they have only put up three goals once, in a 7–3 drubbing by the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets. In this game especially, they had a passing clinic put on by their opponent. That simply shows that the team is out of position defensively too often, and not playing tight enough defensively as well. This team has dealt with a lot of injuries, but hopefully with Beauvillier in the fold, and with players slowly returning from injury, they will be able to get a few wins together in the coming games.

The Blackhawks have a quick turnaround, heading to the State of Hockey for a Sunday afternoon tilt against the Minnesota Wild. That game will be at 1 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks beat in Winnipeg, lose to Jets 3–1 appeared first on The Rink.

#Blackhawks projected lineup vs. Kraken:
Foligno-Bedard-Kurashev
Reichel-Guttman-Raddysh
T. Johnson-Dickinson-Anderson
Katchouk-Donato-R. Johnson

Vlasic-Jones
Korchinski-Murphy
Kaiser-Phillips

Mrazek
Söderblom

Extras: Entwistle
Not skating: Perry, Zaitsev

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 28, 2023

First period

The Blackhawks started off strong, getting the first major chances. With almost half of the first period gone, Seth Jones put a shot on net that went right off of Philipp Grubauer’s pad and right to Boris Katchouk, who potted his second goal of the season, making it 1–0 Blackhawks. A minute and a half later, Jason Dickinson took a pass from Isaak Phillips and put a slap shot past Grubauer, 2–0 Blackhawks. The Kraken would start to answer late in the period, however, with Matthew Beniers taking a pass from Jared McCann, and cleaning up his own rebound to make it 2–1 Blackhawks. The Blackhawks let up a brutal shorthanded goal to end the period, allowing Alexander Wennberg to skate around the entire defense and put the puck around Mrazek, knotting things up at 2–2 to end the frame.

Second period

The Blackhawks would regain the lead in this game about four and a half minutes into the second. Tyler Johnson put a wrist shot over the glove of Grubauer to help the Blackhawks regain the lead 3–2. Later, Joey Anderson got his second assist of the night, attempting to take the puck all the way around the net. He got the puck through the crease to MacKenzie Entwistle, who put the puck in the back of the net, making it 4–2 Chicago.

lukas tyler pic.twitter.com/LWzALMlPh5

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 29, 2023

The only other thing that happened in the remaining part of the second period is penalties, lots and lots of penalties. There was a skirmish in the last two minutes of the period that sent four players to the penalty box, as Ryan Donato, Nick Foligno, Yanni Gourde and Grubauer all got called for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Third period

The third period was relatively uneventful on one end, as the Blackhawks only managed three shots on goal for the entire frame. However, Seattle attempted to work their way back into the game, getting 12 shots on goal. Almost seven minutes into the period, the Kraken got back into the game. Beniers got the puck across the ice to Tye Kartye, who wristed the puck past Mrazek to make it 4–3. The Blackhawks managed to kill off two more penalties, bringing the penalty kill to a perfect 5 for 5 for the game. The game would end with a Blackhawks victory, pulling out the 4–3 win.

Analysis

While the Blackhawks looked good getting a victory, there were areas that need improving in their game. Giving your opponent five chances to score on the power play is ludicrous, and does not tend to win you many games. The Blackhawks were lucky to be able to kill off all of those, and even with that only squeaked out the narrowest of victories. As a team, they have to figure out a way to be better defensively. They are blocking a lot of shots, but when you still get out-shot significantly despite a lot of blocks, you still have a lot to improve upon.

Anderson has looked good in the three games he has appeared in this season. He is doing a lot of background work, but is looking like he knows the strengths in his game now. Dickinson has been absolutely on fire this month, recording five goals in his last five games played. He is already looking like he will surpass his point total from last year in half of the games it took him to get there last season. Mrazek continues to keep this team in games single-handedly. He has not been great every night, but he has been far better than last season, which goes a long way to having a successful team. Hopefully, this continues through the remainder of the season, as the Blackhawks need good goaltending behind this young team.

The Blackhawks’ next game is in Michigan against the Detroit Red Wings. All eyes will be on Patrick Kane to see if he will make his season debut against his longtime former squad. Puck drop will be at 6 p.m. CST and can be watched on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks vanquish Kraken, win 4–3 over Seattle appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks got the first power play of the game 30 seconds in, but were not able to convert on the opportunity. They had a few more good chances in the opening minutes of the game, but were unable to get anything past Lankinen to go up on the scoresheet. The Predators ended up striking first, just over 12 minutes into the game. Kevin Korchinski failed to get the puck out of the defensive zone, with Colton Sissons stealing the puck along the boards. He got it to Yakov Trenin, who put his first goal of the season past Soderblom to make it 1–0 Predators. The Blackhawks game up two late-period power plays to the Predators, who would eventually make them pay. Gustav Nyquist cleaned up a rebound off of a Filip Forsberg shot to make it 2–0 Predators, which is how the first period would end.

The second period took a lot longer to get going. Both teams traded chances, but they were not able to put any in the net until Philipp Kurashev put in a rebound off of a Connor Bedard shot, getting the Blackhawks on the board and trimming the margin to 2–1.

Philipp Kurashev cleans up the rebound from Connor Bedard’s shot and scores his third goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/4UrLpsq6Y7

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 18, 2023

The Predators would answer before the period was out, though. Philip Tomasino put a shot on net that was not controlled by Soderblom, allowing Cole Smith to sneak the puck around his pad, 3–1 Predators.

In the third, both teams traded chances until Tyler Johnson put a shot off of Roman Josi and past Lankinen, tightening the score to 3–2 Predators. Unfortunately, that was all that they were able to muster, as Cole Smith struck again with an empty-netter to put this one away for good, a 4–2 Predators win.

Analysis

The Blackhawks got some good shots on goal in this game, but were unable to put any of their really good chances past Lankinen. With one line really showing up, especially defensively, that does not bode well for you having a game that is winnable for your side. As far as defensive play goes, Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic played solidly as a pairing, which is refreshing to see, especially for Jones, who has looked like he wants to play this season.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Sunday at home against the Buffalo Sabres. That game will be at 6 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks downed in Nashville, lose 4–2 again appeared first on The Rink.

Things did not look like they would be going the Blackhawks’ way in this game when Arvid Soderblom got pulled to one side of the net, biting hard on a pass from Evan Rodrigues to Sam Reinhart, who then passed it out front to a wide-open Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who put the Panthers up 1–0 just 39 seconds into the game.

The Blackhawks would answer just over six minutes later. Jason Dickinson led the rush up the ice, getting the puck to Taylor Raddysh, who passed it to Connor Murphy. Murphy put a shot off the boards, with the rebound taken by Lukas Reichel, who put the puck in front to Dickinson. He beat three Panthers in front and tipped it past Sergei Bobrovsky to make it 1–1.

The Panthers gained a power play on a Bedard holding-the-stick penalty against Nick Cousins. On the ensuing power play, Matthew Tkachuk wristed a shot from the point that was deflected in by Sam Reinhart out in front of the net, 2–1 Panthers.

With just under a minute remaining in the period, Bedard picked the pocket of the Panthers’ Kevin Stenlund and put the puck up and over the shoulder of Bobrovsky from a terrible angle to tie things up again before the period ended, sending things to the intermission 2–2.

CONNOR BEDARD WHAT A GOAL @BR_OpenIcepic.twitter.com/B56xcPwLOz

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 12, 2023

It took longer for another goal to come in the second. The Panthers controlled play for a while, and maintained possession in the offensive zone for an extended period. Seven minutes into the period, Reinhart got the puck down below the goal line, picking up a rebound of a shot. He banked the puck off of the back of Soderblom’s pad and into the back of the net, 3–2 Florida.

But, just 1:18 later, the boy wonder did it again. The Panthers got caught in a change, with Seth Jones getting the puck up the side boards to Bedard, who beat the defense back into position, beating Bobrovsky on the glove side again, and knotting this one up at 3–3 heading into the third.

Connor Bedard is good at hockey pic.twitter.com/tn9DgI2s1N

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 12, 2023

Bedard would take a nasty hit along the boards that the Blackhawks took exception to, as Nick Foligno jumped in to make sure that Dmitry Kulikov knew that the hit was not acceptable to the Hawks.

Nick Foligno did NOT like that hit on Connor Bedard pic.twitter.com/rXxKbKmQ7N

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 12, 2023

The Blackhawks would give up another power play in the third, and once again the Panthers would make them pay. Dickinson got called for interference against Kulikov, putting the Panthers back on the man advantage. Tkachuk skated in with a shot on net with the rebound coming in front to Reinhart, who put it over to a wide-open Carter Verhaeghe, 4–3 Panthers.

The Blackhawks put together a solid third, getting 13 shots on net, including a flurry at the very end, but they were not able to put any more past Bobrovsky, dropping this close game 4–3.

Analysis

Bedard was electric, as he has been in many games this season, scoring six goals in his last six games, and four in his last two. He looks like he has adjusted quickly to the NHL game, despite being just 18 years old, and has shown the huge hockey IQ that we all knew he had coming into this league. With a few guys having to step back into the lineup in this game, it was good to see different lines coming together and looking like they have played together before. The Hawks took too many penalties in this game, though Foligno’s can be forgiven, even according to Luke Richardson. You cannot give up power plays against a great power play team and the runners-up in the NHL last season and not expect that to come back and haunt you.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning at home. That game will be at 7 p.m. CST on Hulu and ESPN+.

The post RECAP: Bedard banks two more goals, but Blackhawks fall in Sunrise appeared first on The Rink.

Your lineup for tonight’s #FlaPanthers @ #blackhawks tilt… pic.twitter.com/FVEOM9OFkp

— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) November 4, 2023

First period

The Blackhawks dominated the early portion of the game, getting the first six shots on net and going on the power play early on a Kevin Stenlund interference call. Seth Jones took a shot from the point that hit Gustav Forsling out in front. The puck bounced right to Nick Foligno, who potted his second of the season to make it 1–0 Blackhawks. Three minutes later, Philipp Kurashev picked up his own rebound and fed it in between the circles to a streaking Zaitsev, who wristed it past Anthony Stolarz, 2–0 Blackhawks. Then, with seven minutes left in the first, Jason Dickinson got a pass over to Hall, who skated in and snuck the puck past Stolarz to make it 3–0 Chicago early in this one.

Taylor Hall scores his first goal with the @NHLBlackhawks! pic.twitter.com/UQShpyYEdK

— NHL (@NHL) November 5, 2023

Second period

Compared to the first, it took the Blackhawks a while to put another into the net, but when they did, it was a beauty. Eetu Luostarinen had the puck bounce past him, and Connor Bedard made him pay. He burst up the ice, wristing the puck past Stolarz to make it 4–0 Blackhawks.

Connor Bedard with an 86.5 mph wrist shot, which finds the back of the net. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/0jgDl8kmy2

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 5, 2023

A little over a minute later, the Blackhawks got a 2-on-1 that looked like they might put another on the board. Hall and Tyler Johnson came up the ice, with Hall putting the puck over a sliding defender to Johnson, but Stolarz came up with a tremendous save to prevent the goal. By the end of the second, the Panthers had eventually out-shot the Blackhawks, but Mrazek stood tall and stopped every Florida chance to this point.

Third period

Seven minutes into the third, Florida would strike for the first time. They went on the power play on a Bedard high stick, and were able to convert, with Oliver Ekman-Larsson putting a slap shot past Mrazek, making it 4–1 Blackhawks. With about 11:20 to go in the third, Aleksander Barkov put a back-hander off of the crossbar on a rebound opportunity that could have easily made it just a two-goal game. With seven and a half to go, Matthew Tkachuk cleaned up a rebound to put another Florida goal on the board, and make it a two-goal game for real. That was his 500th NHL point, giving him 500 in 520 games played. That would be all that they would get though, as Mrazek stopped the rest of the shots faced, and Kurashev would pot an empty-netter to seal it off in a 5–2 Blackhawks win.

Analysis

The Blackhawks showed some resiliency in rebounding from such a bad game against Arizona to play lights out defensively in this game by comparison. They blocked 29 shots in the game, with even Bedard getting in on that action, and stood their ground overall. Zaitsev made the most of this 13 and a half minutes played, putting in his first of the year and totaling a +3 rating for the evening. When no one on your team was a negative in plus/minus, you are definitely doing something correct.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Sunday evening against the New Jersey Devils at 6 p.m. CST. The game will be on NHL Network and NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Nov. 4 vs. Florida Panthers appeared first on The Rink.

