Chicago Rinkcast staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and Jimmy O’Malley are joined by Goalie guru Jeff Osborn to discuss the goalie grades from Jimmy’s recent article featuring Blackhawk player season letter grades, as well as those who played with both Rockford and Chicago in 2025-26. They will also touch base on draft prospects, trade potentials, and unrestricted free agents that the Hawks may target in the off-season.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL or use THERINK26 for a 30% discount

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 32 – Blackhawks’ grades pt 2, Prospects, and FA appeared first on The Rink.

The Quebec native began his junior career with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the QMJHL. He played with Chicoutimi for three seasons and the Québec Remparts for one season, where former NHL goaltender and Hockey Hall of Famer Patrick Roy was his head coach. In total, he played 216 games, where he collected 89 points (31 goals, 58 assists).

Even though he had size and impressive scoring totals, he was left undrafted in his first year of NHL draft eligibility and was ranked the 188th skater in his overage year. Then-Blackhawks General Manager Stan Bowman drafted him with the second pick of the seventh round, 188th overall.

If you scour the internet for people prognosticating Crevier playing top-pair minutes for any NHL team, you will be hard-pressed to find anyone mentioning his name. Most puck watchers had him predicted for most of his season in Rockford. Yet, this season, Crevier played all but four games with the Blackhawks this season and led all of the defensemen in scoring with 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists), beating Artyom Levshunov by one point.

With the arrival of new Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill, the French-Canadian’s 6-foot-8, 227-pound frame and long reach clearly caught his eye. Crevier played a team-low 8:22 in game two, his first of the season, but scored his first goal and gained his coach’s confidence more every game.

By the season’s end, the most common defensive pair for the Blackhawks was Crevier and Alex Vlasic. Their combined height of 13 feet, 2 inches has them tied with Zdeno Chara (6-foot-9)/Brandon Carlo (6-foot-5) in Boston and Tyler Myers (6-foot-8)/Nikita Zadorov (6-foot-6) in Vancouver. Blashill counted on them to play some of the toughest minutes against opponents’ best players night in and night out, a tough situation for a young team trying to shelter inexperienced defenders. Against all odds, Crevier held his own.

Despite his propensity to start shifts in his own end, he earned a reputation for his cannon of a slapshot, no doubt due to the torque he generated from his tall frame and long stick. According to NHL.com, Crevier had the most shots over 100 piles per hours (six) and had the fourth-hardest shot in a game this season at 102.83 mph. These are pretty impressive and scary statistics, especially for opposing goalies.

Table courtesy of NHL.com

Back to his performance in the Blackhawks’ end of the rink, his advanced numbers are not as bad as one might think from the team’s final record. According to Natural Stat Trick and Moneypuck, Crevier is ranked in the top third of the league for expected goals and blocked shots, top half of the league in defensive giveaways and top 30% for goals above expected of defensemen with more than 500 minutes played. On the other hand, he is more where you would expect (bottom 25%) in terms of goals and shots against per 60 minutes. So, no one is clamouring for a Norris Trophy campaign, but there is hope and some potential that he could be a solid shutdown defender for an organization that has a logjam of puck-moving defenders.

The Rink analysis

No one is under any illusion that all the defenders on this team rank well league-wide. Crevier was thrust into a no-win situation and stayed above water.  He became a reliable and relatively consistent top shutdown guy for the Blackhawks, potentially surpassing his partner, Vlasic. His shot and physical prowess are things that cannot be taught or learned, which gives him a huge leg up on other young blueliners, especially for much less physical players. The fact that a veteran coach like Blashill gave him this level of responsibility tells fans that he sees potential.

The fact that Crevier led all the Blackhawks’ defensemen in scoring also gives some promise that he could develop into a solid two-way guy and potentially get some power-play time as a second-unit triggerman next season.

In a season of lows, Crevier was a ray of light peeking through the clouds. He has plenty of work to do and is older than most of the defensemen around him, but a focused summer of film work and strength building could earn him a sizable raise and multi-year extension next season. At the very least, he can be a useful fifth or sixth defender who teams are always looking to acquire at the trade deadline — a rare draft win for Bowman, and a useful asset for the Blackhawks.

The post ANALYSIS: Louis Crevier, the Blackhawks’ diamond in the rough appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and Jimmy O’Malley to discuss the contract extension of general manager Kyle Davidson, as well as Jimmy’s recent article featuring Blackhawk player season letter grades.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL or use THERINK26 for a 30% discount

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 31 – Blackhawks ’25-26 Player-Letter Grades Part 1 appeared first on The Rink.

Once again, free to object to any of my assessments. These grades are mine alone. They are not a reflection of any other member of The Rink and their assessments, nor the organization as a whole.

For further insight into my grades, please listen to the upcoming Rinkcast.

Grading criteria

Like last year, grades are based on two factors: Objective output and subjective assessment.

• • Objective output: Advanced and counting stats
  • Subjective assessment: Objective output when assessed with previous seasons outputs and preseason expectations, along with unquantifiable value to the team and teammates

Blackhawks roster grades

Criteria

• Must currently be on the Blackhawks’ roster
  • This excludes players traded away
• Must have played at least 25 games with the Blackhawks
  • This excludes players acquired at the trade deadline, or rookies who made their debuts late in the season (Anton Frondell, Sacha Boisvert)

The players are presented in point total order, with the highest-scoring Blackhawk listed first.

Connor Bedard

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: A
• Midterm grade: A
• Season stats: 69 games played, 30 goals, 45 assists, 75 points

Positives

• Career high in goals, assists and points
• Significant improvement at the dot (47.1%)

Negatives

• Scoring regressed to end the season
• Defensive woes

Assessment

What is to say about Bedard that has not been said already? A career season for the 20-year-old in the final year of his entry-level contract, Bedard looks ready for the “C” on his chest.

Of course, there are still areas to grow. His defensive metrics leave a lot to be desired. However, he was not drafted to be a Marian Hossa. Bedard is offensively skilled, and is poised for 100+ point seasons sooner rather than later.

Tyler Bertuzzi

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: A+
• Midterm grade: A+
• Season stats: 79 games played, 32 goals, 26 assists, 58 points

Positives

• Career high in goals (32)
• Led the team in power play goals (11)

Negatives

• Unsustainable shooting percentage (19.5%)

Assessment

Perhaps a surprise, but I am allowing Bertuzzi to keep his A+ grade. One of the few Blackhawks that did not disappear to end the season, Bertuzzi tallied 22 points in his final 37 games.

His shooting percentage dipped from 23.2% to 19.5% to end the season, both marks not easily replicated. Regression in shooting could be in Bertuzzi’s future. However, his consistency in the face of team-wide struggles allows him to keep his grade.

Frank Nazar

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• FInal grade: B
• Midterm grade: B-
• Season stats: 66 games played, 15 goals, 26 assists, 41 points

Positives

• Scoring touch returned near the end of the season
• Efficient center skillset

Negatives

• Extremely streaky scorer
• Jaw is a magnet for pucks

Assessment

Is it too unrealistic to ask Nazar to wear a full face mask for the remainder of his career? Despite the number of injuries, Nazar has proven himself to be an effective middle-six center at worst going forward, finding points in bunches down the stretch.

The problem, however, was his injuries. From his shoulder to his jaw being constantly bombarded with pucks, the young center could not catch a break. It affected his play. There were times where he played without snarl to avoid contact, and it prevented him from being the scoring center we have seen. A full season of health is what the doctor ordered for this upcoming season.

Ilya Mikheyev

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: B+
• Midterm grade: C+
• Season stats: 77 games played, 18 goals, 18 assists, 36 points

Positives

• The only Blackhawk with a positive plus/minus (+2)
• Strong scoring to end the season
• Career high in points (36)

Negatives

• Contract year bump in production?

Assessment

Like Bertuzzi, Mikheyev was one of the few Blackhawks to show up after the trade deadline. With 22 points in his final 37 games, Mikheyev brought the scoring, speed and defensive play from the bottom six.

The question becomes to pay or not to pay? At 31 years old, do the Blackhawks risk giving term to a veteran in his early 30s?

Teuvo Teravainen

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: C-
• Midterm grade: C
• Season stats: 75 games played, 14 goals, 21 assists, 35 points

Positives

• Aggressively fine

Negatives

• Scoring dried up
• Stuck on the fourth line at times

Assessment

I described Teravainen as “aggressively fine” in my midterm grades. Now, he is bordering on aggressively mediocre. With 14 points in his final 31 games, his offensively output is essentially gone. He can still distribute the puck and play a sound defensive game, but he may find himself marooned on the bottom six, or even the fourth line, for the rest of his Blackhawks tenure.

Andre Burakovsky

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: F
• Midterm grade: A-
• Season stats: 75 games played, 11 goals, 22 assists, 33 points

Positives

• Good until the new year

Negatives

• Everything in 2026

Assessment

Harsh? Perhaps. Incorrect? Absolutely not! Burakovsky recorded four points in his last 35 games of the season. Starting the season on the first line with Bedard, he quickly dropped to the bottom six and continued his lack of production.

My strongest opinion for this offseason is that Burakovsky should not be a Blackhawk next season. A buyout seems imminent for him, and I fully agree with that move.

Ryan Donato

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: C
• Midterm grade: C
• Season stats: 82 games played, 15 goals, 15 assists, 30 points

Positives

• Clean bill of health
• Still an effective two-way forward

Negatives

• Dramatic scoring drop from last season

Assessment

Another “aggressively fine” forward. Donato is who he is, a bottom-six two-way forward who shows flashes of offense, but is mostly there to make sure bad things don’t happen when he is on the ice.

The question is, was this what the Blackhawks expected when they signed him to a four-year extension in the offseason? Time will tell how his contract will age.

Ryan Greene

Ryan Greene celebrates his 12th goal of the season as the Chicago Blackhawks lost 5-1 to the Buffalo Sabres at the United Center on Monday night. (Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: A
• Midterm grade: B+
• Season stats: 81 games played, 12 goals, 17 assists, 29 points

Positives

• Efficient bottom-six center
• Can move up and down the lineup

Negatives

• Scoring output does not match his effectiveness

Assessment

I will admit it, I have a soft spot for Greene. His counting stats don’t jump off the screen, but he sure passes the eye test. Whether playing wing on the first line with Bedard, or centering the third line, Greene does his job.

Louis Crevier

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Season grade:  A
• Midterm grade: B+
• Season stats: 78 games played, seven goals, 18 assists, 25 points

Positives

• Best plus/minus of any Blackhawks defensemen (-2)
• Wicked shot
• Two-way game
• Pairs with anyone

Negatives

• Made me look stupid

Assessment

I must come clean. I was dead wrong about Crevier in my midterm grades. Something possessed me to say that he looked no better than a third-pairing guy. He responded by being Chicago’s best defenseman of the season. There is no denying what he did this season.