This one would be ugly. In pretty much every other loss, the Blackhawks have at least looked competitive and put up a fight. It would appear that the wheels fell off on Monday, as they were not able to put much together.

First period

The Blackhawks started off rolling, with Connor Bedard’s first line starting things off. Twenty-eight seconds in, Bedard put a wrister over the glove of Connor Ingram with his wicked release to make it 1–0 Blackhawks early, following a nifty cross-ice feed from Kevin Korchinski, providing an exciting glimpse of the team’s future.

1-0 thanks to the No. 1 overall pick pic.twitter.com/VYBiGBYt4x

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 31, 2023

But that is where the excitement would end. Just under two minutes later, Michael Carcone cleaned up a rebound out in front of the net to tie everything up at 1–1. The Coyotes kept pouring it on, creating more chances off of rebounds. At the 13:53 mark of the frame, defenseman Josh Brown skated to the front of the right circle and wristed a shot over the glove of Arvid Soderblom, 2–1 Coyotes. Just a couple of minutes later, the Coyotes would go on the power play on a Connor Murphy trip. Lawson Crouse dug out the puck along the boards, and fed it across to Carcone, who potted his second of the night, making it 3–1 Arizona. The first period would end with the Blackhawks down by two after one. Nick Foligno tried to get his team energized before the period would end, but we would have to see in the second if it would get his team to step up.

Second period

An even five minutes into the second, the Coyotes had the puck in deep in the Blackhawks’ end. Carcone threw the puck out in front, and it ended up going off of Soderblom into the back of the net, 4–1 Arizona, and giving Carcone his first hat trick of his career. Just 1:38 later, the Coyotes came back up ice in a 2-on-1, as Jarred Tinordi got lost behind the play. Alexander Kerfoot put a saucer pass across to Jack McBain, who potted his third of the season to make it 5–1 Coyotes. Carcone would also pot an assist this period, as he got the puck out in between the circles, where Sean Durzi skated into a wrister right into the back of the net, 6–1 Coyotes. Liam O’Brien, despite sporting a black eye from his fight with Foligno in the first, deflected the puck off of his skate past Soderblom to make it 7–1 Arizona.

No one:
No one on earth:
Michael Carcone on a Monday night in the Mullett: pic.twitter.com/D55h6NxqtG

— Bill Armstrong’s Burner (@BillArmstrongGM) October 31, 2023

Third period

The Blackhawks played their best period of the night defensively, with Petr Mrazek replacing Soderblom in the net for the final frame in this game. It took 10 and a half minutes for the Coyotes to put one in the net in this period, with Kerfoot connecting with McBain once again, making it 8–1 Coyotes. Even playing their best period of hockey of the night, the Blackhawks could not muster anything resembling a scoring chance, finally getting this bloodbath to end at 8–1 Arizona.

What Luke Richardson should do once the clock hits 0:00 at the end of the 3rd period. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/1u07LNXfSR

— Joe (@ChiSportsFanJoe) October 31, 2023

Analysis

The Blackhawks almost instantly lost momentum after Bedard’s opening goal. They got lost defensively all over the ice, and it was not simply one player looking like he was getting beat, it was everyone. Tinordi looked sluggish in particular on a couple of the Coyotes’ goals, but overall, the Blackhawks failed to show up defensively. The Coyotes are a younger team as well, and they showed much better how a team should play as a unit, with all four lines coming on and scoring in some capacity. Soderblom did not look good, but he was hung out to dry more times than not, and even if he was better, this game would have still been a big L on the scoreboard for the Blackhawks. Hopefully, they decide to show up next game, which is on Saturday at home versus the Florida Panthers. That game will be at 7 p.m. CDT on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Oct. 30 at Arizona Coyotes appeared first on The Rink.

First period

After trading chances on both sides, the Blackhawks went on the power play with about 10 minutes to go in the period. Bowen Byram went to the sin bin for putting the puck directly over the glass. Halfway through the power play, Ryan Donato would turn the puck over along the boards, and with a quick pass up ice, Logan O’Connor was off to the races, in on a breakaway. He went high glove over Petr Mrazek, putting the Avalanche up 1–0.

This is how OC does it #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/SPqIqmAXN4

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 20, 2023

Before the period was out, the Blackhawks put the Avalanche on the power play, with Tyler Johnson getting caught with his stick up on Samuel Girard. On the ensuing power play, the Avalanche would get a flurry or opportunities against Mrazek. After Mikko Rantanen put one off the post, and Mrazek made a great save, Artturi Lehkonen got a redirect right in on goal. The rebound bounced out, off of Connor Murphy and over to Ryan Johansen, who stuck with it to put the puck in the back of the net, and send it to the intermission 2–0 Colorado.

Ryan Johansen simply does not give up. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/PjfR4SJ1EL

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 20, 2023

Second period

The Avalanche dominated possession from the middle of the first period on. About halfway through the second period, it appeared as though Colorado would go up 3–0, as Miles Wood seemed to put his second of the season past Mrazek, but it got called back for an offside on the pass to get into the zone. The Avalanche would get that goal back, however, as Devon Toews would score at the 13:18 mark of the period on a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play from Toews to Valeri Nichushkin, right back to Toews, who put the puck into a wide open net to officially grab the 3–0 edge.

Toews did everything right #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/vsB7FUKiY4

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 20, 2023

Third period

The third period continued the Avalanche’s domination of the puck, as they only allowed one Chicago shot on goal in the last 11:45 of the game. Nathan MacKinnon had been sniffing around the net all game long, and finally got his chance to put one in the back of the net. A long wrist shot came in from the point and the puck bounced out in front to Tomas Tatar, who made a pass to a streaking MacKinnon, who put it over Mrazek’s shoulder, 4–0 Colorado. That is how the game would end.

MacKinnon making it look easy #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/dv82PXKC0t

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 20, 2023

Analysis

The Blackhawks seemed to have run out of steam by the end of their road trip. Five games is a long time to be away, and with them facing a lot of teams who had home openers, they were constantly facing a fired up crowd who were excited to see their teams in person for the first time this season. Mrazek absolutely stood on his head, as he seems to be rejuvenated in the early going this season.

The Avalanche continued to roll, as they have won all four of the games they have played this season, with different lines and different players contributing each night.

Both teams are back in action on Saturday, with the Blackhawks finally playing on home ice, taking on the Vegas Golden Knights on NBC Sports Chicago at 7 p.m. CDT. The Avalanche play host to the Carolina Hurricanes at home at 7 p.m. MDT on Altitude Sports.

The post RECAP: Avalanche dominate Blackhawks in one-sided affair appeared first on The Rink.

#Blackhawks projected Opening Night lineup:
Hall-Bedard-Donato
T. Johnson-Reichel-Raddysh
Katchouk-Guttman-Athanasiou
Perry-Dickinson-Foligno

Vlasic-Jones
Korchinski-Murphy
Tinordi-Kaiser

Mrazek
Söderblom

Extras: Entwistle, R. Johnson, Zaitsev

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 10, 2023

Almost time for hockey!

: ESPN, ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/Qsk9Jgfp1c

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 10, 2023

The first period started off with lots of excitement. Bedard centered the opening line, with Taylor Hall and Ryan Donato on his wings, and began his career with a face-off against his idol, Sidney Crosby.

The Blackhawks got the first power play of the game, and were able to generate plenty of chances, but it did not amount to a goal in the early going. However, just after the penalty expired, the Penguins took the puck back up ice, with Kris Letang putting the puck on net, deflecting off of Bryan Rust and over the shoulder of Petr Mrazek, making the score 1–0 Penguins.

Both Mrazek and Tristan Jarry made some big stops in the period to keep the score 1–0 going into the second.

The second was also a flurry of activity around both nets. Mrazek made some spectacular saves to keep the game close in the early going. With just over eight minutes left in the second, the Penguins put another goal past Mrazek, but the Blackhawks challenged the goal, with the puck appearing to possibly go outside of the zone. Unfortunately, the league did not see things that way, and the Penguins went up 2–0, getting a power play out of the situation as well with the delay of game penalty against the Blackhawks.

With just under four and a half minutes left in the frame, Bedard and Alex Vlasic worked a give-and-go down the boards, with Vlasic putting a wrister on net from the left circle, and Donato backhanding the puck past Jarry, making it 2–1 Penguins to end the second. Bedard’s assist on the play would be his first NHL point.

Connor Bedard’s first NHL point. A brilliant, yet simple pass to open a ton of space for Vlasic, which leads directly to the goal. https://t.co/rduOyaT19b

— Eric Andrews (@WALaxer19) October 11, 2023

In the third, the Blackhawks came roaring back in a way that we did not often see last year. The first 10 minutes traded chances once again, but with just under 10 minutes remaining in the period, Seth Jones picked up a rebound off of an Andreas Athanasiou shot and passed it to Cole Guttman just inside the right circle, who wristed it past Jarry to knot the game up at 2–2.

With just over four and a half to go, the veteran line of Jason Dickinson, Nick Foligno and Corey Perry got in on the action. Foligno skated up the left side wall, dropping a pass to Perry for a shot that deflected right in front to Dickinson, who dove to put the puck past Jarry and give the Blackhawks a 3–2 lead. They would later extend that on another goal from that line, with Perry passing it to Foligno, who potted it into the empty net to put this one to bed for a 4–2 Blackhawks comeback win!

Analysis

Watching this game, you would have thought that this team was a playoff team last season. They showed resilience that they did not show much of at all last season, which was such a refreshing change to see after only winning 26 games last season. This game likely will not be the result every night this season, but this team already looks like it wants to play hard to grind out more wins this year. Bedard was not shy about shooting the puck, but just needs to improve his timing, which will come. This Blackhawks team is fun to watch, with lots of speed, and more grit. Jones in particular stood out in this game. He was looking a lot more like a guy who is worth closer to his salary instead of the salary cap paperweight he looked like at times last season. Though just a one-game sample size, Wyatt Kaiser and Kevin Korchinski looked overwhelmed frequently throughout the night and Lukas Reichel was largely invisible in the game except for one rush in the third period. Seeing how Kaiser and Korchinski perform in the coming games will be crucial in determining if they are truly ready for prime time or if they would be better suited to gain more developmental time.

The Blackhawks’ next game is Wednesday night against the Boston Bruins. Coverage will be on TNT at 6:30 p.m. CDT.

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this game is only practice pic.twitter.com/S5q0iAu3jx

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 2, 2023

As soon as this game started though, things did not go according to plan for the Blackhawks. After an extended period of being stuck in their own end for the first three minutes of the game, Daniel Sprong put one past the pad of Jaxson Stauber to make it 1–0 Red Wings.

The Blackhawks would get a few shots on goal themselves after that, but the Red Wings showed them that they mean business, putting on a passing clinic before getting the puck in between the circles to Michael Rasmussen, who put Detroit up 2–0.

In the second, it did not get any better for the Blackhawks. The tallest man on the ice, Elmer Soderblom, ripped a shot from right in between the circles to make the score 3–0 Red Wings. Just a couple of minutes later, it was Antti Tuomisto who one-timed the puck from the point past Stauber, making the gap widen to 4–0.

Looking like he set up shop for the night in his office, Rasmussen potted his second of the night on a behind the net feed from J.T. Compher from the same spot as he scored the first time, 5–0 Detroit.

this game is only practice pic.twitter.com/S5q0iAu3jx

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 2, 2023

In the third, the Blackhawks finally managed to put one past James Reimer. Louis Crevier wristed one over the blocker of Reimer, cutting the margin to 5–1 Detroit. With a five-minute power play, the Red Wings would convert, with Rasmussen getting the puck to Compher this time, 6–1 Red Wings, which ended up being the final.

Analysis

The Blackhawks did not look good in this game. They allowed the Red Wings to pass the puck wherever they wanted with no repercussions, allowing themselves to get out of position on multiple occasions because they followed the puck instead of keeping track of where their defensive coverage was supposed to be. This game felt too much like last year, which we are hoping to see much less of in the coming season, but I have a feeling there will still be games like this that will happen this coming season.

The Blackhawks are back in action against the Red Wings again, but with Chicago the home team this time. That game will be at 7:30 p.m. CDT on Tuesday night.

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The Blackhawks mixed it up a bit in game two, icing this lineup that was vastly different from game one, as happens often in the preseason:

see who’s lacing ’em up tonight pic.twitter.com/c199N1ge53

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 30, 2023

The Blackhawks went with a youngin’ heavy roster tonight, looking to see more of the younger guys in-game action to see who might be valuable to keep up with the big squad this year.

The Blackhawks would open the scoring with MacKenzie Entwistle snapping a wrister past Filip Gustavsson just over a minute into the game.

this is what we meant by “MACKERRRRRR” pic.twitter.com/4Yh3388VrE

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 30, 2023

The Wild got plenty of shots on Arvid Soderblom, who made some good stops to keep the game close, but the Wild would get to him twice in the first period, giving the Wild a 2–1 lead by the end of the period. Ryan O’Rourke blasted a shot from just outside the circle past Soderblom with just over twelve minutes gone in the period, with Adam Beckman putting another shot past at the 18:30 mark.

The second period was fairly uneventful from a scoring perspective. Cole Guttman had a great shift with right around seven minutes left in the frame. He rang the post twice, coming so close to tying the game up for the Blackhawks, but couldn’t quite get it done.

Guttman draws iron two (2) times in one shift

keep on buzzin’ bud! pic.twitter.com/9MvIHwIxcK

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 1, 2023

A scary situation unfolded in the game as well, when Samuel Savoie went careening into the boards awkwardly after trying to regain the puck along the side wall. He was clearly in significant pain and had to be stretchered off of the ice, so we will see if he is able to make a return this season, or if the injury proves more significant.

It would take until almost all the way through the third period for the Blackhawks to tie it up. Tyler Johnson potted his first of the preseason, cleaning up a rebound off of a Taylor Raddysh shot to tie things up at 2–2, and a little over a minute later, the game would head to overtime.

The Wild ended things quickly, with Connor Dewar putting a wrister past Soderblom from the left circle twenty-one seconds into overtime, with the Wild taking the win 3–2.

Analysis:

For a team that iced a bunch of young guys who hadn’t played against this kind of competition before, the Blackhawks managed to hold their own, not allowing a ton of great scoring chances, and getting a bunch on their own, making the most of their lower shot total. Anders Bjork, Colton Dach, and Guttman were flying all over the ice, showing speed and agility that this Blackhawks team now has in spades. Kevin Korchinski looks like he will be a solid, NHL-capable defenseman, though that remains to be seen if he will start the season in Chicago.

The Blackhawks’ next game is tomorrow in Detroit against the Red Wings. That game will be on TV, and will start at 6:00 CDT.

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This team wound up in a literal race to the bottom in the final weeks, as the Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets were all waiting to see who would wind up with the least amount of points and the best odds for getting the first overall pick in the upcoming 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

Jonathan Toews would be playing in his final game in a Chicago uniform, and possibly his final game as a professional hockey player, as he has been contemplating retirement after this season since dealing with the lingering effects of long COVID. His goodbye was one of the few highlights of the season, as it was good to see him get back on the ice, and at the very least, leave Chicago on a celebratory note.

— The Flyers came out firing on all cylinders, as Travis Konecny would get the first two goals of the game, one in the first 26 seconds of the game, and the next one at the 6:28 mark of the period. The Blackhawks would strike back, though, with a Jujhar Khaira backhander and an Anders Bjork tap-in tallying two for the Blackhawks before the period would end.

— The second period would start much the same, with the Flyers coming out first and getting two very quickly. Owen Tippett took a giveaway from Seth Jones and buried it past Alex Stalock. Then, a few minutes later, the Flyers struck on the power play, with Noah Cates burying a shot from in between the circles, giving the Flyers a 4–2 lead. The Blackhawks would get one back, on a Toews redirection off of an Andreas Athanasiou shot to get the Blackhawks back to within one at 4–3. Toews celebrated in style, with an old-school one-kneed fist pump that Toews made iconic after numerous big goals earlier in his career.

— The Blackhawks would continue to generate chances in the third period, trying their best to compete for Toews’ final game and play well for him. It would take until the final few minutes of the period for them to make good on that. With an empty net, Athanasiou would tuck a pass from Tyler Johnson into the Philly net, tying things up at 4–4.

— In overtime, it looked as though Toews would get a complete storybook ending, as he got a breakaway chance that trickled inches wide of the post. On the ensuing rush toward the Blackhawks net, Ivan Provorov worked his way through the Blackhawks’ defense, putting a backhander into the net and winning the game for the Flyers 5–4.

Although this was a disappointing end to a disappointing season, we at The Rink would like to thank you for joining us for it. Without your readership, it would not be nearly as enjoyable to write, watch and cover this Blackhawks team. Thank you for making this worth it! Now, all eyes turn to the draft lottery on May 8 and later June 28, as one of the pillars of the next era of Blackhawks hockey will put on the Indiana head for the first time.

And, of course, thank you, Tazer.

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— Jonathan Toews made his return to the lineup, after missing from the lineup since Jan. 28 due to symptoms of long COVID. He tallied an assist in what may be one of his final NHL games, with him likely contemplating retirement at the end of the season.

— After no scoring in the first period, both teams unleashed in the second. The Devils struck first on a Dougie Hamilton shot from just outside the circles, with the Blackhawks countering just over a minute later with a Tyler Johnson goal from right out in front of the net. Andreas Athanasiou would take a wrister that went off of Lukas Reichel to give the Blackhawks their first lead of the game later on in the period.

— The Devils would respond in short order to finish out the second. Timo Meier skated in with a wraparound try that sent the rebound right out to Erik Haula, who burried it past Alex Stalock to tie things up at 2–2. Jesper Boqvist then out-waited Stalock to put the Devils back in front.

— In the third, Ryan Graves took the puck from up high and backhanded it past Stalock on a beautiful move to put the Devils up 4–2. Then, Athanasiou again would help the Blackhawks attempt to claw back in on a shot-pass from Toews. A wraparound goal from Meier, along with a Dawson Mercer tally, would put this one far out of reach, giving the Devils the 6–3 victory.

With six games left on their schedule, can the Blackhawks successfully lose out, giving them the best opportunity to gain the first overall pick in the upcoming draft? Tune in next on Tuesday at 8 p.m. CDT on NBC Sports Chicago to find out!

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— The Blackhawks had the best chances the first period, with Jarred Tinordi ringing a shot off of the post from the left circle, beating former Blackhawk netminder Collin Delia but not getting it into the net. The Blackhawks would get the games’ first power play, but would not be able to do anything on the man advantage. It took until the 3:59 mark of the frame with the Blackhawks on the penalty kill for something to happen. Jason Dickinson took the puck in around the net and got it out to the point for Connor Murphy, who wristed a shot past Delia, making the score 1–0 Blackhawks.

— Both teams traded shots throughout the second, with nothing getting past either goaltender, until the final minute of play. The Canucks kept the puck in the Blackhawks’ end for one last chance at the end of the period, and Seth Jones got the puck banked in off of him by Phillip Di Giuseppe to knot things up at 1–1.

— In the third, Dakota Joshua rocked Lukas Reichel off of the puck, which led to a Canucks 2-on-1 break, which ended in an Elias Pettersson goal to put the Canucks up 2–1. He would score again a minute later, with the Canucks converting very quickly on the power play they had received to put them up 3–1. The Blackhawks decided to try to tie things up, pulling Petr Mrazek for the sixth attacker. They were able to get one back, with Reichel cleaning up a loose puck and putting it past Delia, 3–2 Canucks. Brock Boeser would put the finally tally on the board to make it 4–2 Canucks and put this one away.

The Blackhawks are losing, but are looking competitive doing it, showing that they are still trying, despite also wanting to get the best draft pick that they can with the season they have been having. They remain a point up on last place in the NHL, with the Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks not in action on Sunday.

The Blackhawks’ next game will be on Tuesday night at home against the Dallas Stars. That game will be at 7:30 p.m. CDT on NBC Sports Chicago.

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Stalock would stay in net against Arizona, looking to win three straight, and looking like the best free agent the Blackhawks signed this past offseason.

First period: This game got off to a really quick start, with the Blackhawks getting the puck quickly into the offensive zone and getting the puck from behind the net up to Jarred Tinordi, who one-timed the puck toward the net. It was tipped on the way in by Jujhar Khaira, putting the Blackhawks on the board first, 1–0. That would be the only scoring in the period, however, as both goalies proved up to the task in keeping the puck out of the net.

Second period: It took almost the entire period, but the Coyotes finally got a puck past Stalock. Clayton Keller skated in along the boards, putting the puck toward the net. Barrett Hayton was skating right through, and redirected the puck past the Blackhawks goaltender, tying the score at 1–1.

Third period: The Blackhawks went on the power play a little over three minutes into the third period, and were able to convert. After a failed attempt by Lukas Reichel, the puck came right out to Caleb Jones, who wristed it past Ivan Prosvetov, giving the Blackhawks the 2–1 lead. The Coyotes would knot things back up with six minutes gone in the third, with Keller outwaiting Stalock, and wristing it past him on the short side to tie everything up at two apiece. With a delayed penalty coming, and their goalie pulled because of it, the Coyotes’ Juuso Valimaki snuck down low and buried a Keller pass past Stalock, 3–2 Coyotes. The Blackhawks pulled their goalie to try to tie things up again, but Matias Maccelli would put the dagger in things with an empty-net goal, giving the Coyotes the 4–2 win.

With the loss, the Blackhawks stayed only five points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the worst record in the NHL, and two points in front of the San Jose Sharks for the second-worst record.

The Blackhawks are back in action on Monday at the Colorado Avalanche. Coverage will begin at 8 p.m. CDT on NBC Sports Chicago.

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— In the first period, the Blackhawks looked like they might make good on picking up a win, with Lukas Reichel making a breakout pass to Seth Jones. He then got the puck over to Andreas Athanasiou, who got the puck back to Jones to backhand it past Juuse Saros to make it 1–0 Blackhawks early in this one.

— At the 9:36 mark of the frame, the Blackhawks were shorthanded, and on the power play, Yakov Trenin ripped a shot from the middle of the ice that was saved by Petr Mrazek, but Philip Tomasino was right there to clean up the rebound and tie everything up at 1–1.

— The Blackhawks would get another really good chance, with the 14-15-16 line out on the ice. Jujhar Khaira kicked the puck to his stick and got it out in front to Joey Anderson, who rang a shot off of the crossbar, meaning the game stayed tied through the end of one.

— After a lot of back and forth, with the Blackhawks honestly getting way more chances than the Predators, Tyson Barrie got the puck at the point, and one-timed a shot that deflected in past Mrazek, giving the Predators the lead, 2–1. Philipp Kurashev tried to block it, the puck went off of his stick and past Mrazek. The period would end with the score keeping the Predators ahead of the Blackhawks.

— Unfortunately, the third period would come and go as well without the Blackhawks being able to put a puck past Saros to tie it. They got a few good chances, but with the goaltender pulled, the Predators’ Colton Sissons was able to put the puck into the open net, giving the Predators the 3–1 win.

The Blackhawks are back in action on Monday night against the Ottawa Senators. Coverage begins at 8 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

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Date	The-Rink Division	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
2/22/2023		Future Consideration		Nikita Zaitsev '23 2nd Round Pick '26 4th Round Pick
2/23/2023		Josiah Slavin		Hunter Drew
2/26/3023		Jack Johnson		Andreas Englund
2/27/3023		Jake McCabe (50% retained) Sam Lafferty Conditional '24 5th rd pick Conditional '25 5th rd pick		Joey Anderson Pavel Gogolev '25 1st-round pick (top 10 protected) '26 2nd-round pick
2/27/3023	Rockford IceHogs	Future Considerations	Manitoba Moose	Colin Bilek
2/28/3023	Rockford IceHogs	Adam Clendening	Hartford Wolfpack	Zach Jordan
2/28/3023		Patrick Kane (50% retained) Cooper Zech	via	23 2nd Rd Pick (conditional 1st) 4th Rd Pick Vili Saarijarvi Andy Welinski
3/2/3023		Future Considerations		Anders Bjork
3/2/3023	Rockford IceHogs	Carson Gicewicz	Rochester Americans	Future Considerations
3/2/3023		Max Domi Dylan Wells		25 2nd Rd Pick Anton Khudobin
3/2/3023		Dylan Sikura		Max Golod
3/2/3023	Rockford IceHogs	Future Considerations	San Diego Gulls	Rocco Grimaldi Logan Nijhoff
3/3/3023		Future Considerations		Austin Wagner

Trade Analysis/Break Down:

• • • Chicago Blackhawks acquired Nikita Zaitsev, 2023 2nd Round Pick and 2026 4th Round Pick from the Ottawa Senators for future considerations
    • Chicago Blackhawks acquired Hunter Drew from the Anaheim Ducks for Josiah Slavin.
    • Chicago Blackhawks acquired Andreas Englund from The Colorado Avalanche for Jack Johnson
    • Chicago Blackhawks trade Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty, a conditional 2024 5th-round pick & a conditional 2025 5th-round pick to Toronto for a 2025 1st-round pick (top 10 protected), a 2026 2nd-round pick, Joey Anderson and Pavel Gogolev.
    • The Arizona Coyotes acquired Patrick Kane from the Chicago Blackhawks for Vili Saarijarvi
    • The New York Rangers Acquired Patrick Kane from the Arizona Coyotes for a 2025 conditional 3rd Round Pick
    • The Chicago Blackhawks acquired 2023 conditional 2nd Round Pick, 2025 4th Round Pick and Andy Welinski from the New York Rangers for Cooper Zech
    • The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Anders Bjork from the Buffalo Sabres for future considerations
    • The Dallas Stars acquired Max Domi and Dylan Wells from the Chicago Blackhawks for Anton Khudobin and 2025 2nd Round Pick
    • The Anaheim Ducks acquired Dylan Sikura from the Chicago Blackhawks for Max Golod

Also, be sure to follow the entire The-Rink staff on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates, as well:

The Rink Official

Chicago Divison
The Rinkcast
Jeff Osborn
Andy Campbell
Ray Napientek
Eric Andrews
Sean Fitzgerald
Andrew Bard
Matt Csakai

 

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– The first period started off slowly, but the Hawks looked strong in the first few minutes of play, not allowing many chances for Vegas. Then, Keegan Kolesar took a beautiful feed from Nicolas Roy and put it past a diving Mrazek to make the score 1–0 Golden Knights.