Artyom Levshunov

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: C+
• Midterm grade: B+
• Season stats: 68 games played, two goals, 22 assists, 24 points

Positives

• Dynamic offensive defenseman when on his game
• Most power-play assists by a Blackhawks defenseman

Negatives

• Extremely inconsistent
• Defensive game
• Health issues

Assessment

I still believe in Arty, and will defend him from all attackers. That being said, he had a poor end to his season. With inconsistencies and an injury cutting his season short, it was not the strongest start for the former second overall pick.

Criticism will be thrown his way, but the skill is there. Time is Arty’s best ally, and next season will be another chance for him to show what he can do at the NHL level.

Alex Vlasic

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: C+
• Midterm grade: B-
• Season stats: 81 games played, two goals, 19 assists, 21 points

Positives

• Solid in the defensive zone

Negatives

• Lack of offensive production
• Lapses in play

Assessment

Vlasic went from a steal of a contract to a genuine concern at times. Not known for his offensive spark, Vlasic may have been asked to do too much this season. Technically the elder statesman of the defense, Vlasic was expected to play first-pairing minutes at 24 years old. Once Connor Murphy was traded, his role expanded again.

It proved too much at times. The hope is that other defensemen will take the load off of his shoulders next season. If not, a second-pairing defenseman will once again be asked to put a mediocre defense unit on his shoulders.

Oliver Moore

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: B-
• Midterm grade: B+
• Season stats: 51 games played, five goals, 14 assists, 19 points

Positives

• Strong skater
• Effective at the dot (48.3%)

Negatives

• Lack of scoring at the NHL level
• Ended the season injured

Assessment

Moore only played nine games with the Rockford IceHogs to start the season before making his way to Chicago. His speed and faceoff ability translated well to the NHL. However, his scoring touch did not show up. With five points in his final 22 games of the season, more should be expected from Moore.

Wyatt Kaiser

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: B
• Midterm grade: B
• Season stats: 77 games played, six goals, 11 assists, 17 points

Positives

• Solid defensive play
• Secondary puck distributor

Negatives

• Defensive lapses
• Noticeably bad performances

Assessment

Not much to say about Kaiser. How he was at the midway point of the season was essentially what he was a the end. Consistent, with a few ugly games here and there.

Nick Lardis

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: A
• Midterm grade: A
• Blackhawks season stats: 41 games played, 10 goals, five assists, 15 points
• IceHogs season stats: 35 games played, 18 goals, 14 assists, 32 points

Positives

• Late-season scoring spark
• Growing consistency

Negatives

• Defensive game
• Inconsistent spot in the lineup

Assessment

A season split nearly evenly between Chicago and Rockford, Lardis scored 28 goals in his first professional season. The worries that his scoring touch in Brantford would not translate have been erased.

Now it is to be determined where in the lineup Lardis settles into, if a long-term spot is meant for him.

Sam Rinzel

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: C+
• Midterm grade: C-
• Blackhawks season stats: 60 games played, four goals, 10 assists, 14 points
• IceHogs season stats: 23 games played, two goals, 12 assists, 14 points

Positives

• Strong end to the season
• Workhorse between the NHL and AHL

Negatives

• Early inconsistencies
• Defensive lapses

Assessment

After spending some more time in Rockford to hone his game, Rinzel finished the season with the Blackhawks with more success. Playing 83 professional games this season, Rinzel showed the endurance needed of an NHL defenseman.

Like with Arty, improvements are expected come next season.

Matt Grzelcyk

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: C-
• Midterm grade: C+
• Season stats: 69 games, zero goals, 12 assists, 12 points

Positives

• Fine bottom-pairing guy
• Puck mover

Negatives

• No offense
• Undersized
• Ended the season injured

Assessment

The hardest part about grading Grzelcyk was finding a photograph of him. He was invisible both in a positive and a negative way. You never had to worry about Grzelcyk, but neither did the opponent. He is going to be one of those players that makes fans go, “oh yeah, he played for the Blackhawks, forgot about that.”

Landon Slaggert

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: C+
• Midterm grade: C-
• Season stats: 53 games played, three goals, four assists, seven points

Positives

• Came into his own as a fourth liner as the season went on
• Decent physical game

Negatives

• Limited skillset
• Scoring output

Assessment

A player who improved as the season went on, Slaggert subtly impressed with his two-way game fortifying the fourth line. Not flashy, but not asked to be, he took off following the departure of Colton Dach. Perhaps knowing he didn’t have to fight Dach for fourth-line minutes upped his confidence and solidified his game.

Sam Lafferty

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: B
• Midterm grade: N/A
• Season stats: 29 games played, one goal, one assist, two points

Positives

• Simply did what was asked
• Positive locker room presence

Negatives

• Just a 13th forward

Assessment

An obligatory “thank you for your service” grade. Lafferty did what was asked of him, which was mostly to practice hard and sit in the press box. When asked to play, he mostly spent time on the fourth line, with the occasional cameo as a defenseman when the lineup thinned.

Finishing his career with the Blackhawks, Lafferty had a thankless job. He should be commended for it. Not many could go through a final season like his and keep his chin up.

Spencer Knight

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: A
• Midterm grade: A
• Season stats: 55 games played, 19 wins, 25 losses, 11 overtime losses, .902 save percentage, 2.82 goals against average

Positives

• Consistency
• Franchise goaltender

Negatives

• Dip in production to end the season

Assessment

It would be difficult to not give Spencer Knight an A for his season. He held the fort behind a horrid defensive unit. The 11 overtime losses is proof that he kept this team in games that they had no business being in.

Perhaps a bold take, but once this defense gets to be at least average, Vezina votes will start going Knight’s way.

Arvid Soderblom

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawk)

• Final grade: D+
• Midterm grade: D+
• Season stats: 24 games played, eight wins, 13 losses, three overtime losses, .880 save percentage, 3.80 goals against average

Positives

• Better end to the season

Negatives

• Just about everything else

Assessment

I struggle with Soderblom. I do not want to be harsh with how bad the defense is, but his play has not helped his case. When a goalie has a sub-.890 save percentage and gives up nearly four goals per game, there’s not a lot that context can do to help.

Realistically, he could find himself going through waivers in the offseason to allow Drew Commesso to take his spot behind Knight as primary backup goaltender. His days in Chicago may be numbered.

Blackhawks/IceHogs roster grades

Criteria

• At least 10 (three for goalies) games with both the Blackhawks and the IceHogs
• Grading is a cumulative grade based on performance in the NHL and AHL

Kevin Korchinski

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: C+
• Midterm grade: B
• Blackhawks Season stats: 13 games played, zero goals, two assists, two points
• IceHogs Season stats: 53 games played, two goals, 24 assists, 26 points

Positives

• AHL All-Star
• Maintained output from last season

Negatives

• Still doesn’t stand out in the NHL
• Undersized
• No “big step” in production

Assessment

Korchinski is an enigma. I get the feeling that the Blackhawks don’t want to get rid of him, fearing a Gustav Forsling situation. I also get the feeling that the Blackhawks don’t know what to do with him. If re-signed, he will have to stay on the NHL roster. He will not be waiver exempt next season. If he gets a bridge contract, what will it look like?

Ethan Del Mastro

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: C
• Midterm grade: C-
• Blackhawks season stats: 10 games played, zero goals, one assist, one point
• IceHogs season stats: 45 games played, two goals, 16 assists, 18 points

Positives

• Physical game
• IceHogs’ defenseman of the year

Negatives

• Struggles at the NHL level
• Speed and acceleration

Assessment

Like with Korchinski, Del Mastro becomes a restricted free agent this offseason. Being named the IceHogs’ defenseman of the year, perhaps there is something there. However, like with Korchinski, I get the feeling the Blackhawks are unsure of what to do with him. If re-signed, he will no longer be waiver exempt. The dilemma of whether to sign Del Mastro, Korchinksi, both or neither will be an interesting saga to track this offseason.

Drew Commesso

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: A
• Midterm grade: A
• Blackhawks season stats: three games played, two wins, one loss, zero overtime losses, .918 save percentage, 2.31 goals against average
• IceHogs season stats: 36 games played, 13 wins, 19 losses, two overtime losses, one shootout loss, .903 save percentage, 3.00 goals against average

Positives

• Looked confident in his NHL appearances
• Strong AHL season

Negatives

• Stats in Rockford affected by team in front of him

Assessment

Bold prediction: Commesso starts next season as Knight’s backup. He has my seal of approval. He is ready for the NHL, and his three games with the Blackhawks this season proved it. He’s played 113 games with Rockford over three seasons, looking above average, if not great.

IceHogs roster grades

Criteria

• Player must have played less than 10 games with the Chicago Blackhawks
• Must have played at least 48 games with the Rockford IceHogs.
• Grade is based on performance with the IceHogs, along with limited showcase with the Blackhawks
  • Performance with the Blackhawks holds less weight

Brett Seney

(Photo courtesy of Kristin Ostrowski / Rockford IceHogs)

• Final grade: A
• 2024-25 grade: B
• Season stats: 64 games played, 16 goals, 34 assists, 50 points

Positives

• Rockford’s leading scorer
• Effective captain
• AHL All-Star

Negatives

• Second on the team in penalty minutes

Assessment

I get accused of being too much of a fan of Seney by my colleagues here at The Rink. Perhaps they are right, but Seney deserves the praise. He started this season on a line with Moore and Lardis, and as the season continued, he led this team through a tough season that will end without a playoff berth.

Dominic Toninato

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Final grade: B
• Midterm grade: C-
• Blackhawks season stats: eight games played, zero goals, one assist, one point
• IceHogs season stats: 52 games played, 16 goals, 27 assists, 43 points

Assessment

His performance with the Blackhawks, while bad, should not be overvalued. He signed a two-way contract with the clear intent of mostly playing with Rockford, only finding himself up with Chicago when injuries thinned the Blackhawks’ lineup.

In Rockford, he scored at will. With another year on his contract, he should give Rockford’s top six a boost in production.

Joey Anderson

(Photo courtesy of Kristin Ostrowski / Rockford IceHogs)

• Final grade: B-
• 2024-25 grade: C-
• Season stats: 50 games played, 17 goals, 15 assists, 32 points

Positives

• Consistent middle-six production

Negatives

• Series of injuries limiting play

Assessment

After appearing in 18 NHL games last season, Anderson remained in the AHL the entire season. He performed well, with multiple injuries limiting his playing time. He provides stability when he plays, the concern is whether to bring him back following a knee injury earlier this month.

Jamie Engelbert

(Photo courtesy of Kristin Ostrowski / Rockford IceHogs)

• Final grade: B-
• Season stats: 68 games played, nine goals, 19 assists, 28 points

Positives

• Defensive efficiency

Negatives

• Offensive output

Assessment

In his first full AHL season, Engelbert provided some defensive spark to the bottom six. Like the entrire roster, he struggled offensively.

Engelbert was extended in March, bringing him back to Rockford for the 2026-27 season.

Gavin Hayes

(Photo courtesy of Jimmy Doles / Rockford IceHogs)

• Final grade: B+
• 2024-25 grade: C
• Season stats: 57 games played, 13 goals, 13 assists, 26 points

Positives

• Late-season scoring streak
• Improved play across the board compared to last season

Negatives

• Season-ending injury halted progress

Assessment

Once the lineup opened up following Lardis’ and Moore’s promotion, Hayes took advantage the most. His scoring after the new year gave reason to believe he could get a cup of coffee with the Blackhawks late in the season.

However, an unfortunate injury cut his season short. Without his scoring, Rockford struggled in the offensive zone, leading to a season without playoff hockey.

Samuel Savoie

(Photo courtesy of August Marturano / Rockford IceHogs)

• Final grade: A-
• 2024-25 grade: B+
• Season stats: 60 games played, 11 goals, 14 assists, 25 points

Positives

• Improved production from last season
• Effective pest

Negatives

• Increased penalty minutes from last season

Assessment

A fan favorite in Rockford, Savoie is doing everything he can to make his NHL debut. His season production proves he has the skill to complement his pesky play.

This season, like with many IceHogs players, Savoie found himself in the penalty box more than last season. The hope is that he, like the team, can reign it in next season.

Martin Misiak

(Photo courtesy of Kristin Ostrowski / Rockford IceHogs)

• Final grade: C+
• Season stats: 61 games played, four goals, 11 assists, 15 points

Positives

• Bottom-six output

Negatives

• Usual rookie growing pains

Assessment

Misiak’s first professional season was not much to write home about. He played well, avoided the penalty box and produced like a bottom-six forward in the AHL should. A clearer picture of who Misiak could be will be made next season.

Connor Mylymok

(Photo courtesy of Kristin Ostrowski / Rockford IceHogs)

• Final grade: C-
• Season stats: 51 games played, three goals, seven assists, 10 points

Positives

• Loves to fight
• Willing to throw the body around

Negatives

• 202 penalty minutes
• Multiple suspensions
• Little offensive output

Assessment

Mylymok sure likes the fight. When coach Jared Nightingale needs a team protector, Mylymok makes it into the lineup. This has led to an absurd 202 penalty minutes and multiple suspensions due to passing the league’s limit on fighting majors.

Other than that, Mylymok is an old-school fourth liner with little offensive skill.

Taige Harding

(Photo courtesy of Kristin Ostrowski / Rockford IceHogs)

• Final grade: B
• Season stats: 46 games played, three goals, six assists, nine points

Positives

• Physical presence
• Effective defensive play

Negatives

• 105 penalty minutes

Assessment

I realize Harding does not technically make the cut based on my criteria, however, the IceHogs still have two remaining regular season games on Friday and Saturday. It can be assumed that Harding will play the remaining two games, therefore becoming eligible.

Harding, like Mylymok, found himself in the penalty box a lot. Willing to drop the gloves often, Harding, at 6-foot-6, is willing to use his natural size and strength to overpower opponents. That willingness sometimes gets him in penalty trouble, but if he can control it next season, he should anchor Rockford’s defense.

Dillon Boucher

(Photo courtesy of Kristin Ostrowski / Rockford IceHogs)

• Final grade: C
• Season stats: 51 games played, three goals, five assists

Positives

• Physical presence

Negatives

• 112 penalty minutes

Assessment

Once again, another IceHog with over 100 penalty minutes. Boucher’s first season in the AHL was defined by fights, penalties and fights.

The post ANALYSIS: Blackhawks and IceHogs player season grades appeared first on The Rink.

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and Jimmy O’Malley to discuss the final week of the 2025-26 season for the Blackhawks, their top 4 locked NHL lottery draft position, and how fans are feeling about the current state of the team.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL or use THERINK26 for a 30% discount

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 30 – Closing Out the Season…Without Style appeared first on The Rink.

First period

With the Hawks shorthanded, Buffalo won the draw and Rasmus Dahlin’s pass attempt deflected to Ilya Mikheyev, who skated down the ice into the Sabres’ zone. Mikheyev made a perfect lead pass to Ryan Greene, who had a step on the Sabres’ defender and not much room to operate but it was enough to score his 11th top shelf to give Chicago a 1-0 lead at 3:58.

goals in back-to-back games for Greener pic.twitter.com/AFm1BVHJ4Q

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 14, 2026

Late in the first, the Sabres tied it at 1-1 on a goal by Joshua Norris at 19:02. Josh Doan picked off a pass from Andre Burakovsky then fed Norris for his 12th of the season. The game was tied after one.

Second period

Buffalo took a 2-1 lead when Tage Thompson scored his 39th of the season. Louis Crevier fumbled the puck in the corner. Thompson retrieved it and skated in front and shot left for the unassisted goal at the 13:00 mark. The Sabres would take a one-goal lead into the locker room after two periods.

Third period

Buffalo took a 3-1 lead on Alex Tuch’s 32nd of the season. Shortly after the Hawks failed to convert on a 5-on-3 power play for over a minute, Dahlin found Tuch open at the blue line and he skated in alone and fired a wrist shot off Knight’s glove and into the net at 5:38.

Thompson notched his 40th of the season to give the Sabres a 4-1 lead. Jason Zucker quickly entered the zone and fed Dahlin, who found a wide-open Thompson, who fired a one-timer past Knight at 11:13.

With 1:25 left, the Sabres executed another highlight-reel passing play that was finished by Ryan McLeod, who scored his 14th of the season. Buffalo won it 5-1, and combined with Detroit’s 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay in overtime, the Sabres clinched the Atlantic Division crown.

Analysis

The trend continued for the Hawks as they played a solid first period followed by a subpar final 40 minutes. The second period saw the Hawks get dominated both physically and in offensive zone time but the Sabres only had a one-goal lead after two frames. The wheels came off in the third thanks to a terrible power play that did not shoot enough and failed to take advantage of a few opportunities while only trailing by a goal including a two-man advantage for 1:13. That failed opportunity seemingly deflated an already sagging Hawks team as the Sabres followed up with the next three tallies and came away with the win.

The Hawks will play their season finale on Wednesday night when they host the San Jose Sharks. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. CDT on CHSN with the radio call on WGN AM 720.

The post RECAP: Sabres defeat Blackhawks 5-1, clinch Atlantic Division title 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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and Jimmy O’Malley to discuss the remainder of the Blackhawks season, how the young players are progressing, more takes on off-season needs, and where they should consider focusing with their first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL or use THERINK26 for a 30% discount

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 29 – The Limp to the Finish Line appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks lines in warmups at Kraken:

Teravainen-Bedard-Lardis
Bertuzzi-Frondell-Mikheyev
Donato-Nazar-Greene
Slaggert-Boisvert-Burakovsky

Kaiser-Crevier
Vlasic-Rinzel
Korchinski-Del Mastro

Soderblom

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 5, 2026

The Hawks did make some changes to their lineup, moving Teuvo Teravainen to the top line and Ryan Greene down to the third line. Nick Lardis was also in the lineup after taking a puck off his hand in the last outing against Edmonton.

First period

Bedard was on his game in the first period, setting up mutiple scoring chances. Despite the great chances from Bedard, Lardis and others could not score. The first period ended scoreless but it was clear the Blackhawks carried the play.

Second period

Chicago got the scoring started by cashing a power-play opportunity for the game’s first goal.

Teuvo Teravainen takes it to the hoop and scores on the power play to snap a 15-game goal drought. His 14th of the season. He needed that. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/yF4Rnlac9s

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) April 5, 2026

After the Teravainen goal, the Hawks continued to pile on with a goal from Tyler Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi got to the net late in the second period and scored his 32rd goal of the season.

Tyler Bertuzzi scores with 22.2 seconds left in the period for his 32th goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/74Kci8wQEr

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) April 5, 2026

After the second Hawks goal, the period ended 2-0 in favor of Chicago.

Third period

Midway through the third period, the Kraken cut the lead in half. Jaden Schwartz got his 11th goal of the season. The Hawks answered right back with a goal from rookie Sacha Boisvert for the first of his career.

Sacha Boisvert first career NHL goal alert. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/sjlX8QiiZm

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) April 5, 2026

Boisvert was set up by defenseman Kevin Korchinski. Korchinski was playing in his 100th NHL game.

Following the Boisvert goal, Seattle came back with a goal of its own. Kaapo Kakko scored his 13th goal of the seasont to cut the lead to one again.

Ilya Mikheyev sealed the Chicago victory with an empty-net goal late in the third period.

Analysis

Despite not meaning much in the standings, this game was important. It helped show what could be for next season and areas that still need improvement.

What could be

The Hawks can run out a team of mainly younger players. The defense is composed of players under the age of 25. Despite their rescent struggles, analytically, Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro had good games. Korchinski drew praise from his coach postgame.

Jeff Blashill had this to say about Korchinski:

Blashill said Wyatt Kaiser has been the Blackhawks’ best D lately and he wants him taking the hardest matchups moving forward.

He also praised Korchinski: “He’s not over-complicating it. He’s using his feet to beat pressure, then he’s moving the puck to the open people. When he…

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 5, 2026

In addition to praising Korchinski, Blashill heaped high praise on Wyatt Kaiser. Kaiser has been having a great season for the Hawks and will continue to be challenged.

Needs improvement

While the defense was good last night, the offense still needs to get better. Despite scoring four goals, the offense left several grade-A chances set up by Bedard on the ice. If the Hawks want to get significantly better, they have to find more goal scorers, whether that is internally or externally. 

The post RECAP: Boisvert scores first goal as Blackhawks defeat Kraken 4-2 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.

hi Adam!

︎ https://t.co/6qNFYIYHJS pic.twitter.com/F8XcmvLP5j

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 1, 2026

Chicago announced that Gajan has agreed to terms on a two-year, entry-level contract with a $1.05 million annual salary cap hit through the 2027-28 season following a very successful season with the University of Minnesota Duluth (NCHC). Following that announcement, the Rockford IceHogs released an announcement of their own that they had signed Gajan to an amateur tryout agreement (ATO).

The 6-foot-3, 189-pound Poprad, Slovakia, native compiled a 26-25-2 record, a .899 SV%, a 2.65 goals against average and three shutouts in 54 career games with UMD. Prior to playing in the NCAA, Gajan appeared in 54 games with the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League, amassing a 30-15-5 record and one shutout.