– The Blackhawks came back in the frame, though, at the 12:39 mark. Taylor Raddysh blocked a shot, Tyler Johnson made a beautiful pass of the boards and Cole Guttman got a breakaway, beating Laurent Brossoit five hole to tie things up at 1–1. Guttman has looked good so far in his young career. The first period would end in a 1–1 tie game.

– After trading power plays and chances through the first 10+ minutes of the second period, Seth Jones stole a pass that looked like it would lead the Blackhawks to an offensive zone opportunity. Instead, it got turned right back over, with Johnson missing his assignment, and Jack Eichel skating into the right circle, looking pass, but wristing it past Mrazek to give the Golden Knights the 2–1 lead. For once, Jones got left out to dry and could not do anything besides trying to break up the pass, letting Eichel have the clear shot.

– Both teams traded chances throughout the third, with the Blackhawks getting a final power play opportunity to tie it on an Alex Pietrangelo delay-of-game penalty. After a couple of chances throughout the first minute of power play time, Max Domi won the face-off, with Patrick Kane getting the puck across to Johnson, who one-timed it past Brossoit to tie everything up at 2–2 and force overtime.

– In overtime, a missed Pietrangelo pass with 10 seconds left led to a Kane breakaway, and he blasted it past Brossoit to give the Blackhawks the victory. Well, at least it should have, but the goal was waved off as time had expired before the puck had fully crossed the line, meaning the game was headed to the shootout.

– Scoreless through two rounds in the shootout, Jonathan Marchessault missed on his opportunity, giving Johnson the chance to finish it off. He did just that, giving the Blackhawks the shootout victory, and their third win in a row.

The Blackhawks will be in action again on Wednesday night in Texas to face the Dallas Stars. Coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

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The first period started off fast-paced. With only a minute and a half gone by, Clayton Keller took a Jakob Chychrun pass and wristed it past Stauber, 1–0 Coyotes. With just over seven minutes left in the period, Keller set up Nick Schmaltz, who one-timed it past Stauber, making it 2–0 Arizona. Just over a minute and a half later in the period, Seth Jones out-waited Connor Ingram to put the Blackhawks on the board at 2–1.

The second period was relatively uneventful for the Coyotes, but the Blackhawks kept the pressure on. Andreas Athanasiou scored his 11th goal of the season to tie the game up at 2–2. Then, Max Domi got a great pass to get into the zone and made a great pass to Taylor Raddysh, but the goal was waved off because of goaltender interference, as Domi barreled into Ingram in the process. With just under 10 minutes to go in the period, Jake McCabe stole the puck and got in on a breakaway that was stopped by Ingram.

The third period took a while to get going compared to the previous two. With just over five minutes remaining in the period, Colin Blackwell found himself right in front of the net to poke the puck past Ingram, putting the Blackhawks up 3–2. It did not take long for the Coyotes to answer, though, with a Nick Bjugstad wrister tying things up again at 3–3 and sending the game to overtime.

With a minute and a half to go in overtime, Athanasiou took a breakaway in on goal and was stopped, but Caleb Jones followed up and put a wrister past Ingram to give the Blackhawks the 4–3 overtime victory.

The Blackhawks are back in action on Saturday night at the Winnipeg Jets. Coverage begins at 9 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

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— The Blackhawks would open the scoring on their first shot of the game, with Jason Dickinson putting a beautiful Sam Lafferty pass past Jordan Binnington at the 9:33 mark of the first.

— Then, on their second shot on goal of the game, Lafferty got in on a breakaway and beat Binnington five-hole to make it 2–0 Blackhawks. It would stay that way through the remainder of the first.

— Binnington actually managed to stop a couple of shots before the Blackhawks could score again. But, two minutes into the second period, Colin Blackwell fed Reese Johnson right in front of the net, who put the puck past Binnington, giving the Blackhawks a 3–0 lead.

— Jake McCabe got called for tripping at the 17:13 mark of the second period. This led to the Blues getting their first goal on the board, with Jordan Kyrou putting a wicked wrister past Stauber to get the score to 3–1.

— At the 16:01 mark of the period, Andreas Athanisiou wristed a shot right through the Blues’ defense and past Binnington, making it 4–1 Blackhawks.

— Over 10 minutes later, the Blues would strike again, with Kyrou getting the puck to Ivan Barbashev down low, who backhanded the puck past Stauber, and getting the Blues to within two goals once again.

— It would take until the 10:45 mark of the third for another goal to be scored. This time, old friend Nick Leddy took a pass from Colton Parayko and hammered it home, making the score 4–3 Blackhawks.

— After a couple of other chances in the game, Max Domi worked a give-and-go with Tyler Johnson and put the puck past Thomas Griess, scoring a dagger of a goal and ultimately giving the Blackhawks the 5–3 victory.

— Stauber made 28 saves in the first win of his young career.

The Blackhawks are back in action on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Kings. That game will be at 6 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

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— In what was one of the best games of the season to catch for Blackhawks fans, you got to see Ovechkin reach another milestone in his storied career. With two goals in the first, and one more in the third, not only did he reach 800 goals in his career, he also did it with style, putting up a hat trick against the hapless Blackhawks team.

— On the injury front, the Blackhawks welcomed back Tyler Johnson after missing over 20 games due to injury, as well as getting Petr Mrazek back in the crease.

— The first period consisted of the two Ovechkin goals, and the Johnson goal. The Blackhawks played that period decently well, although they did give up a power play goal on Ovechkin’s second. Mrazek made some nice stops, and Johnson took advantage of a puck in front of the net (and a little help from ex-Blackhawk Trevor van Riemsdyk) to keep the game close at 2–1 Capitals after the first.

— The Capitals traded goals with the Blackhawks in the second, with van Riemsdyk scoring first, followed by a power play goal from Toews, and then a Nic Dowd follow-up on a 2-on-0 play by the Caps to make the score 4–2 Capitals.

— The third is where things really got away from the Blackhawks. Ovechkin started off 6:34 into the frame, potting his 800th goal, and being one goal away from tying Gordie Howe for second all-time on the NHL scoring charts. Then, Anthony Mantha scored on a simple drive up the ice, which made Mrazek look like he fell asleep in the goal. The Blackhawks then got one back on a nice follow-up to his own shot by Max Domi. Then, Dmitry Orlov put in a slapshot in the last minute of the game to add insult to self-inflicted injury, making the final of the game 7–3 Capitals.

— The ugly: Jack Johnson was -4 and Seth Jones was -3 on the game, both playing terrible defense and looking outmatched by a clearly better team. Mrazek also had a brutal .767 save percentage, and did not look great in his first game back, either.

Alex Ovechkin gets a standing ovation in Chicago after scoring a hat trick for his 800th career NHL goal. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/acCZBYK90H

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 14, 2022

The Blackhawks are back in action on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights. That game will be at 7:30 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

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• If you checked in after the first or second periods, you would have thought that the Blackhawks had everything together. They looked cohesive, and were only down 1–0 after one, and were actually ahead 3–1 after the second period.
• They went up 4–1 halfway through the third, and then eveything unraveled. The Stars started putting on a massive onslaught, which turned the game on its head.
• The Blackhawks let up after scoring that goal, it would seem, as they somehow seemed to think that the Stars would just stop trying after going down by three.
• As per usual, the Blackhawks struggled greatly with defense, allowing five unanswered goals in the third, as they were out-hit by a massive margin, and Petr Mrazek could only do so much to stop Dallas by himself.
• We all expected Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou to be a significant drain on forward defense, but Philipp Kurashev has been downright brutal, and registering nothing on the score sheet entirely, registering a -2 in this loss, and a -14 on the season.
• Seth Jones got back into the lineup, and scored his first goal of the season, after Jason Robertson of the Stars got Dallas on the board in the first.
• Athanasiou, Connor Murphy and Domi would all follow Jones in scoring for the Blackhawks.
• After that, the Stars scored five goals a little over nine minutes in the third. Jamie Benn, Mason Marchment, Ty Dellandrea, Radek Faksa and Robertson again would give the Stars the victory.

So much needs to be fixed with this youthful group the Blackhawks have. We can only hope that losses like this will go a long way toward getting good prospects in next year’s draft.

The Blackhawks are back in action on Friday against the Montreal Canadiens. Coverage starts at 1 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Nov. 23 vs. Dallas Stars appeared first on The Rink.

— This was just a brutal game in most respects. The Blackhawks lost more face-offs than they won, and they did not convert any of their four power play opportunities, either. They did outhit the Penguins, and outblocked the Penguins as well.

— The Penguins came out of the gate firing on all cylinders and scored the lone goal in the first period. Brock McGinn potted that goal, with Evgeni Malkin scoring in his 1,000th game, and Rickard Rakell following him up to put the Penguins up 3–0.

— The Blackhawks came back after that to make the score 3–2 by the end of the second, on goals from Jujhar Khaira and Patrick Kane. Both of them were scored in the Blackhawks’ area they are good at getting to, grinding to the front of the net and getting a great pass to put the puck past Casey DeSmith.

— Philipp Kurashev tied up the game 4:30 into the third, on a lucky flip out in front of the net that got past DeSmith. Then, a minute later, the Penguins took back their lead, and did not give it up. Sidney Crosby scored that goal, with Jeff Carter potting an empty-netter to put the Penguins up by the final score of 5–3.

— Marian Hossa was back at the United Center to have his jersey retired by the Blackhawks. No one else will ever wear the No. 81 for the Blackhawks, as he had such huge contributions to their three Stanley Cup Championships in the 2010s, both on and off the ice, as a player and as an incredible locker room presence and person.

— Fellow three-time Cup champs Niklas Hjalmarsson, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews were all present to be with Hossa and his family on this special evening.

To view the entire ceremony, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsFmQhVQEPo.

— This was also Malkin’s 1,000th NHL game. He is absolutely in the same category as Hossa, and someone who was critical to have on the Penguins’ Stanley Cup championships of 2009, 2016 and 2017. With the Penguins playing on the road, it was not made into the big deal that Hossa’s jersey retirement was, but still the Penguins themselves did some special things with bringing in his son to read the lineup and copying Malkin’s pregame stretches as a team.

Is it getting dusty in the Penguins locker room? pic.twitter.com/m2WAfLyrCB

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 21, 2022

Getting loose, Geno style.#Ma1Kin pic.twitter.com/nhHgrCLyUp

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 21, 2022

The Blackhawks will be back in action in Texas on Wednesday night to take on the Dallas Stars. Coverage starts at 7:30 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Nov. 20 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins appeared first on The Rink.

— The game started off even, and with little action, with only a few actual shots on goal from both teams. Jonathan Quick and Arvid Soderblom each made a few good saves to keep the game scoreless.

— More than halfway through the game, at the 12:54 mark of the second, Jason Dickinson opened the scoring, tipping in a Caleb Jones wrister from the point to put the Blackhawks up 1–0.

— It did not take long for the second goal of the game to go up on the board, with the Kings coming back less than three and a half minutes later, with Sean Walker springing Arthur Kaliyev, who beat the Blackhawks’ defense to get the puck to Blake Lizotte, who put the puck past a sprawling Soderblom, knotting things up at 1–1.

— The third period went by without incident, with the Hawks killing off the one penalty they took, and both goaltenders stopping everything that came their way. The Blackhawks’ best chance came off of a Filip Roos shot that rang off the post.

— In the overtime period, with 1:31 gone in the frame, Jake McCabe kept the puck in the offensive zone off a Los Angeles miscue and found Jonathan Toews in front of the net, who put the puck past Quick for his seventh goal of the season, giving the Blackhawks the overtime victory.

— The Hawks showed their usual brand of physicality that they have shown throughout this season thus far. They out-hit the Kings and put their bodies on the line to keep shots out of the net as well, which was good to see, putting up 23 blocks along the way.

— Improvements that could be made: The Blackhawks need to do a better job limiting giveaways, as well as winning face-offs. With guys like Toews on your team, winning only 40% of your draws is not a good look.

The Hawks will look to keep the good times rolling on Saturday afternoon in Manitoba as they take on the Winnipeg Jets. That game will be at 2 p.m. CDT on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Nov. 3 vs. Los Angeles Kings appeared first on The Rink.

A brief recap of the scoring: Zach Hyman opened the scoring for the OIlers, and then the Blackhawks scored two to close the first period, making it 2–1 after 20 minutes. The second period was a ping-pong back and forth, with Connor McDavid scoring, then a minute later Jonathan Toews on the power play, then McDavid again on the power play and then Max Domi scoring on the power play. In case it was not obvious, the second frame in particular was filled with trips to the sin bin. Then, in the third, the Oilers scored two on the power play to go up by one. Patrick Kane then scored with 3:30 to go, and then in the last minute, Leon Draisaitl put the Oilers ahead to get them the win.

• I do not think I have ever watched a game with so many power plays, with this one having a whopping 20 penalties taken between both teams.
• The good: The Blackhawks generated lots of power play opportunities, converting two while still generally doing well and getting good chances on the others that they did not convert on. The Blackhawks won more face-offs, had vastly more hits and played the brand of physical hockey they seem to be developing this season. Reese Johnson also picked up his first tally of the year.
• The bad: There is no reason why the Blackhawks should not have converted on more of their power plays. Ten tries, and all you have to show for it is two goals. Not that that is terrible, but getting a third could have made all the difference in the contest.
• The ugly: You cannot expect to win games when you give away the puck 13 times to the opponent’s two. Phillipp Kurashev looked bad and was a -3 on the night. Seth Jones, surprise, surprise, was a -2 once again.

The Blackhawks play next at Buffalo on Saturday night. That game will be at 6 p.m. CDT on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Oct. 27 vs. Edmonton Oilers appeared first on The Rink.

First period

After an early turnover by Alec Regula led to a good chance for the Sharks that did not go on net, the hosts would get another chance with just over six minutes gone in the frame. Alexander Chmelevski took the puck into the offensive zone and got a shot on Lankinen, who bounced the puck right off of his pads to a waiting Scott Reedy. Reedy then tipped it to Jasper Weatherby, who put the puck in the back of the net to make it 1–0 San Jose.

The Blackhawks then got consecutive chances to try to even the score, with Kaapo Kahkonen proving up to the task, stopping Reese Johnson, Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat in short order. Tomas Hertl tried to increase the Sharks’ lead but was foiled by Lankinen, who made a diving stop with his skate to keep the score the same.

With just over two and a half minutes remaining in the frame, the Blackhawks got another flurry of chances on goal, with Kane, Strome and DeBrincat each getting opportunities. Kahkonen proved that he was on his game, though, stopping everything thrown his way. Then, with just under a minute remaining, the Toews line got more chances to even the score, but were stymied as well.

Second period

Regula started things off with a horrible turnover with his lack of awareness, leading to a 2-on-1 for the Sharks, with Hertl being on the receiving end of a Timo Meier pass to one-time the puck to the back of the net, 2–0 Sharks.

Then, with nine and a half minutes left in the period, Meier runs smack into Alex Vlasic, popping the puck up in the air. It then comes down to Alex Barabanov, who managed to flick the puck toward the net, right to Meier who backhanded the puck past Lankinen, 3–0 Sharks.

With just under four and a half minutes left, Toews found the puck in behind the Sharks net, getting it out in front to a wide open Tyler Johnson, who put it past Kahkonen to make the score 3–1 Sharks.

Jonathan Toews with a great pass to Tyler Johnson, who scores his second goal in four games. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/quKpU4FKlF

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) April 24, 2022

Third period

The Sharks started things off with some action in the offensive zone, with a shot from the point being redirected over to a wide-open Thomas Bordeleau, who could not get much on the shot, allowing Lankinen to get back over and stop the shot with his skate.

Just after that sequence, Johnson picked up a penalty for cross-checking, giving the Sharks a power play. They made good on that opportunity, with Brent Burns receiving the puck at the point, getting it over to Nick Bonino, who skated up and wristed the puck right past Lankinen, making the score 4–1 San Jose.

Despite some more chances, the Blackhawks could not muster anything else resembling a great scoring chance, leading to a 4–1 loss.

Analysis

Honestly, this was a horrible defensive game to watch. Not only was Lankinen pretty putrid in net, but the defense in front of him, namely the young guys Regula and Vlasic, were not up to the task. They made too many mental mistakes, got in their own heads and allowed the Sharks to just take over this game in every aspect. The more I watch this season, the more I would like for the Blackhawks to really commit to tearing everything down, as this team is not a well-built team in the slightest.

The Blackhawks play next on Monday night back home in the United Center against the Philadelphia Flyers. That game will be on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. CDT.

The post Blackhawks look lethargic, lose big to Sharks 4–1 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Unlike the previous game, it did not take long for the Blackhawks to get down early in this one. What seemed like a simple, get-into-the-zone-and-get-a-shot-on-net play somehow turned into a goal for Nashville. With three and a half minutes gone in the frame, the Predators entered the zone, with Philip Tomasino simply getting the puck to the middle, and Eeli Tolvanen got the puck and one-timed it past Lankinen to make it 1–0 Predators.

Just about five minutes later, the Blackhawks broke out of the defensive zone, with Patrick Kane and Dylan Strome getting a 2-on-1 opportunity down the ice. Kane elected to shoot, and wristed the puck past Juuse Saros to tie the game up at 1–1.

“are you not entertained” energy pic.twitter.com/L8tRPeugWS

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 16, 2022

With just over a minute remaining in the period, the Predators got another great chance, with Tolvanen getting the puck from the corner to a streaking Tomasino, with Lankinen proving up to the task and keeping the put out with a great glove save.

Second period

The Predators got some good offensive zone time in to start off this frame, with Filip Forsberg getting the puck to Matt Duchene, who could not put it past Lankinen. The Predators would get a few more chances on the Blackhawks net, with Lankinen stopping all of them with some incredible acrobatics.

The Blackhawks got a golden opportunity with just over five minutes gone in the stanza, with Lukas Reichel getting his first NHL point on the play. He got the puck over to Jake McCabe on the far side of the zone, who faked a shot and whipped it over to Kubalik, who had a wide open net to deposit the puck into, making it 2–1 Blackhawks.

KUBY! pic.twitter.com/kn3eS3tYEy

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 16, 2022

With just under six minutes gone, with both teams having four men on the ice, the Predators made use of the extra space available, with Ryan Johansen getting the puck over to Roman Josi, who was up next to the net and able to just tap it past Lankinen, tying the game up at 2–2.

Then, feeling like deja vu all over again, Josi took a pass at the blue line and got into the offensive zone, wristing the puck past Lankinen, giving Nashville a 3–2 lead…BUT, it was offside, so the goal was called back, keeping the score tied up at 2–2.

The Predators would end up scoring a very gritty goal, though, before the period was over, with the whole team just fighting to get the puck to the net before it got in front to Duchene, who buried it to make it 3–2 Predators for real this time.

Third period

With just over three minutes gone in the third, the Predators broke into the offensive zone, with Mattias Ekholm ending up with the puck. He took a shot that was intentionally going wide, but Mikael Granlund was right there next to the net with a beautiful tip to put it past Lankinen, making it 4–2 in favor of the Predators.

The Blackhawks would trade chances for a while with the Predators, with both goalies proving up to the task to keep the shots that were coming in on net.

With just over five and a half minutes remaining, the Blackhawks managed to get one on goal, with Kane stealing most eyes his direction, allowing Riley Stillman to sneak in unnoticed and put the puck past a diving Saros, getting the Blackhawks to within one, and the score 4–3.

sneaky stilly pic.twitter.com/c7X4PVtT8F

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 16, 2022

Unfortunately, that was as close as the comeback bid came, as the Predators prevented anything further from coming close to going in. The Predators hung on, giving the Blackhawks yet another loss in what has been a very disappointing season.

Analysis

The Blackhawks played a very disappointing defensive game, and in many others this season, making it very difficult to win games if you are already behind just two or three minutes into the first period. I also do not get the idea of playing veterans like Johnson, who has not and will not be doing anything for the Blackhawks this year over someone who needs to stay in the lineup to get some confidence back, like Kurashev, especially as these games do not matter and Kurashev could not have had less of an impact in this game than Johnson did.

In every way, the team needs to commit to this rebuild if that is what has been determined. Hopefully that will mean seeing other veterans moved out this offseason for more prospects, and we will see the Blackhawks rebound sooner than later into a contender.

The Blackhawks play next on Monday night against the red-hot Calgary Flames—winners of six of their last seven—at the United Center. Game time is 7 p.m. CDT on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Reichel records first career point in 4–3 heartbreaker appeared first on The Rink.

Some small changes to the lineup would come for the Blackhawks on Thursday night. Collin Delia would sub in for Lankinen, getting into his first NHL action in a while after languishing in the AHL for much of the season up to this point. Henrik Borgstrom subbed in for Dominik Kubalik as well, and was the only change for the forward group, with no changes on the defensive personnel front.

First period

Honestly, there really was not much happening for the first 16 minutes or so in the game. Both teams would trade chances, but there was not anything that was really close to going into the net on either side. Delia stopped everything that was coming with relative ease, looking like he has been in the NHL all season.

With around three and a half minutes remaining in the frame, the Blackhawks fought to keep the puck in the offensive zone, with Dylan Strome coming out of the corner with the puck and passing it up the boards to Patrick Kane. Kane then got it across the ice to Erik Gustafsson, who touched it across to Alex DeBrincat. DeBrincat’s point shot went off of the end boards, but bounced right out in front to Kane, who put it right past Jonathan Quick to make it 1–0 Blackhawks.

Just another Kane goal for your feed pic.twitter.com/70Bbve26t5

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 25, 2022

The Hawks got a bit of a scare when they let up a 2-on-1 chance at the end of the frame, but Delia stood tall and stopped the opportunity.

Second period

Just over two minutes into the period, Troy Stecher of the Kings took a hooking penalty, but it would be the Blackhawks hurting on this chance. The Hawks won the draw, but got blown past by two Kings, with Trevor Moore beating everyone down the ice, and just having to beat Delia, which he did, tying the game up 1–1.

The Blackhawks did get some chances on that power play, but were not able to put anything past Quick. With just over seven minutes to go, Strome got the puck behind the LA net. He waited patiently for DeBrincat, who streaked through a sleeping Kings defense, and put the puck past Quick, giving the Blackhawks a 2–1 lead.

Dylan Strome gets behind the net and feeds Alex DeBrincat for the one-timer to give Chicago the lead in the 2nd!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/TAwz3UniuO

— Hockey Daily 365 (@HockeyDaily365) March 25, 2022

The Kings would get some chances, but would be stymied until they would get a power play opportunity of their own with just over three minutes to play in the period. The Kings had some pretty perfect passing, got a shot on net and Philip Danault tucked it past Delia, knotting things up a 2–2.

But wait, we still aren’t done with the second period! Just over a minute later, Raddysh put together a great individual effort, getting into the offensive zone with the puck, fighting along the boards to keep in and then finding Sam Lafferty right in front, who tucked it home on a nifty net-front dangle, making it 3–2 Blackhawks.