During his international career, Gajan represented Slovakia at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. He also played for Team Slovakia at the 2023 and 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships, compiling a 5-3-0 record and earning two shutouts, which earned him Best Goaltender honors at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The Rockford ATO means that he can join the team for their final eight games with current goaltenders Drew Commesso and Olivier Rodrigue. Stanislav Berezhnoy is also part of the IceHogs’ roster, but was suspended 20 games on Feb. 17 for violating the terms of the AHL/PHPA Performance Enhancing Substance Program. Berezhnoy is eligible to return on April 11.

We have signed goaltender Adam Gajan to an ATO contract. Welcome to the organization, Adam!!https://t.co/qpUO87Nj3w

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) April 1, 2026

Analysis

This move comes as a slight surprise, as it would not hurt Gajan’s development to play another year with the University of Minnesota Duluth. The Blackhawks have a nice list of young goaltenders already, but Commesso is a restricted free agent and Rodrigue is an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Arvid Soderblom and Berezhnoy will be unrestricted and restricted free agents, respectively, on July 1, 2027.

Having too many young, promising goaltenders is not a bad position to be in; just ask the Edmonton Oilers.

The #Blackhawks have quite a Goaltending stockpile.

Spencer Knight
Arvid Soderblom
Drew Commesso
Stanislav Berezhnoy
Adam Gajan
Ilya Kanarsky

I could honestly see them package Soderblom if someone wants him. @TheRinkCHI @TheRinkOfficial

— Old goalie guy (@PuckinHostile) April 1, 2026

The post BREAKING: Blackhawks sign goaltender Adam Gajan to entry-level deal appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and Jimmy O’Malley to discuss a glaring need for a seasoned defenseman for 2026-27, as well as the progress of Anton Frondell, the hot play of Frank Nazar, and all else Hawks!

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL or use THERINK26 for a 30% discount

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 28 – The Need for Blue Line Help appeared first on The Rink.

In addition to Korchinski being added to the lineup, head coach Jeff Blashill announced that Anton Frondell would be moving to center for this game. Frondell had been on the wing since joining the Hawks. Frondell moved down to the second line while Nick Lardis got bumped up to the top line with Connor Bedard.

Blackhawks lines in warmups at Devils:

Greene-Bedard-Lardis
Bertuzzi-Frondell-Mikheyev
Donato-Nazar-Burakovsky
Teravainen-Boisvert-Slaggert

Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Rinzel
Korchinski-Del Mastro

Knight

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) March 29, 2026

Rockford IceHogs play-by-play man Dana Grey pointed out that every defenseman playing spent time in Rockford.

First period

The second line for the Hawks was all over New Jersey earlier in the period. Frondell capitalized on a Jake Allen miscue and fed Ilya Mikheyev to give Chicago the lead.

Anton Frondell picks up his 3rd career NHL assist and Ilya Mikheyev scores his 15th goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/kgCh49gQqm

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 29, 2026

The Devils answered right back with a power-play goal from Connor Brown.

Frank Nazar put the Blackhawks back on top with his 13 goal of season.

What a pass by Ryan Donato to Frank Nazar, who scores his 13th goal of the season.

Nazar now has 13 points in his last 14 games. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/NcAlS1l4Nq

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 29, 2026

Nazar recorded a team-high five shots on goal in the first period and was very noticeable in the offensive zone.

The Hawks’ lead was 2-1 after one.

Second period

Spencer Knight was not on his A game against Philadelphia the other night, but in the second period, Knight was really good. He stopped an A+ chance from Timo Meier.

Simon Nemec scored to tie the game later in the period. On the Nemec goal, Wyatt Kaiser screened his own goalie.

Third period

Momentum was in favor of the Blackhawks early in the third period. Nazar scored his second goal of the game just past the midway point on a two-man advantage.

Frank Nazar rips one home on the 5-on-3 power play for his 2nd goal of the game and 14th of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/wE7Piiub3F

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 30, 2026

Nazar’s goal was set up by a slick pass from Bedard. After the Nazar goal, the game shifted on a dime, as the Devils scored three unanswered goals. Dougie Hamilton beat Knight glove side for his 11th goal of the year. Jack Hughes blew past Alex Vlasic for another goal and capped off the game with an empty-netter.

The final score was 5-3 in favor of the Devils.

Analysis

Despite the implosion in the third period, there were positives to this game. Nazar recorded the first multi-goal game of his career. Frondell recorded the first multi-point game of his career with two assists. Lastly, Bedard set his new career high in points with 68. Lardis, despite not showing up on the stat sheet, also had a good game.

While the offense garnered its fair share of positives, the defense was atrocious. The Hawks’ inexperience and lack of gap control was on full display. In addition to the lack of gap control, this team still gives up way too many shots, as Knight faced 39 shots. That was the second lowest amount of shots faced on this road trip. The Hawks have to do a better job of preventing and blocking shots.

If Chicago wants to run out the baby defense next season, this team has to be better at blocking shots and gap control. If these issues are not worked on all offseason, the Hawks are poised for another non-playoff season.

The Blackhawks’ next game is Tuesday against Jonathan Toews and the Winnipeg Jets.

The post RECAP: Blachawks implode against Devils appeared first on The Rink.

Lardis gave the Blackhawks (27-33-13) the early lead at the 17:34 mark of the first period. Defenseman Alex Vlasic made a nice play and found forward Tyler Bertuzzi at the side of the net, who shoveled a pass over to Lardis, who beat Garand for the only exciting play for the Blackhawks all night.

J.T. Miller would tie the game at the 18:32 mark beating Chicago goaltender Arvid Soderblom to tie the score at 1-1.

In the second period, Matthew Robertson gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead beating Soderblom over his shoulder off a rebound from a Miller shot. New York would score two more times before the middle period ended when Adam Sykora scored the first NHL goal of his career at the 8:20 mark and Jonny Brodzinksi extended the Rangers’ lead to 4-1 at the 16:07 mark.

After being outshot 31-15 in the first two periods, Chicago did not muster much sustained pressure besides almost doubling their shot total with 13 shots on goal in the third period. New York would find the back of the net on the power paly when Alexis Lafreniere scored at the 13:17 mark and Brodzinski would score his second of the game, and sixth of the season, to finish off the Blackhawks 6-1.

Analysis

Chicago played like a bottom team in the NHL most of the night and fans found out very quickly that this has always been a bottom-five defense in the league.

Tee times are close for this young team that has fizzled as of late, having lost six of their last eight games.

Sacha Boisvert got into his first tussle in the NHL with Will Borgen. It was great to see the young kid step up and try and show his worth to the organization, but this team is far from having the “fight” it needs.

The post RECAP: Rangers embarrass Blackhawks 6-1 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Flyers jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 48 seconds into the game. A miscommunication between Knight and Artyom Levshunov left the puck on the stick of Christian Dvorak, who fed Alex Bump for his third of the season on a wide-open net.

The mistakes by the Hawks continued as Andre Burakovsky made a blind pass that was stolen by Luke Glendening near the half boards, and he fired it toward the net and it was tipped in by Sean Couturier to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead. For Couturier, it was his ninth of the season at 2:33 and it would stay that way through 20 minutes.

Second period

The Flyers took a 3-0 lead when Trevor Zegras skated in and his shot was stopped by Knight but Denver Barkey was there to pounce on the rebound for his fourth of the season at 5:14.

The Hawks finally got on the board as Connor Bedard scored his 30th of the season to cut the deficit to 3-1. In what can be seen as a glimpse into the future, Frondell made a backhand pass across the goal line to Bedard who fired a one-timer past Ersson at 11:11. For Frondell, it was his second point in as many games.

from Frondell, for 𝟵𝟴 pic.twitter.com/16SHxahtae

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 27, 2026

Noah Cates stretched the Flyers’ lead to 4-1 with his 16th of the season at 12:41. Matvei Michkov won a board battle in the offensive zone and found Cates, who got behind the Hawks defense and skated in alone and beat Knight for the goal.

With 25 seconds left in the second, Dvorak scored his 15th of the season to give the Flyers a 5-1 lead. Levshunov’s nightmare game continued as Owen Tippett forced a turnover and fed Dvorak on the doorstep. The Flyers led by four after two periods.

Third period

There was no scoring in the period as the Flyers won it 5-1.

Analysis

It was a sloppy game for the young Hawks, who were generous with the puck with several giveaways and were unable to climb out of an early 2-0 deficit that seemed to have snowballed into a nightmare. The defense, led by Levshunov, was extremely careless with the puck and the Hawks spent most of the night chasing the puck and generating very little offense. Boisvert made little impact in his debut as he centered the fourth line and received just over nine minutes of ice time. It will be a quick turnaround for the Hawks as they head back up I-95 to New York City for a Friday night contest against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. CDT on CHSN with the radio call on 720 AM WGN.

The post RECAP: Flyers dominate Hawks in Boisvert’s debut appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Islanders got on the board at the 0:49 mark of the opening period when Anders Lee tipped in Matthew Schaefer’s shot from the point as he made his way to the front of the net untouched. Bo Horvat also assisted on the early tally.

Anders Lee – New York Islanders (16) pic.twitter.com/T4sYEwEbX1

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) March 25, 2026

Chicago would then fire off three straight goals to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. Lardis scored his seventh of the season assisted by Frank Nazar and Tyler Bertuzzi. Lardis’ snap shot beat starting goaltender David Rittich, who would be replaced by Ilya Sorokin after the period.

Nick Lardis – Chicago Blackhawks (7) pic.twitter.com/9mOC1S0WeU

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) March 25, 2026

The Blackhawks would take the 2-1 lead after forward Ilya Mikheyev fired a shot behind Rittich, which gave former No. 3 overall draft pick Frondell his first NHL point in his first NHL game.

Nick Lardis – Chicago Blackhawks (7) pic.twitter.com/9mOC1S0WeU

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) March 25, 2026

Bertuzzi scored at the 19:31 mark to get the Blackhawks’ the aforementioned 3-1 lead. The goal, Bertuzzi’s 29th of the season, was assisted by Alex Vlasic and Lardis.

Tyler Bertuzzi – Chicago Blackhawks (29) pic.twitter.com/4DRWr0X8dq

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) March 25, 2026

Second period

Chicago would score the only goal of the middle frame when Nazar fired home his 12th of the season, notching Lardis’ second assist of the game.

Frank Nazar – Chicago Blackhawks (12) pic.twitter.com/YNY5CntEWw

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) March 25, 2026

Third period

The Islanders would cut the lead to 4-2 when Simon Holmstrom beat Soderblom for this 19th goal of the season. The goal was assisted by Scott Mayfield.

Chicago would continue to weather the storm of pressure from the home team until the 16:37 mark of the period when Callum Ritchie scored to make the score 4-3. The goal, Ritchie’s 10th of the season, was assisted by Carson Soucy and Mathew Barzal.

Chicago would be outshot 23-5 in the final period but the young team would hang onto the 4-3 victory.