Taylor Raddysh sends a terrific feed through the defense in to Sam Lafferty who gets to his backhand and buries to put Chicago ahead! What a goal!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/LpVotpjNUp

— Hockey Daily 365 (@HockeyDaily365) March 25, 2022

Third period

The Blackhawks started off with some good chances in the period, with Kane getting a couple good pucks on net, along with Reese Johnson. With just under 11 minutes to go, Danault came into the offensive zone to get a shot on net. Viktor Arvidsson got the puck back toward the net after the rebound, with the puck eventually finding Danault once again for him to put the puck past Delia again, tying everything up at 3–3 one more time.

DeBrincat would get one more shot on net before the period would end, but that would be stopped by Quick. The period would end with a score of 3–3, sending the game to overtime.

Overtime and shootout

Surprisingly, it felt like the Kings had just barely held on through regulation, as all of the really good chances in overtime were for the Blackhawks. Seth Jones had a great shot on Quick, along with, of course, Kane. The Blackhawks also got a power play in the last two minutes of overtime, but were not able to convert on it, sending this game to the shootout.

In the shootout, it was a battle of the goalies. Both Delia and Quick did not let anything past them for the first two rounds, and Delia denied the Kings on their third attempt, leading to the game getting put on the stick of DeBrincat. He managed to deke Quick out with a little backhand-forehand action, roofing the puck over his shoulder and winning the game for the Blackhawks 4–3.

THE CAT WINS IT IN A SHOOTOUT!!!

Quick was not as quick as The Cat who shelves it for the game winner for the #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/eiEPcmgE2R

— Just Another Year Chicago (@OfficialJAYCHI) March 25, 2022

Analysis

I really do not know what to make of this team. They did not make as many trades as I thought they should have (Calvin de Haan, Gustafsson, etc.), but they are currently playing like a team that still wants to be here even if the season has not gone their way to this point, which, as a fan, is what you want to see. I am still hoping that more moves are to come in the offseason, and this is not just talk about a rebuild from Davidson, but time will tell. Moving Marc-Andre Fleury and Brandon Hagel was certainly an encouraging start, though, and would indicate Davidson’s intention is to legitimately rebuild, as it should be.

For now, we will enjoy the victory, highlighted by Delia’s feel-good story after making a remarkable 43 saves in the win. Now, it is on to the next one against the Vegas Golden Knights, a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. CDT on ESPN+.

The post Delia stands tall as Blackhawks topple Kings in shootout appeared first on The Rink.

Date	The-Rink Division	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
3/16/2022		Calle Jarnkrok		'22 2nd round pick (acquired from FLA), '23 3rd round pick, and a '24 7th round pick
3/18/2022		Brandon Hagel, '22 4th round pick, '24 4th round pick		Boris Katchouk, Taylor Raddysh, ‘23 1st round pick, ‘24 1st round pick
3/20/2022		Mark Giordano (50% salary retained), Colin Blackwell		'22 2nd round pick, '23 2nd round pick, and, '24 3rd round pick
3/20/2022		Jeremy Lauzon		'22 2nd round pick
3/20/2022		Mason Appleton		'23 4th round pick
3/21/2022		Marcus Johansson (50% salary retained)		Daniel Sprong, '22 4th round pick, and '23 6th round pick
3/21/2022		Marc-Andre Fleury (50% salary retained)		Conditional '22 2nd (potential 1st) round pick
3/21/2022		Ryan Carpenter		'24 5th round pick
3/21/2022		Future Considerations		Victor Rask

Trade Analysis/Break Down:

• The Calgary Flames acquired Calle Jarnkrok from the Seattle Kraken for 2022 2nd Round Pick, 2023 3rd Round Pick, 2024 7th Round Pick
• The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Brandon Hagel, 2022 4th Round Pick and 2024 4th Round Pick from the Chicago Blackhawks for 2023 1st Round Pick, 2024 1st Round Pick, Boris Katchouk, and Taylor Raddysh
• The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Mark Giordano and Colin Blackwell from the Seattle Kraken for 2022 second round pick, 2023 second round pick, and 2024 third round pick
• The Nashville Predators acquired Jeremy Lauzon from the Seattle Kraken for 2022 second round pick
• The Winnipeg Jets acquired Mason Appleton from the Seattle Kraken for a 2023 fourth round pick
• The Minnesota Wild acquired Marc-Andre Fleury from the Chicago Blackhawks for a conditional first or second round pick
• The Washington Capitals acquired Marcus Johansson from the Seattle Kraken for Daniel Sprong and draft picks
• The Calgary Flames acquired Ryan Carpenter from the Chicago Blackhawks for 2024 Fifth Round Pick
• The Seattle Kraken acquired Victor Rask from the Minnesota Wild for future considerations

Also, be sure to follow the entire The-Rink staff on Twitter for up to the minute updates, as well:

The Rink Official

Chicago Divison
The Rinkcast
Andy Campbell
Ray Napientek
Eric Andrews
Sean Fitzgerald
Andrew Bard
Matt Csakai
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Seattle Divison
Kraken Hostile Seattle Rinkcast
Jeff Osborn

The post The Rink’s 2022 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Lightning stormed out of the gate, putting immediate pressure on the Blackhawks from the opening face-off. Eighteen seconds in, Steven Stamkos ripped a wrister off of the goal post behind Fleury, beating him but getting stopped by the iron.

After a couple minutes of back and forth, Corey Perry coughed up the puck in the Lightning defensive zone, leading to a great chance for the Blackhawks. Brandon Hagel got the puck over to Kirby Dach, who one-timed it and it looked good enough to hit the back of the net. Somehow, Andrei Vasilevskiy managed to get the shaft of his stick on the puck to keep it out of the net and keep the score 0–0.

With just over 12 minutes to go, Patrick Kane backhanded the puck across the ice to a streaking Dylan Strome, who put the puck past Vasilevskiy, making it 1–0 Blackhawks. For the rest of the period, it was a lot of back and forth, with both teams getting some offensive zone time, but not getting any chances that were likely to bring another goal about. The period would end with the Blackhawks up 1–0.

Second period

One minute into the period, the Lightning got back into the game. Callan Foote took a shot that was blocked, but the puck trickled through to Taylor Raddysh, who backhanded the puck past Fleury, knotting things up at 1–1.

A few minutes later, Hagel got the puck to Kane breaking into the zone. He used an Erik Cernak screen to wrist the puck right past Vasilevskiy’s glove, who never saw the shot, to make it 2–1 Blackhawks on a picture-perfect snipe.

The Lightning would get that goal back though, as with just under five minutes to go in the frame and shortly after their power play expired, the Lightning worked the puck around the zone to get it from Nikita Kucherov to Stamkos and then over to Victor Hedman, who was able to one time the puck past Fleury to tie the game up at 2–2.

A little over a minute later, Foote managed to get the puck after it came through a bunch of bodies on a rebound, putting it past a down-and-out Fleury to make it 3–2 at the end of two, in favor of the Lightning.

Third period

The Lightning like their early-period chances it would seem, as they got to work again from the outset of the frame. About two minutes in, Hedman struck again, as the puck found its way around to him at the right point. He once again blasted a shot that went seemingly right through the five hole on Fleury, making the lead 4–2 Tampa Bay. Like a Ronco knives commercial, we aren’t done yet! Perry forced a misplay from Jake McCabe and wristed the puck right past Fleury, 5–2 Lightning. But wait, there’s more! Mikhail Sergachev took a shot from the point that seemed to change direction out in front of the Blackhawks net, making the score 6–2 in favor of the Lightning, and all within just 32 seconds, seemingly putting the game out of reach in the blink of an eye.

The Blackhawks finally showed a sign of some life with just under 13 minutes to go, with Alex DeBrincat redirecting a Strome shot from the point past Vasilevskiy, cutting the gap to 6–3 Lightning. That is how the game would end, despite Kane’s best efforts to get another one past the Lighting netminder to help the Blackhawks claw their way back, but alas, Vasilevskiy would make another show-stopping highlight-reel save.

Andrei Vasilevskiy is becoming a human highlight reel

pic.twitter.com/24BmcPtLCo

— Everything Hockey (@EHClothing) March 7, 2022

Analysis

The Blackhawks looked completely outmatched throughout much of this game. When it came to putting pressure on an opponent, the Lightning have been doing it better than anyone else all season long, and that clearly showed on Sunday. It was another frustrating game to watch as a Blackhawks fan in what has been a hard season to this point. It only seems to be a question of who will be gone at the trade deadline, and who else may be dealt later on when the offseason rolls around.

The Blackhawks will be back in action on Tuesday night at home against the Anaheim Ducks. That game will be on NBC Sports Chicago beginning at 7:30 p.m. CST.

The post Blackhawks outclassed, exhausted, lose 6–3 to Tampa Bay appeared first on The Rink.

First period

After some chances on either end, the Blackhawks got their first great opportunity when Sam Lafferty passed the puck up quickly to Jonathan Toews, who got it in front to a streaking Calvin de Haan, who could not beat the Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz. This would be the best chance for either team in the frame, as there was a lot of back and forth for the rest of the frame.

The Avalanche would get a chance just a couple minutes later, when a broken stick from Philipp Kurashev led to a 2-on-1 chance. Fleury was able to make the stop, however, keeping the game knotted up at 0–0.

Just a minute later, the Avs would get another good chance, with Samuel Girard getting wide open in between the circles and getting ahold of a slap shot that Fleury was quick to get a piece of.

The Blackhawks had their first powerplay of the game, but could not do anything with it. The period would end the same way that it started, 0–0.

Second period

The Avalanche started off the period on the power play, but could not convert on it despite a few decent chances. Throughout most of the period, the Avs just kept increasing the amount of chances they were getting, and keeping a lot of pressure on the Blackhawks.

The Avalanche finally got a great chance at the 6:35 mark of the frame, when Fleury got knocked down by his own teammate, Henrik Borgstrom, but managed to get back into position as the Avs got the puck back out to the point to try to get a shot into the back of the net. Fleury somehow kept that out, and did not allow any rebound.

Then, at the 8:36 mark of the frame, Nazem Kadri put a wrister on net from just above the left circle, and Fleury could not quite hold the puck out, and neither could de Haan, who tried to get the puck before it crossed the line. With that power play tally, the Avalanche took a 1–0 lead. The second period would end with that 1–0 lead for the Avalanche.

Third period

After more back and forth to start the period, the Avalanche would pick up another goal. At the 6:41 mark of the frame, the puck got passed to Mikko Rantanen in front of the net. He out-waited Fleury with a tremendous amount of patience, and then put a backhand shot over top of him to make it 2–0 Avalanche.

The Avalanche got a few more shots on Fleury, but the Blackhawks were not able to get anything past the Avalanche. The game would end with a score of 2–0 Avalanche over the Blackhawks.

Analysis

The Blackhawks did not play poorly against one of the league’s best. Sure, they could have gotten more chances on net, but overall, they played well on defense and got opportunities on the offensive end, but could not put anything past the goaltender.

This game at least showed that the Blackhawks have not completely dropped into not caring about how they play. The Blackhawks need to figure out how to get more shots on net, as well as tightening down defensively. While they may have played decent defense in this game, their last couple of games are ones that they allowed an opponent to overrun them.

Their last game being very winnable, and the same being said for this one, it all comes down to the fundamentals for this team. They need to figure out who fits best where, which seems to be something that Derek King is still playing around with at the moment.

This team is perhaps better than they are playing as of late, but a playoff team? Far from it. Too many young players on defense mixed with declining veterans is not normally a recipe for success.

We will see if the Blackhawks can get back on track against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night. Gametime is a 6:30 p.m. CST on TNT.

The post Blackhawks lose again, blanked 2–0 by Avalanche appeared first on The Rink.

It was a great night for hockey, as the Blackhawks honored Andrew Shaw with a legacy night, and Pat Foley and Eddie Olczyk were on the call for the broadcast for the first time in a while.

Andrew Shaw “Legacy Night.” #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/tGfHkggbBA

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 14, 2022

First period

The Blackhawks started off strong in this game, controlling the pace and not allowing many chances at all by their opponent. With just over 12 minutes to go in the period, Riley Stillman made a good defensive play, getting the puck to Jonathan Toews, who sprung Dominik Kubalik. Kubalik skated right through the Montreal defense and tucked the puck past Sam Montembeault, giving the Blackhawks the lead 1–0.

Toews got called for a hold against Cole Caufield, which gave the Canadiens their first power play of the evening. The Blackhawks were able to kill it with relatively few problems, and as the first period came to an end, the Blackhawks retained their 1–0 lead with a one-sided shot total.