The Blackhawks are back in action on Thursday for a 6 p.m. CDT puck drop against the Philadelphia Flyers at the XFinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

Analysis

Soderblom was excellent in the victory, stopping 44 of the 47 shots faced. Chicago was also outshot 35-12 in the final two periods of action and the 26-year-old goaltender stood on his head to earn the victory.

Chicago fans were excited to see Frondell in action after selecting the 18-year-old Swedish forward third overall in the 2025 NHL Draft. Frondell played 15:43 and earned his first NHL point. The forward help that Bedard surely needs has arrived early and Blackhawk fans should be excited about this one-two punch moving forward.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks beat Islanders 4-3, Frondell registers assist in debut appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by staff members Sean Fitzgerald, Jimmy O’Malley, and Rink co-founder Jeff Osborn to talk about the arrival of highly touted prospect Anton Frondell, as well as the forthcoming debut of fellow rookie Sacha Boisvert and a glimpse into the summer trade rumblings that have been on the mind of many fans..

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL or use THERINK26 for a 30% discount

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 27 – The Debut of Anton Frondell appeared first on The Rink.

Lardis would start the scoring with a wrist shot behind Predators goaltender Juuse Saros at the 4:34 mark of the second period. The goal, Lardis’ sixth goal of the season, was assisted by forward Tyler Bertuzzi and defenseman Alex Vlasic.

Nick Lardis – Chicago Blackhawks (6) pic.twitter.com/yXpbLtOxLM

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) March 22, 2026

Forsberg would tie the game at 1-1 at the 6:31 mark of the middle frame scoring his 31st goal of the season assisted by Jonathan Marchessault.

Bedard would give the Blackhawks the lead beating Saros at the 13:57 mark for his team leading 29th goal of the season. The goal gave forward Ryan Greene his 17th assist.

Connor Bedard – Chicago Blackhawks (29) pic.twitter.com/Y2rFCxkatI

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) March 22, 2026

Halfway through the third period of action, forward Steven Stamkos scored his 34th goal of the season to tie the game at 2-2 and force the game into overtime. Forsberg and defenseman Roman Josi both assisted on the goal.

In overtime, Forsberg scored an unassisted goal after stealing a puck away from Blackhawks forward Andre Burakovsky and fired one top shelf to beat Knight for the game winner.

Filip Forsberg – Nashville Predators (32)
OT Winner pic.twitter.com/9kpCymXlCB

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) March 22, 2026

The Chicago Blackhawks return to action on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CDT to take on the New York Islanders at the UBS Arena. The game will be televised on CHSN and MSGSN.

Analysis

Bedard continues to just be elite every time he touches the ice. The third-year forward is a must-watch and must know where he’s at for all other teams that are facing the Blackhawks.

Chicago managed a point in what was a sleep walk of a game most of the night. The youngsters are learning how to play at this level, CONSISTENTLY, and will show signs of struggles and success sometimes on consecutive shifts. The growing pains are worth it.

The post RECAP: Forsberg scores twice as Predators beat Blackhawks 3-2 in overtime appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Ilya Mikheyev opened the scoring with his 13th of the season to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. Andrew Mangiapane stickhandled to the right faceoff circle and fired a pass to Mikheyev on the doorstep for the tap-in goal at 16:22. The Hawks took a one-goal lead after 20 minutes.

“here come the Hawks” pic.twitter.com/cLe0b8iXWG

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 20, 2026

Second period

Chicago took a 2-0 lead on Connor Bedard’s 28th goal of the season. Bedard stole the puck from Marcus Johansson in the defensive zone, skated the other way and with Johansson a half step behind, Bedard lifted a backhand past Wallstedt at 11:47.

a Bedsy beautyyyyyy pic.twitter.com/SbTb8nf4Zc

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 20, 2026

The Wild cut it to 2-1 on Nico Sturm’s fifth of the season. The Wild rushed up the ice and Hunter Haight found Sturm, who fired a shot from the right-wing boards past Knight at 15:47. The Hawks would take a one-goal lead into the room after two periods.

Third period

There was no scoring in the final frame, as the Blackhawks hung on for a 2-1 win over their Central Division rivals.

Analysis

It was a solid, scrappy and gutsy road win for the Blackhawks, who beat the Wild in regulation for the first time since 2019 and their first win in Minnesota since 2017. The Wild clearly tried to be the more physical team but the young Hawks stood toe to toe and pushed back, especially during a few scrums after the whistle. It will be a quick turnaround for the Hawks, who return home to face the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night at United Center, which may feature the debut of newly signed former first-round draft choice Sacha Boisvert. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. CDT on CHSN with the radio call on 720 AM WGN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks earn 2-1 win in Minnesota appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast co-hosts Sean Fitzgerald and Jimmy O’Malley are back in The Rinkcast studio to discuss Sasha Boisvert visa issues, Matthew Knies rumors, Nick Lardis on the fourth line, and much more.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL or use THERINK26 for a 30% discount

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 26 – Waiting on a Visa 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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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 of all, it is unquestionable that Kantserov is having a great season, especially for a 21-year-old, but that does not mean fans can expect him to step into the NHL and become the next Artemi Panarin or Nikita Kucherov. Moving into the final week of what looks like his final KHL season, Kantserov has the following numbers:

Source: Roman Kantserov @ Elite Prospects

Before breaking him down, let us look into the positives. Kantserov was drafted by Kyle Davidson as the 17th-ranked European skater. The Elite Prospects draft guide had the following to say about Kantserov following a 54-point season (27 goals, 27 assists) in 45 games with Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk in the MHL.

Kantserov can make plays on first touch, by first identifying pressure and then immediately beating it with a stickhandling move, and he can involve teammates in plays with purposeful movements. Good posture in his rush offence. He can combine crossovers, fakes, and handling moves to carry the puck, and he’s a very quick passer.

This is all high praise, and it is very understandable why Blackhawks fans would be excited for him to don the Indianhead sweater at the United Center. It is a dangerous game to compare current or future NHL players to past players because there are so many intangibles and the human aspect. It is also important to temper expectations so as not to set the less studied, or even the studied, fans up for unnecessary disappointment.

The two players who have been most commonly compared to Kantserov are Kucherov and Panarin, for good reason. Both players have had long, successful NHL careers, and if a 44th overall draft pick could approach the productivity of either, that would be a huge piece added to the Blackhawks’ rebuild. Imagine if Davidson was able to pull an Ivan Demidov-ish level player a full round and a half after Connor Bedard.

Back to player comparisons, the most common standard to level-set is their production in the MHL because they all played relatively similar lengths of time at similar ages. When put side by side, their Russian minor league numbers look like this:

As you can see, Kantserov had an impressive time in the MHL, but not quite up to what the others had produced. Some will cite the KHL production, but Panarin played considerably more and Kucherov considerably less in the Russian top professional league:

As a result, there is no accurate one-to-one-to-one comparison. There are other factors left to take into account as well. KHL ice is bigger than the NHL ice, which allows smaller skill players more room to work. In North America, with the smaller ice and bigger, faster players, his time and space will close in much faster. The level of play in the KHL is also much closer to the AHL than the NHL. If you take into account some of the highest-producing players in the KHL, there is a large number of former NHL/AHL tweeners on the list and zero former high-producing NHLers.

All of these factors make it hard to be certain of what Kantserov can do in the NHL. All things considered, he is likely a second-line or middle-six responsible scorer. Projecting him as a top-line superstar is rushing to judgment, though, and probably irresponsible. The Blackhawks would be lucky to have a reliable player who can chip in some secondary depth and potentially add 40-50 points.

The video below does a great job of breaking down Kantserov’s play. Some points that should not be lost are “There’s also the issue of his skill set overlapping with many other players and prospects in the Hawk system,” and “In some ways, he looks a bit like Oliver Moore and Frank Nazar, Nick Lardis, and others.” I want to emphasize that none of this is necessarily bad, but he is going to need to set himself up in the top third of that group to cement himself in the NHL lineup.

The post ANALYSIS: What to expect from Roman Kantserov appeared first on The Rink.

First period

In the first period, Vegas jumped on the Blackhawks early. Pavel Dorofeyev scored a power-play goal to give the Knights an early lead.

Three minutes later, Rasmus Andersson scored his 12th goal of the year and his second with Vegas. Under 30 seconds later, Keegan Kolesar scored the Golden Knights’ third goal of the period.

Very late in the first, Bedard got into a shoving match with Kaedan Korczak.

Connor Bedard still isn’t taking any you-know-what from anyone. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/aAyR8YqEGl

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 15, 2026

Second period

In the second period, Vegas tacked on another power-play goal from Dorofeyev. The Knights’ lead was 4-0 after two periods.

Third period

As the period began, it appeared that Artyom Levshunov had gotten the Blackhawks on the board. The scoring play was reviewed. Ultimately the goal was waived off because of a hand pass committed by the Blackhawks.

Midway through the period, Vegas continued to harass Bedard. Jeremy Lauzon delivered a big hit on Bedard, which drew the ire of teammates.

Bertuzzi and Del Mastro jump in after Bedard took a big hit: pic.twitter.com/dMnQafguQB

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 15, 2026

Tyler Bertuzzi and Ethan Del Mastro rushed to Bedard’s aid. Del Mastro drew two penalties on the play including  a game misconduct.

Bedard continued to stay fiesty despite the score. Bedard got into a verbal altercation with Mitch Marner in the period. Sadly, Bedard’s feistiness was not enough for the Hawks in this one.

Analysis

The Hawks were not ready for the start of this game. Did the young Hawks have too much fun in Vegas the night before? Either way, this was not an acceptable effort from the Blackhawks. The Hawks have to learn you need a consistent effort in the NHL to win game on a nightly basis.

Scoring goals is still an issue for the Hawks. While Nazar has gotten hot as of late, the team appears to be one goal scorer short on offense. The Hawks need to get more scoring from secondary players to finish out this year.

Reinforcements coming

With the end of Boston University season, it is expected that 2024 draft pick Sacha Boisvert will sign his entry-level contract soon. Once the contract is signed, the expectation is that he will join the Hawks for the duration of the NHL season.

The Hawks’ next game is on St. Patrick Day against the Minnesota Wild on TNT. The game starts at 6:30 p.m. CDT.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks embarrassed by Vegas 4-0 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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and Jimmy O’Malley to talk about the final moves of the trade deadline for the Blackhawks, what may be ahead in their lottery position in the draft, what is to hope for spring hockey and Troy Murray’s legacy with the organization.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL or use THERINK26 for a 30% discount

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 25 – The Long Weeks Before the Offseason appeared first on The Rink.

Prior to the game, the Blackhawks made some roster moves, recalling Nick Lardis and Drew Commesso from Rockford. Commesso was recalled because an illness to Spencer Knight.

Arvid Soderblom started his second game in a row.

First period

In the first period, the Hawks jumped on the Stars early. Artyom Levshunov fired a shot from the back end that was deflected in by Tyler Bertuzzi.

Tyler Bertuzzi redirects Artyom Levshunov’s shot for his 27th goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/IiGdHEbu0W

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 8, 2026

Later in the period, Sam Rinzel put the Hawks 2-0 with his third goal of the year.

Sam Rinzel fires home his 3rd goal of the season, and Oliver Moore heads to the locker room after being injured on the play. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/UfNwGJxh3p

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 8, 2026

Oliver Moore was injured on the Rinzel goal and would not return to the game.

The Stars cut the lead to one with a goal from Nathan Bastian. Chicago led 2-1 after the first.

Second period

The Stars came out shooting in the second. Despite the furious attack, Soderblom stopped all the shots in the second.

Excellent save by Arvid Soderblom. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/fQ6B9tgRzz

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 8, 2026

The scored remained 2-1 in favor of the Hawks.

Third period

Dallas battled their way to the lead in the third period. Mavrik Bourque tied the game less than a minute into the third period. Later, Justin Hryckowian scored a power-play goal to give Dallas the lead.

Chicago pulled Soderblom for the extra attacker late in the game. With the extra attacker, Connor Bedard found the back of the net for his 26th goal.

Connor Bedard scores the game-tying goal for his 26th of the season, and that’s the first 6-on-5 goal Chicago has scored all season long. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/2wPbBEQSxS

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 9, 2026

Overtime

Miro Heiskanen scored the game-winner 22 seconds in overtime. The Hawks lost 4-3.

Analysis

The Hawks got a sold effort from Soderblom and goals from Bedard, Rinzel and Bedard in the loss. The Hawks continue to lose close games this season. If the Hawks want to take the next step in their development, they must start winning close games.

The Hawks have a quick turnaround as they take on the Utah Mammoth tomorrow at 7 p.m. CDT at the United Center.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks fall to Stars 4-3 in overtime appeared first on The Rink.

Ryan Donato gave the Blackhawks the 1-0 lead at the 1:08 mark of the first period. Donato retrieved his own dump-in and fired a backhand into the net behind Canuck goaltender Nikita Tolopilo.

Chicago’s lead would not last long, as a minute later Canuck winger Drew O’Connor tied the score at 1-1 beating Arvid Soderblom.

Forward Jake DeBrusk would give the Canucks the lead at 2-1 a few seconds later, tipping home a Zeev Buium’s shot from the point.

Vancouver extended the lead to 3-1 at the 6:32 mark of the opening period Teddy Blueger slid a puck behind Soderblom to give Vancouver three goals on seven shots.

The Blackhawks would answer back at 12:00 with pretty tic-tac-toe play finished by Ilya Mikheyev. The goal, Mikheyev’s 12th of the season, was assisted by Oliver Moore and Tyler Bertuzzi.

With the score 3-2 after one period of action, Nazar tipped a shot from Alex Vlasic from the point that beat Tolopilo to tie the game at 3-3 at the 19:17 mark of the second period.

Boeser scored his first goal of the night early in the third period, on the power play, to give the visitors the one-goal lead. The lead appeared to disappear when Landon Slaggert scored at the 15:00 mark only to have the goal disallowed for a kicking motion to direct the puck into the goal.

Vancouver would take advantage of the disallowed goal and take a two-goal lead at the 18:34 mark of the third period before Boeser scored his second goal of the night into an empty net to give the Canucks a 6-3 victory.

The Blackhawks travel to Texas to take on the Dallas Stars for a 5 p.m. CDT puck drop on Sunday at the American Airline Center.

Analysis

Nazar finding the back of the net and assisting on another is exactly what the slumping sophomore needed. Nazar has been a little snake-bitten this season, shooting at 8.2% for the year and only has eight goals and 19 assists in 46 games played. The 22-year-old has been tasked with more ice time this season at 18:27 and has shown some struggles defensively, which in turn, looks to have spilled over into his offense.

The trade deadline decimated some of the Blackhawks’ older players and it is strictly the youth movement from here on out this season. Bedard is clearly the next player in line and this is his franchise for the foreseeable future. The Hockey News rated Anton Frondell the best prospect in hockey not yet in the NHL. The future is bright and General Manager Kyle Davidson spoke to the media and said they are sticking to their plan. As fans, all we can do is wait…two more seasons before they compete for the playoffs.

The post RECAP: Canucks defeat Blackhawks 6-3 as Boeser scores twice appeared first on The Rink.

Analysis

Thompson, a former 2022 third-round pick, scored 15 points in 40 games this season with the Rockford IceHogs. His entry-level contract expires after the 2026-27 season.

Pouliot, the eighth overall pick of the 2012 NHL Draft, has scored 28 points in 52 games this season with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the Rangers. His contract expires after the 2026-27 season.

A minor trade in the grand scheme of things, the justification for the trade is straightforward. According to Ben Pope, bringing in Pouliot provides Rockford with desperately needed defensive depth. With the recent trade of Connor Murphy, along with the expiring contract of Matt Grzelcyk, young defensemen like Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro may see permanent graduations to the NHL. Along with this, the contracts of Ryan Mast and Dmitri Kuzmin expire this offseason. Adding a defenseman going into next season fixes a problem before it can start.

On the other side of this deal, dealing Thompson made sense for the organization. Already at 24 years old, Thompson left little room to develop. Scoring only 15 points this season, Thompson fell short of expectations. With multiple high-end forward prospects possibly joining the organization this spring and in the fall, Thompson became expendable.

Final thoughts

Easy to overlook, minor moves like these can make the difference for AHL teams. Pouliot is a veteran with over 200 games in the NHL and a Stanley Cup championship. Pairing Pouliot with a young defenseman like Korchinski, Taige Harding or Jake Furlong for the remainder of this season could prove valuable.

For Thompson, there is hope that he can find consistency in a new environment. It became clear it would not work out with this organization, so the hope is that he could find opportunities with another rebuilding organization.

The post ANALYSIS: Blackhawks trade Thompson to New York for Pouliot appeared first on The Rink.

On trade deadline day, the Chicago Blackhawks traded captain Nick Foligno to the Minnesota Wild. The Blackhawks received future considerations. No salary was retained.

Analysis

Doing right by your players. A concept some fans may not think about, but it is very important to consider. Sometimes lost in the grand scheme, but these are human beings doing a job. Fans may see assets or tools meant to bring a championship to their favorite team. The reality for these players is complicated, and difficult to maintain.

Kyle Davidson, in another player-friendly move, did right by his captain. In trading Foligno to the Wild, he gives the 38-year-old forward two opportunities. First, Foligno gets the chance to chase a Stanley Cup in his twilight. Second, Foligno gets the chance to play with his brother, Marcus Foligno.

“It feels like my mom is looking down on us and smiling today,” Foligno said on TSN following the trade.

It is not as though Foligno sprinted out of Chicago with a smile on his face. When speaking about leaving the Blackhawks, Foligno said, “I feel like I was saying goodbye to my kids.”

The trade has already affected those in the locker room. When asked about the trade, Connor Bedard said, “[Foligno] was someone that meant a lot to the group and I grew super close with. It’s sad when you lose guys and it motivates you to not be in this spot.”

Blackhawks deadline dealings

The Blackhawks made four trades this week, moving out veterans for draft capital and players under contract next season. Here is how things shaped out:

In:

• Andrew Mangiapane
• Derrick Pouliot
• 2027 first-round pick (Edmonton) (Top-12 protected)
• 2028 second-round pick (Edmonton)

Out:

• Nick Foligno
• Connor Murphy
• Jason Dickinson
• Colton Dach
• Aidan Thompson

The Blackhawks chose to retain a few expiring contracts. Notably, the Blackhawks did not trade forward Ilya Mikheyev. After reports emerged that an extension was not reached with Mikheyev, rumors swirled that Chicago would be looking to move him. Davidson addressed not trading Mikheyev in a press conference on Friday.

“I want to keep [Mikheyev] around,” Davidson said. “I really like what he brings to the team. If someone was going to approach us, they had to make it worth our while, and that certainly didn’t happen. And frankly, I’m glad I didn’t have to make a tough decision there.”

Final thoughts

With the Foligno trade, along with the Blackhawks’ other trades, Chicago achieved multiple important goals. First, they did right by their veteran players. Foligno, Murphy and Dickinson were all veteran leaders on this roster. Giving them a chance to compete for a Cup while going through the deadline was key for Davidson.

Second, the Blackhawks got incredible value for expiring contracts. A first- and second-round pick for Murphy, Dickinson and Dach was jaw-dropping. Taking advantage of the Edmonton Oilers’ desperation was to Chicago’s gain.

Last, and possibly most important, the Blackhawks opened the NHL roster wide open for their prospects. Leaving no room for debate as to who they hope to fill those spots, clearing out the roster emphasizes that goal.

Davidson strikes again. Now, it is time for the talented youth to bring this team to light.

The post ANALYSIS: Blackhawks trade captain Nick Foligno to Minnesota appeared first on The Rink.

Davidson acquired 29-year-old forward Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional 2027 first-round pick from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for forwards Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach. Chicago will retain 50% of Dickinson’s salary cap hit as part of the trade. As part of the conditions of the trade, the Oilers’ first-round pick is top-12 protected. The trade gives Chicago nine picks in the first two rounds of the next two drafts to go along with their plentiful prospect pipeline.

Mangiapane has had a notoriously contentious stay in Edmonton since signing a two-year, $7.2 million contract with a cap hit of $3.6 million per season on July 1, 2025. He was expected to provide some secondary scoring support, but has only put up 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 52 games. Edmonton put him on waivers and sent him to their AHL affiliate, Bakersfield, on Sunday. Mangiapane is under contract through 2026-27.

Chicago will definitely miss Dickinson’s defensive prowess and leadership, as he was one of their alternate captains, and Dach’s youthful physical exuberance, but this is the cost of doing business in the NHL.

Acquiring assets that can be used to either move up in the draft in June or acquire players to help improve their scoring for next season is a necessary evil. Players like AJ Spellacy can step in soon to replace Dach’s physical energy and younger long-term options to replace Dickinson will be available. If Mangiapane can rediscover his scoring touch with a change of scenery, he could be a decent secondary contributor.

Chicago receives Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional 2027 first-round draft pick in exchange for forwards Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach

for every memory these last 4 years pic.twitter.com/E6N7FIfeVL

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 5, 2026

from draft night to his first career goal as a Hawk and every moment in between, thank you for everything pic.twitter.com/vWSlfpaI4K

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 5, 2026

The post BREAKING: Blackhawks acquire first-round pick and Mangiapane from Edmonton for Dickinson and Dach 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.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and Jimmy O’Malley to talk about The Blackhawks trade of Connor Murphy and the pending trade of Jason Dickinson.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL or use THERINK26 for a 30% discount

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 24 – Connor Murphy Traded, Dickinson Next 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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.