Toews springs Kubalik to get the Hawks on the board
pic.twitter.com/hZg64FmIvH

— Four Feathers Podcast (@FourFeathersPod) January 14, 2022

Second period

The ending of the second period was a rough one, to say the least. The Blackhawks allowed a goal on a bounce off the boards on an Alexander Romanov shot that went right to Jeff Petry, allowing him to tie up the game at 1–1.

Then, a little later in the period, Romanov dished out a hard hit on Lafferty, which sparked Ryan Carpenter to take a run at Romanov, starting a fight with him and earning a 10-minute misconduct and an instigator call in addition to the five for fighting. On that power play, the Canadiens connected, with Mike Hoffman being in the right place in front to put the puck past Marc-Andre Fleury and give Montreal a 2–1 edge.

With 42 seconds left in the frame, Stillman took a delay of game penalty, giving the Canadiens yet another opportunity on the man advantage. The period ended without them scoring on that power play, but that would carry on into the third period. The Blackhawks would have their work cut out for them to begin the final frame after being outshot 17–6 in the second.

Third period

The Blackhawks came out of the gate looking like they had some fight left in them, getting the remainder of the penalty kill taken care of, and then drawing a penalty almost immediately after, with Brandon Hagel drawing a tripping call. Just a few seconds into the power play, Patrick Kane got the puck, faked out Montembeault and shot it past him to tie the game up 2–2.

The Blackhawks would get another power play opportunity with just under 13 minutes remaining in the frame when Caleb Jones took a stick up high. The Blackhawks were not able to convert on that opportunity, but Alex DeBrincat got a couple of good shots on goal, with one of them getting all of the post despite beating the goaltender. With just over four minutes remaining in the frame, both teams had opportunities to break the tie, but could not do so. Kane took a high stick with just over three minutes to go, putting the Blackhawks back on the power play once more. They could not do anything on that opportunity, sending the game to the overtime period.

Overtime

Both teams began to trade chances to start off the period, with both teams getting chances to end the game early on in the overtime. Philipp Kurashev got a break into the Montreal zone, getting taken down by Hoffman and drawing what would have been a penalty on his drive to the net. But, in a very strange twist of fate, the puck was determined to have legally crossed the line, and Kurashev was determined to have been onside by the slimmest of margins. Nevertheless, the Blackhawks kept the good times rolling and got the victory, winning this one by a score of 3–2.

What a weird win for the Blackhawks in OT. Should this have counted? pic.twitter.com/BKryCvvSH6

— Everything Hockey (@EHClothing) January 14, 2022

The Blackhawks are back in action on Saturday night against the Anaheim Ducks at the United Center. Game time is 7:30 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Blackhawks keep rolling, slide past Canadiens 3–2 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

After a few minutes of back and forth, Connolly delivered a huge hit on the Stars’ Tanner Kero, sending him to the ice and knocking him out. He lay on the ice for a few minutes as he was attended to by medical staff, with players all on one knee looking on to make sure he was okay. Connolly was assessed a five minute major and a game misconduct.

After a bit more back and forth, the Stars broke into the offensive zone, with Joel Pavelski sending the puck off of Seth Jones’ skate and past Lankinen on an unfortunate bounce to put the Stars up 1–0.

With the Stars getting every second of the five-minute power play, they kept pouring it on and getting more and more, getting a few good chances on net, but nothing else got past the goaltender until Pavelski again tipping the puck into the back of the net to make it 2–0.

Only about a minute after that power play ended, the Blackhawks went back onto the penalty kill with Dominik Kubalik getting called for a hook. To make matters worse, just nine seconds into that power play, Jake McCabe put the puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty, giving the Stars a two-man advantage. Luckily, the Blackhawks were able to kill off both of those penalties, giving them full strength again to try to make something happen to claw back into the game. The closest chance the Blackhawks got was a rush into the zone with a quick one-timer from Dylan Strome being saved by Jake Oettinger in tight.

Second period

The first four minutes of the period were relatively uneventful until Thomas Harley put the puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty, giving the Blackhawks their first power play of the game. Erik Gustafsson broke into the zone, passing the puck to Patrick Kane, who got it over to Alex DeBrincat, who put the puck past Oettinger, making it 2–1 Stars.

Just after the ensuing face-off, just 14 seconds later, Jason Robertson won a board battle and backhanded the puck over the shoulder of Lankinen, making it 3–1 Stars, and restoring a two-goal cushion for Dallas.

A few minutes later, the Blackhawks got one back. Jani Hakanpaa’s stick broke, and he could not get in the way of Strome when Brandon Hagel took the puck into the offensive zone, getting it across to Strome, who putting it past a sprawling Oettinger to make it 3–2 Stars.

Again, the Blackhawks found themselves on the penalty kill when Gustafsson got called for interference on a silly penalty to take (but what else is new for our favorite Blackhawk?). The game was almost 4–2 Stars, but Ryan Suter got caught trying to throw the puck into the net, so the goal was disallowed, and would keep the score at 3–2 instead.

The Blackhawks got back onto the man advantage on a hook from Miro Heiskanen. They were not able to convert on that man advantage, and the period would end in a score of 3–2 Stars.

Third period

This period started off with pure action, with both teams getting plenty of chances on each other’s nets, but neither team being able to put the puck past the opposing goaltender.

The Blackhawks were briefly on the power play once again before Jones took down Esa Lindell to make the numbers evened up again at four per side.

Lankinen stood on his head in the third, doing everything in his power to keep the puck out of the net and give the Blackhawks a chance to climb back in to tie the game.

Roope Hintz had a terrible turnover after the Blackhawks gave the puck up themselves, giving the puck to Hagel, who threw the puck on net, with a deflection by Kubalik and past a surprised Oettinger to tie the game at 3–3. The Blackhawks poured it on, getting far more chances in the waning minutes of the third than they got the entire rest of the game. The Blackhawks got the goal they were searching for, bringing it to the end of the third with the score being tied.

Overtime

Things got off to a rip-roaring start, with the Blackhawks getting some great chances, as Kane got a breakaway chance off of a 2-on-0 rush up the ice with DeBrincat, but was not able to do anything with it.

Kane then took a hooking penalty, as he was very gassed going back and forth up and down the ice. The Stars would score on that ensuing power play, when Lankinen bit too hard on some back and forth passes by the Stars, with John Klingberg putting the puck past a diving Lankinen to win the game for the Stars, and making it a 4–3 final in favor of the Stars.

Analysis

The Blackhawks were essentially playing from behind all game long, as they were down very quickly after the five minute power play for the Stars on Connolly’s major penalty. They did well to fight back, but ultimately could not play effective or tough enough defense, allowing themselves to be bodied out of possession too many times, which allowed for more chances on net. They asked Lankinen to do a lot, and he proved up to the task, but it was not a night where he was enough to single-handedly stop some of these goals from the Stars without being bailed out more by the defense.

The Blackhawks are back in action on Thursday against the same Dallas Stars at 7:30 p.m. CST. Their Tuesday night game against the Florida Panthers game has been postponed to a later date. Coverage for the Dallas rematch will be on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Blackhawks fight to get to overtime, lose to Stars 4–3 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Blackhawks started off putting good pressure on the Oilers, getting pucks on net and keeping much of the action down at the offensive end of the ice. Just before the 10-minute mark of the period, Jesse Puljujarvi of the Oilers batted the puck out of the air to a blistering Connor McDavid, who put the puck off of the back of Lankinen, who was able to keep the puck behind his net and avoid any further chance from the Oilers.

Shortly thereafter, after a Lankinen equipment issue, the puck went from behind the Blackhawks’ net out in front out to Evan Bouchard, who took a shot on net, with the rebound popping out in front to McDavid, who put the puck into the back of the net for a 1–0 Oilers lead. Philipp Kurashev took a tripping penalty just a few seconds after that goal, putting the Oilers on the power play for the first time. Then, Jonathan Toews got a stick up high on McDavid, putting the lethal Oilers power play in a 5-on-3 situation.

Down 1-0 and then having to kill the league’s best powerplay unit on a 5-on-3 with Jonathan Toews in the penalty box is not how you want to go about things #Blackhawks https://t.co/7sMez1JSdA

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) November 21, 2021

They were easily able to convert, with Tyson Barrie burying the puck past Lankinen doubling the Edmonton advantage to 2–0.

At the 5:19 mark of the period, Puljujarvi took down Seth Jones beside the Blackhawks’ net, giving the Hawks their first power play of the evening. Jones then gave up a horrible turnover in the offensive zone right to Kailer Yamamoto, who took the chance the other way and wristed the puck right past Lankinen pushing the gap to 3–0 Oilers.

The Oilers kept pouring it on, with Ryan McCleod busting right through the slot unabated, roofing a backhander past Lankinen to give Edmonton a commanding 4–0 lead.

Mercifully, that was finally answered after a Jones shot from the point deflected off of Kirby Dach, and then off of Alex DeBrincat, getting the visitors on the board at 4–1, which is how it would stay at the end of the period.

Second period

The second period started off the opposite of the first, with the Oilers pouring on pressure on the Blackhawks, with Caleb Jones and Connor Murphy out on the ice for almost five minutes on the ice in one shift to start off the period.

Connor Murphy and Caleb Jones just logged a shift of 4:50. Holy cow. #Blackhawks

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 21, 2021

The first eight minutes of the period went by without a whistle at all until the Blackhawks got an icing call against them. Zach Hyman took a roughing call at the 8:19 mark of the frame, giving the Hawks another power play opportunity on an incredibly stupid penalty. Unfortunately, the Blackhawks could not make Hyman pay for the elbow on Patrick Kane, and both teams went back to 5-on-5 hockey. Lankinen then denied the Oilers on a 3-on-1 break in order to keep the score at 4–1 Oilers.

Third period

Trying to get something going to claw back into this game, Kane streaked into the Oilers’ zone and rang one off of the post, beating Stuart Skinner but not the iron.

Edmonton continued to put on pressure, as Kurashev got a holding penalty at the 13:07 mark of the frame, giving the Oilers another power play. The Blackhawks killed it off, and then, Kurashev got a breakaway, looked for DeBrincat and got the puck over to him to put the puck past Skinner, cutting the gap to 4–2.

After a flurry of penalties, the Oilers ended up with another shorthanded goal when Leon Draisaitl had a breakaway and beat Lankinen again, putting Edmonton ahead by three goals at 5–2.

That is how a disappointing game would finish, with the Blackhawks snapping their win streak at four games.

Analysis

The Blackhawks let McDavid get in their heads, and really shot themselves in the foot several times in this game, especially in allowing two shorthanded goals. The amount of defensive zone time needs to be much more limited as well, as a 4:50 shift is absolutely ridiculous, even though Murphy and Caleb Jones played very well that shift for how exhausted they must have been.

The Blackhawks are back in action on Sunday night against the Vancouver Canucks for a 7 p.m. CST puck drop.

The post Blackhawks get beat down, lose to Oilers 5–2 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Blackhawks started things off with a bang in this one. Kane lofted the puck through the neutral zone so high that it could not be controlled by the Carolina defense. It landed on the stick of Alex DeBrincat, who ripped the puck past Frederik Andersen, making it 1–0 Blackhawks.

At the 6:25 mark of the frame, however, the Hurricanes managed to tie it up on a Derek Stepan shot from right in front of the net, tying the game up at 1–1.

The rest of the period was a lot of back and forth, with chances on both sides of the ice. Each team received a power play opportunity, but failed to do anything with it, leaving the score at 1–1 after one.

Second period

Just 2:49 was all that Kane needed to score a goal of his own in the second period. Riley Stillman blasted it from the point, and Kane was there for the tip to get the puck past Andersen to put the hosts back on top at 2–1.

Eight minutes into the frame, Mike Hardman muscled a Hurricanes defenseman off the puck at the Carolina blue line, made a beautiful back pass to Phillip Kurashev, who whipped it across to DeBrincat, who one-timed the puck past Andersen into a yawning cage, doubling the margin at 3–1 for the Hawks.

After some good activity in front of the Carolina net, Erik Gustafsson started to pinch when he very clearly should not have, getting burned by rookie Seth Jarvis, who buried his breakaway chance for the first goal of his young career in just his second NHL game.

At the 13:35 mark of the second, Kirby Dach took a penalty on a hook of Brett Pesce, giving the Hurricanes another power play opportunity. The Blackhawks played good defense on this penalty kill and stymied any chances that the Hurricanes put on goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Going into the third period, the home team was able to keep the score 3–2 going into the intermission.

Third period

Things took a turn just 17 seconds into the period, as the Hurricanes got a 3-on-2 rush into the offensive zone after a brilliant interception in the neutral zone from stud defenseman Jaccob Slavin, with the result being Jesper Fast slipping the puck past Fleury and knotting the game up at 3–3.

A few short minutes later, at the 3:26 mark of the period, Martin Necas got a wrister in on Fleury that squibbed under his right arm and over the line, giving the Hurricanes their first lead of the evening and making it 4–3.

At the 6:06 mark of the period, the Blackhawks took their second power play of the game on an Ian Cole interference penalty. However, they did not get any good opportunities on the man advantage and let the Hurricanes continually clear the puck from harm’s way and keep it down in the Blackhawks’ end of the ice. Jonathan Toews drew another penalty on a Brady Skjei hooking call shortly after. Their puck movement was markedly better, and they were able to keep good pressure on the Hurricanes throughout the first half of the man advantage, even though they were not able to convert any of their chances.

One more power play ought to do it, right? That is what the Blackhawks were hoping for when Dominik Kubalik took a high stick from Ethan Bear for a four-minute power play with yet another chance to tie the game up at four apiece. Chicago even pulled Fleury in order to give themselves an extra attacker in hopes of getting that crucial tying goal. But, the Hawks came up empty-handed and were not able to come back from the hole they got down into, dropping the game by a final score of 4–3.

Analysis

The Blackhawks played a tighter defensive game overall, but some brutal chances cost them the game. Yes, Fleury should have saved the last two goals, but the Blackhawks as a whole should have played better team defense in the third period to not have allowed those chances in the first place.

The Hawks have to find ways for other guys to score. It is great when DeBrincat and Kane can put the puck in the net, but the secondary players really need to pick up the pace as well and start generating some good chances.

The Blackhawks will look to get back into the win column on Friday against the Winnipeg Jets. Coverage starts at 7 p.m. CDT on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Blackhawks drop 4–3 heartbreaker to undefeated Hurricanes appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Well, does this sound familiar? Fifteen seconds into the game, Teddy Blueger got the puck after the face-off and put it on net, with it sneaking through Fleury’s pads and just across the line, 1–0 Penguins. This is just after letting up the first goal of the game 17 seconds into the game on Friday night against the New Jersey Devils.

The Blackhawks caught a lucky break when they got caught with four players inside of the red circles. The Penguins got down the ice for a 2-on-1 and Jason Zucker put one off of the post behind Fleury. They would not catch another break, however, as Fleury misplayed the puck behind his own net at the 14:27 mark of the period, and the Penguins made quick work of putting it in the back of the net on a Drew O’Connor backhand shot to make it 2–0 Penguins.

Again Fleury?#Blackhawks #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/TCFGzfgkgi

— NHL with WWF Commentary (@NhlWwf) October 17, 2021

The Blackhawks gave up the first power play of the game on a high stick from Kirby Dach. The Penguins got several good shots on Fleury, but were unable to make anything happen on that man advantage. The Blackhawks were not able to make much happen thereafter either, as they seemingly refused to even attempt to put the puck on the net and instead decided that they needed every player on the ice to touch the puck.

After the one shot they did get, they let up yet another 2-on-1 break with the previous goal scorer O’Connor getting the puck across to Brock McGinn, who buried it on a one-timer, 3–0 Penguins.

Not even 30 seconds later, the Penguins broke back into the offensive zone, with Danton Heinen getting a shot over the shoulder of Fleury and off the bar and down, 4–0 Penguins.

The first period ended in a strange way, with the glass behind the net getting broken and needing to be repaired before play could continue, with 40 seconds left in the frame. It would lead to the last bit of time being played just before the second period would begin.

Second period

The Blackhawks finally got something going on the power play, with Seth Jones sending a great pass across to Patrick Kane, who was able to snipe it past Tristan Jarry to make it 4–1 Penguins.

The Blackhawks looked a lot livelier after that goal, moving the puck better and generating more turnovers and chances to score. They really put some good pressure on the Penguins, with Jarry playing for more than two minutes without his stick after making a save. Falling behind by the margin they did proved to be a difficult task to overcome, however, and they were unable to put any more goals past Jarry at even strength.

Both goaltenders are without sticks right now #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/qNg7oOj6L3

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 17, 2021

Dach took a penalty for roughing in coming to the aid of Alex DeBrincat, who took a slash from McGinn after Dach got a nice shot on goal. The Blackhawks were able to kill this penalty off as well, as this became a 4-on-4 situation when Jeff Carter tripped up MacKenzie Entwistle.

With 2:05 remaining in the frame, Lankinen made a great first stop on a Kasperi Kaponen redirect, with the rebound going out to the right side and Zucker right there to put it past him, making it 5–1 Penguins. The period would end with the score a massive five to a tiny one.

Third period

The third period started off with more of the same, with over 12 minutes of back and forth without a whistle in the game until Lankinen had to make a nice stop on the encroaching Penguins offense.

The Blackhawks were able to get another back with 4:03 remaining off of a Penguins turnover. The puck got to one of the most dangerous passers in hockey in Kane, who passed it over to Brandon Hagel, who got it over to Dach to put it past Jarry and get the Blackhawks to a three-goal deficit, 5–2 Penguins.

Dach goal pic.twitter.com/41Nn4JPggN

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 17, 2021

The game would end with the same feeling it began with: Lots of uncertainty about when this roster may be able to put things together, especially in the 5-on-5 area.

Analysis

The Blackhawks needed so desperately to show a better effort than they did tonight in order to instill any confidence that the changes that they made this offseason are going to lead to improvement. Something has to be done about the abysmal 5-on-5 play to this point in the season, as the defensive breakdowns and offensive zone mishaps have to be limited from where they currently are if this team is to be a competitive force this season. They need to find the competitive fire and be better prepared to face the other good opponents who they will face this season.

The Blackhawks look to get into the win column against the New York Islanders at the United Center on Tuesday. Game time is 7 p.m. CDT on ESPN.

The post Ending the road trip on a thud, Blackhawks lose to Penguins 5–2 appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com writers John Jaeckel, Jeff “El Gatekeeper” Osborn, Mario Tirabassi, Juliana Nikac, Lucas Rozell, Marie Sexton, Eric Andrews, Matt Csakai and Sean Fitzgerald get together again on Facebook live to lightheartedly discuss the lack of hockey during this pandemic.

• Can the NHL really restart in July?
• Ian Mitchell and Michal Teply sign entry level deals
• Juliana talks about NWHL news
• Mario talks about the Rockford Icehogs and Gate hits him with an Ian McCoshen scouting request
• Lucas brings us up to date about the Avalanche / Ryan Graves and Marie gives us the lowdown with the Colorado Eagles.
• Some ancient video game talk.
• We talk about great (or not so great) Canadian food.
• We wrap up with what each of us has been doing to keep sane.
• If you are interested in writing for The Rink for any division, email writefor@the-rink.com

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air. Follow and listen on these platforms:

Also, please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

Watch the entire Facebook live here!!!!

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The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 17 – Video Roundtable Pt 2 appeared first on The Rink.

Live look at the Tampa Bay Lightning pic.twitter.com/YDCHRxEyBW

— MikeB (@TB_MikeB) February 27, 2020

First period

The game started off with some back and forth, with both teams getting some quality chances in front of each others’ nets before Connor Murphy got called for hooking, which gave the Lightning their first power play of the evening. The Blackhawks killed that off thanks to some good shot blocks and good saves by Crawford. Then, shortly thereafter, the Blackhawks got their first power play of the night on a Yanni Gourde tripping call. Chicago was entirely unsuccessful on the man advantage, not getting many chances on net and giving up another power play to the Lightning on a Patrick Kane hook. That penalty was also killed off, giving way to more even-strength back and forth.

The Blackhawks got another opportunity on the power play with just under seven minutes to go, but once again, the Lightning were able to kill that one off. Sounding like a broken record, the Blackhawks went on the penalty kill right after that when Brandon Saad got his stick up high on Zach Bogosian. The Blackhawks killed that off, and then got their third man advantage of the period on an Alex Killorn trip. The Blackhawks would not score on that power play, but it would carry over to the second period. This period of penalties would end with the same 0–0 tie that we started off with.

Second period

The Blackhawks’ power play again failed to generate a goal, although they did get the best shot on Curtis McElhinney they had to that point, but could not do anything with it. The Blackhawks picked up a gift power play shortly after, as the Lightning picked up a too-many-men-on-the-ice call at the 6:20 mark of the period. Chicago seemed to have the mindset of passing instead of shooting the puck on goal, as their pass total was greater than their shots on goal for all four of their power plays to that point.

This period was not very exciting to watch, as there ended up being more turnovers of the puck than actual chances on net for either side. At the 10:42 mark there was, yes, another penalty called (surprise, surprise), this time on Connor Murphy for tripping, giving the Lightning their next man advantage of the game. Tampa Bay failed to convert on that one due to some great saves by Crawford, leaving the game still knotted at a 0–0 tie.

Then, the Lightning finally broke through, as Brayden Point skated around the defense and let go of a wrister from between the circles that got past Crawford and gave Tampa Bay a 1–0 lead. That is how the period would end, with the Lightning outshooting the Blackhawks by a wide margin, and as a result, taking the lead.

Third period

Things started off roughly for the visitors, as the Lightning doubled their lead on a Nikita Kucherov tap-in goal to make the score 2–0 Lightning just 17 seconds into the frame. At the 2:28 mark of the period, Luke Schenn took an interference penalty that gave the Blackhawks another chance to get the powerless play out on the ice. They did not look good again, but surprisingly were able to keep possession in the offensive zone, which led to Saad getting the puck in front and getting the Blackhawks to within one at 2–1.

Just 26 ticks later, Duncan Keith took a big hit to make a play, getting the puck to Patrick Kane who got it to Dominik Kubalik, who scored on his own rebound, tying the game at 2–2. Slater Koekkoek took an interference call after that, giving the Lightning another power play opportunity. The Blackhawks killed that off and a little while later, the very same Koekkoek got the puck out at the point, skated to the middle and wristed the puck through a sea of legs and into the back of the net, giving the Blackhawks a 3–2 lead.

Once again, the Blackhawks got back on the man advantage on a Kucherov slash on Kane. The puck found its way to the rookie sensation once again, and Kubalik slapped a top-shelf bullet past McElhinney to make the score 4–2 Blackhawks.

The Lightning tried to get back into the game by getting an extra attacker, but that gave Kubalik his third goal of the night for the hat trick, making the score 5–2 Blackhawks. The Blackhawks showed some fight throughout the third period until the end, even getting into some extracurriculars toward the end of things, and pulled out the comeback victory after scoring five third-period goals.

Let’s go along the boards and see what was being talked about during tonight’s action.

I think Stan&Co finally acknowledged it's time to start tearing it down. Problem is all the no move clauses and those predisposed to injury… Not going to be an overnight fix. https://t.co/fATdsno9KT

— Rocky Top Out (@rtopout) February 28, 2020

I agree that it definitely is not going to be an overnight fix at all. There is much work to be done in the offseason, and to start with, I would say this front office and coaching staff need to go. They are not doing anything to get this team turned around and moving in a positive direction. Sitting on your trade chips for too long and barely getting two trades that needed to happen done is inexcusable. I also am someone who sees Jeremy Colliton as a good assistant coach in the league, but definitely is not cut out to be a head coach at this point. There is no fight from him, and that clearly shows with the way the team in front of him plays night by night.

Stats/Takeaways from the 2nd period:

• Corey Crawford with 16 saves in that second period to keep the game 1-0. He’s got 26 on the night.
• Duncan Keith’s already up to 20:21 TOI to lead the #Blackhawks.
• Connor Murphy now has 3 penalties in the last 5 periods. #CHIvsTB

— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) February 28, 2020

Crawford looked good in this game. He made some good saves on some crazy Lightning shots and did everything he could to keep his team in this game. He controlled rebounds well, and was great at keeping the puck away from the opposition. Murphy…yikes; that is not a pretty stat to see.

Enjoyed the Broadcast, the Outcome = Happy Human #Blackhawks

— Jet7111 (@jet7111) February 28, 2020

As did all Blackhawks fans, my friend. A pleasant surprise in what has been a difficult season to watch.

The Blackhawks are back in action on Saturday against the Florida Panthers. The game will start at 5 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Along the Boards: Blackhawks take over in third, beat Lightning 5–2 appeared first on The Rink.