Ryan Greene — Connor Bedard — Andre Burakovsky

Anton Frondell — Frank Nazar — Roman Kantserov

Tyler Bertuzzi — Oliver Moore — Nick Lardis

Ryan Donato — ???????? — Teuvo Teravainen

Alex Vlasic — Artyom Levshunov

Wyatt Kaiser — Louis Crevier

Ethan Del Mastro — Sam Rinzel

The “challengers”

Samuel Savoie, Landon Slaggert, Colton Dach, Kevin Korchinski

“When you start to see all this come together … the calvary’s not coming in terms of who’s going to bail this group out,” Seravalli said. “They’re going to need to figure out how to create offense and win as they’re currently constituted.”

When addressing the forward challengers and possibly adding where he left question marks on the fourth line, Seravailli said, “I don’t know that they want to get tangled up in long-term commitments, but someone like a Michael McCarron … his archetype … they need more bite.”

Addressing the defense, Seravalli explained keeping the group young.

“They’ve all kind of come together pretty quickly … the key is gonna be getting Artyom Levshunov to take the next step forward in terms of consistency.”

Reactions

Reactions to the lines on social media have been all over the place. Some have shown displeasure at the idea of Burakovsky remaining on the first line. Others have lamented about not adding significant skill, especially to the top six. Still, Seravalli’s lines may show how the Blackhawks will handle the offseason.

Analysis

It is clear by the lines that the Blackhawks may be going all in on a youth movement at the NHL. With prospects like Frondell, Kantserov and Lardis projected to start next season in with Chicago, the era of stopgap players littering the Blackhawks’ roster is over. No more will Chicago bring in players like Pat Maroon, Craig Smith and TJ Brodie. With expiring contracts possibly moved by the deadline, the youth movement may begin as soon as Friday.

With the only open spot being the fourth-line center role, and three challengers already with the organization, key roster spots are left open for young skaters. It would not be a surprise if Burakovsky is also moved this offseason to give even more space for prospects.

Along with the youth movement, it would be useless to project big-name free agent signings and trades. Some believe the Blackhawks should be looking to swing big for Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson. As intriguing as Robertson is, what use is it to project trading for Robertson? Even if Dallas were trading him this offseason, and the Blackhawks were interested in trading for him, it is of no use to assume Robertson, or any first-line winger, is going to be acquired this offseason.

Don’t stop in Chicago

Seravalli’s lines brings up an interesting idea. The youth movement should not be limited to the NHL. With how many prospects aging out of juniors, and with Sacha Boisvert coming over to the organization after Boston University’s season is over, the IceHogs could practically drown in prospects. Using PuckPedia’s PuckGM feature, I attempted to predict the IceHogs’ 2026-27 opening lineup with this idea in mind.

Flooding Rockford with prospects like Marek Vanacker, AJ Spellacy and Jack Pridham reflects what Seravalli projected for Chicago. Letting expiring contracts leave and replacing them internally creates runway for key Blackhawk prospects. In back-to-back seasons, the Blackhawks started key prospects in the AHL, only for them to force their way up. Giving multiple highly-touted prospects that same opportunity next season should be a priority for this organization.

Final thoughts

It is easy to criticize projections. Honestly, I cringed seeing Burakovsky still projected on the first line next season. Still, there is logic in Seravalli’s projections. Last season, the criticism was that Chicago was one of the oldest rosters in the NHL. Now, with the chance to embrace the youth, criticism still remains. Creating internal competition and avoiding commitment to marginally skilled skaters makes sense for where the Blackhawks’ organization currently is.

The post ANALYSIS: Frank Seravalli is right about the 2026-27 Blackhawks appeared first on The Rink.

Murphy, who turns 33 years old on March 26, carries a $4.4 million AAV. Chicago is retaining half of Murphy’s contract, which expires after this season.

Analysis

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

One of the rare good trades of the Stan Bowman era with Chicago, there is a bit of irony being traded to the Oilers. Murphy is once again traded to a Bowman team.

In his time with Chicago, Murphy provided a strong defensive game. In nine seasons with the Blackhawks, Murphy skated in 547 games, recording 34 goals and 90 assists.

With Edmonton, Murphy should provide a physical game with an ability to kill penalties.

For Chicago, getting value for a skater on the wrong side of 30 years old is wise, especially with his contract expiring this offseason. A second-round pick is more than sufficient.

Final thoughts

Though many will not associate Murphy with a great era in Blackhawks hockey, he provided stability. A leader on and off the ice, the “A” on his jersey was proof of his value to this organization.

Murphy now has a chance to make the playoffs for the first time in his NHL career.

The post ANALYSIS: Connor Murphy traded to Edmonton appeared first on The Rink.

In addition to getting secondary scoring, Arvid Soderblom recorded his first career shutout.

First period

In the first period, Chicago’s power play continued to produce. After winning a puck off the board, Tyler Bertuzzi found Teravainen for the goal.

Tyler Bertuzzi with the trip and Teuvo Teravainen with the goal on the power play for his 11th of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/X8GZdJDJn5

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 1, 2026

Second period

In the second period, the Hawks poured in two more goals against the Mammoth. Foligno got the scoring started with a nice move and finish.

GOAL: Nick Foligno shows off the hands in tight for his 3rd goal of the season pic.twitter.com/mknip2Ywcy

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 1, 2026

The goal was the 250th goal of Foligno’s career.

Less than two minutes later, Foligno’s linemate, Slaggert, notched his third goal of the season.

Landon Slaggert with a floating wrist shot from 40 feet out finds its way in for his 3rd goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/JG3RifEE9S

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 1, 2026

The period ended with the Hawks up 3-0.

Third period

In the third, Teravainen scored a shorthanded goal to seal the game.

Teuvo Teravainen scores a shorthanded goal for his 2nd of the game and 12th of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/N9nyJ52J8R

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 1, 2026

Analysis

The Hawks finally got their first post-Olympic break win in impressive fashion. Soderblom, who has not played in a month, looked great in net. The Hawks also got offense from players not named Bertuzzi or Connor Bedard. The Hawks need to continue to find ways to get scoring output from other players the rest of the season.

Prior to the game, Frank Seravalli revealed his predictions for next year’s lineup. Much to the chagrin of many Blackhawks fans, the Hawks will not be adding many players in free agency. While people are upset, they need to realize that free agency is currently dead.

While free agency might be dead, trades will be the way new talent is acquired. The Blackhawks figure to active this week, possibly trading veterans such as Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson, Sam Lafferty and Ilya Mikheyev. These moves figure to bring back draft picks and open spots for Anton Frondell, Nick Lardis and others.

The Blackhawks’ next game is Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks get back on track with dominant 4-0 win in Utah appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Connor Bedard scored his 25th goal of the season on the power play to give the Blackhawks the 1-0 lead at the 6:31 mark of the opening frame. The goal, assisted by forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, would be the only excitement for Chicago fans in Colorado.

Connor Bedard – Chicago Blackhawks (25) pic.twitter.com/zX7mEFVWFb

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) March 1, 2026

Second period

Colorado would finally answer back to the Bedard goal at the 19:51 mark of the middle period. The back-breaking late goal, the first of the Makar goals, beat Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight, who had stood on his head for most of the first two periods as Chicago was outshot 24-9 in the first 40 minutes of action. The goal gave Nathan MacKinnon his 56th assist of the year and Martin Necas his 42nd assist.

MacKinnon’s feed to Makar for the goal shows their continued chemistry. Opponents will need to double team both to shut down that lethal combo. pic.twitter.com/KJmvq7SLFP

— Wire Report (@WireReportOrg) March 1, 2026

Third period

Gavin Brindley beat Knight at the 7:31 mark of the third period to give the home team the 2-1 lead at the 7:31 mark. The goal, Brindley’s sixth of the season, was assisted by defensemen Sam Malinski and Devon Toews.

The Avalanche finished off the Blackhawks with the aforementioned Makar empty-net goal.

Analysis

Chicago continues to be a one-man offense, as Bedard is clearly the only offense the slowly dying Blackhawks are getting on most nights. Bedard, left off Canada’s silver-winning Olympic team, is really the only hope fans have on most nights when it comes to any consistency. Frank Nazar has scored two goals in the last 33 games and is struggling mightily on most nights to even be noticed on the ice.

Knight was outstanding again, stopping 32 shots, but if you told fans it was 47 saves, it would have seemed correct. Knight was fighting through screens and busy covering up pucks his defensemen could not seem to clear in front of him.

The Blackhawks return to action today at 3 p.m. Central against the Utah Mammoth.

The post RECAP: Bedard scores 25th, Colorado wins 3-1 behind Makar two-goal effort appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and Jimmy O’Malley to talk about the return of the Blackhawks NHL schedule, the rumors surrounding the possible trades of Connor Murphy and Ilya Mikheyev, and what to hope for and/or expect for the remaining weeks of the season.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL or use THERINK26 for a 30% discount

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 23 – The Hawks are back…those same ones. appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Despite six minutes of early power play time, the Hawks found themselves trailing 1-0 after 20 minutes. Artyom Levshanov turned the puck over along the boards and Filip Forsberg picked it up in the slot and fired a wrist shot top shelf for his 25th of the season at 13:50.

Second period

Connor Bedard tied the game at 1-1 with his career-high 24th of the season at the 4:13 mark. Ryan Greene snuck a pass from the half boards to Bedard in the slot, who snapped one past Annunen. The game would remain tied through two frames.

Connor Bedard for a career-high 24 goals pic.twitter.com/TLz6vyNy7G

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 27, 2026

Third period

The Blackhawks finally cashed in on their fourth power play of the game when Tyler Bertuzzi scored his 26th of the season at 3:16. Teuvo Teravainen lobbed a puck on net with Bertuzzi setting a screen. A rebound came right to Bertuzzi, who scored on the rebound to give Chicago a 2-1 lead.

Bertuzzi on the power play pic.twitter.com/5sbJQbRKJu

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 27, 2026

The Preds responded with a power-play goal of their own when Matthew Wood scored his 10th of the season at 7:12. Erik Haula retrieved the puck behind the net and found Wood open in the right circle and he snapped a shot past Knight to tie the game at 2-2.

With 3:15 left in regulatjon, Ryan O’Reilly broke the tie with his 21st of the season. Roman Josi led the rush and from the right circle, he threaded the needle and found O’Reilly, who tipped it past Knight to give the Preds a 3-2 lead.

With the Hawks’ net empty and the extra attacker on, Steven Stamkos forced a turnover on Frank Nazar at the Hawks’ blue line and fired the puck into the empty net for his 29th of the season at 19:12 to give the Preds a 4-2 lead, which was the final.

Analysis

Collectively, the Hawks looked rusty, as their puck management was awful throughout the game. The Hawks committed multiple turnovers, including two that led directly to Nashville goals. On the plus side, Knight had a strong game and Bedard was arguably the best player on the ice, as he looked refreshed and showed a ton of speed entering the zone.

The Rink would also like to congratulate Dana Grey, manager of communications and broadcasting for the Rockford IceHogs, who made his NHL debut calling the game on 720 WGN.

The Hawks will play the second game of this four-game road trip on Saturday in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche. Puck drop is at 5 p.m. CST on CHSN with the radio call on 720 WGN.

The post RECAP: Hawks fall 4-2 in Nashville following Olympic break appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and Jimmy O’Malley jump on to talk about the AHL All-Star festivities, the Olympic games, and the Blackhawks ramping up for the trade deadline as well as the final stretch run.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL or use THERINK26 for a 30% discount

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 22 – Olympic break coming to an end appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and Jimmy O’Malley to talk about Artyom Levshunov’s line-up scratches and development, Wyatt Kaiser’s injury and what that means for the left side of the blue-line, trade potentials, prospect watch, and an Olympic Preview.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 21 – Olympic Break Musings 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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.

Before the game, Chicago made headlines by recalling Sam Rinzel from Rockford. Rinzel’s last NHL game was on Dec. 7 before being send down to Rockford. In Rockford, Rinzel appeared in 19 games, recording two goals and eight assists.

In the lineup, Rinzel replaced Artyom Levshunov. Levshunov was a healthy scratch for a mental reset. The young defenseman was awful in the Hawks’ last game against Pittsburgh. In addition to Rinzel being added to the lineup, Sam Lafferty got his second start this month because of an injury to Nick Foligno.

First period

Columbus got on the board late in the first period with a goal from Charlie Coyle. The Colyle power-play goal came with under a minute left in the period.

The Blackhawks responded in the waning seconds with a goal from Connor Bedard.

GOAL: Connor Bedard beats the buzzer and puts home a rebound to tie the game before the end of the period pic.twitter.com/CpHk9Mu5xF

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 31, 2026

Second period

In the second period, Columbus continued to dominate the game. Coyle scored his second goal of the game. The goal was set up by a poor pass from Andre Burakovsky to Matt Grzelcyk. The pass missed Grzelcyk and went to right to Coyle, who buried the chance.

Mathieu Olivier scored his sixth goal of the season to extend the Blue Jackets’ lead to 3-1. The Hawks did challenge unsucessfully for goalie interference.

Frank Nazar answered the Olivier tally later in the period.

GOAL: Bedard to Nazar! Banggg pic.twitter.com/vBOHVMEvit

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 31, 2026

This was a much-needed goal for Nazar, who has struggled to find his offensive form. With the assist, Bedard registered his second mutiple-point game since returning from his injury.

Third period

The Hawks tried to make a valiant comeback. Bedard missed a golden opportunity in the period to tie the game.

https://t.co/DzdOlsO5rI pic.twitter.com/q9vWmiM0dy

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 31, 2026

Coyle finished off his hat trick with an empty-net goal to seal the Jackets’ victory at 4-2.

Analysis

Despite being visibly frustrated after the game, Bedard is starting to heat up offensively. He now has three points in the last two games. The young forward needs to get back to his pre-injury production.

In addition to Beard heating up, Nazar might finally be returning to form. He also has three points in their last two games.

On the defensive side, Rinzel had a good game according to head coach Jeff Blashhill. Rinzel made less critical mistakes in his first game back up. Rinzel figures to get more minutes when the Hawks eventually trade Connor Murphy.

Spencer Knight enjoyed another solid performance in net.

The Blackhawks have two games left before the Olympic break. Their next game is Monday night against the San Jose Sharks at 7:30 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Coyle’s hat trick lifts Blue Jackets over Blackhawks 4-2 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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and Jimmy O’Malley to talk about the Blackhawks solid play of late yet with the inability to finish off games. The Rinkcast team will also analyze the Hawks future on a position to position basis.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 20 – Everything but the finish appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Teravainen wasted no time as he gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead with his 10th of the season on the first shift of the game. A shot from the point by Louis Crevier was stopped but Teravainen was there to pounce on the rebound at the 1:19 mark.

first shift back? make it a goal pic.twitter.com/DImXSG3Idt

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 28, 2026

Ryan Donato gave the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead with his 11th of the season with an unassisted goal at 15:14. Off a board battle in the corner, the puck rolled out in front of the net and to the right of Wallstedt thanks to a Brock Faber turnover, and Donato fired a one-timer into the back of the net.

Ryan Donato snaps an 11-game goal drought for his 11th of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/4aOfp8EZKE

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 28, 2026

The Hawks would take a two-goal lead to the locker room after one.

Second period

Ilya Mikheyev made it 3-0 with his 10th of the season. After a save by Knight and a scramble in front of the Hawks’ goal, Alex Vlasic retrieved the puck, skated out of the zone and made a nice pass to Mikheyev, who picked up speed along the boards and went in 1-on-1 with the defensemen and fired a wrist shot top shelf at the 5:54 mark.

another one, 𝘛𝘏𝘈𝘕𝘒 𝘠𝘖𝘜 pic.twitter.com/UCs2HVGzbz

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 28, 2026

The Wild got on the board when Yakov Trenin scored his fourth of the season. Matt Grzelcyk attempted to keep the puck in the zone but stumbled, which created a 2-on-1 for the Wild. Trenin’ tally made it 3-1 at 12:33. The Hawks would take a two-goal lead after two periods.

Third period

Joel Eriksson Ek made it 3-2 with his 13th of the season. Quinn Hughes showed off his skating ability near the blue line and fired a puck to the net that was stopped, but Knight left a rebound for Eriksson Ek to tap in at 3:57 to make it a one-goal game.

Jared Spurgeon tied the game at 3-3 with his fifth of the season. With the net empty, the Wild put the puck on net, and with traffic in front, Spurgeon buried a rebound past Knight to tie the game at 17:58. The game would remain tied at the end of regulation.

Overtime

Despite the Hawks getting a power play that covered nearly the entire final two minutes of overtime, the game remained tied heading into a shootout.

Shootout

Mats Zuccarello opened the shootout with a backhand shot that slipped off his stick and went behind the net.

Frank Nazar followed with some nifty stickhandling moves but couldn’t finish.

Kirill Kaprizov scored by firing a wrist shot to the blocker side to give Minnesota a 1-0 advantage.

Connor Bedard skated in and after several stickhandling moves, he lost control of the puck.

Matt Boldy could not convert on the next opportunity as he was stopped in close.

Ryan Donato was the Hawks’ final hope but he was stopped by Wallstadt and the Wild get the extra point.

Analysis

The Blackhawks saw their four-game road winning streak end in disappointing fashion as they played well through the first two periods and built a 3-0 lead on the road but failed to hold on thanks to another third-period collapse. The Hawks had chances but the power play came up empty with an 0-5 night including one in overtime. On the positive side, while the Hawks did get a point, the Blackhawks may have found a new first line (for now), as head coach Jeff Blashill shuffled the lines and put Teravainen and Nazar with Bedard, and that line was tremendous, as they generated 14 shots on goal. The Hawks’ mini road trip concludes on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. CST on CHSN with the radio call on 720 WGN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks waste three-goal lead in 4-3 shootout loss in Minnesota appeared first on The Rink.

With eyes on the future, though, there is plenty to like about where the Hawks currently are. Oliver Moore has shown he is an NHL-caliber player, Tyler Bertuzzi has already tallied 25 goals, defensemen Wyatt Kaiser and Louis Crevier are now proven assets, having exceeded expectations this year, Spencer Knight is and will continue to be the Hawks’ No. 1 goalie for years to come, and Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar are now back from injury and hopefully, after getting some time to reset after the Olympic break, will return to the forms that made them real weapons at the start of the season. And lastly, despite grumblings from the fan base when he makes a young error, Artyom Levshunov is one of the most promising defensive prospects in the game. He’s the real deal.

More help is on the way, too, as prospects Anton Frondell, Roman Kantserov, Sacha Boisvert and a few others may ink deals with the Blackhawks and see action as early as this spring. Kyle Davidson’s plan is in effect, and while time will tell how quickly the Hawks will return to the NHL’s elite, Chicago’s hockey team will certainly be a fun follow over the next few years.

No plan is flawless, but with a plethora of talent up front, currently in Chicago or arriving soon, sure, more offensive output could be welcomed, yet when looking on the back end, though, the need for an additional left-handed defenseman seems to be more and more critical.

Wyatt Kaiser has taken a big jump in his play this year and could be a core piece of the Chicago Blackhawks’ future. (Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

Kaiser has been largely terrific this season, earning all, if not more, of his two-year contract worth $1.7 million per season. He is steady, much improved, has great gap control and has proven many doubters, this author included, that he is a bonafide NHL defenseman. Though his game could still grow, as can the game of Alex Vlasic, who one can say has been, well, “fine” this year, relying on those two to be the team’s one and two left-sided rearguards for when this team is attempting to compete for a Stanley Cup could limit the team’s potential. That is not to say that Kaiser or Vlasic do not belong — they certainly do. They are pieces to the team’s future, good ones at that, but given their styles, when you see this team going for the grail, likely one but not both of them should be in second-pair roles on the blue line. It is not a knock on them, just a reality. The Hawks are an elite left-handed, puck-moving defenseman away from having one of the league’s best future defensive units, and they should not settle for anything less.

Matt Grzelcyk, who has been a nice fit this season, will likely not be with the team next year and this could be his last season in the NHL. He has defied the odds being an undersized defenseman and he has had a tremendous hockey career, but unfortunately, this is likely his last stop.

On the right side, the scenario is quite different. Levshunov is the Hawks’ No. 1 defenseman of the future and could be elite as early as next season. While many, myself included, expected Sam Rinzel to be a mainstay this year, the play of both Crevier and Connor Murphy enabled the Hawks to give Rinzel some much-needed seasoning in Rockford. With Rinzel’s size, skating ability and lateral movement, one would expect him to be in the top four for the Hawks, likely next year. If you doubt that, you are welcome to, but it’s there for Rinzel and he will be a weapon. Crevier will be huge, literally and figuratively, as a bottom-paring stalwart for years to come.

The case for Kevin Korchinski

It seems as though Kevin Korchinski went from sure-fire cornerstone of the Hawks’ future to a wild card of sorts in the span of a couple of years. The 2022 seventh overall draft pick has already amassed 188 games as a professional and half of those have been in the NHL. He turns 22 in June, and to completely write him off at this point of career does not make a ton of sense. The two-time AHL all-star has and may see a few more games with the big club later this season.

Kevin Korchinski’s development used to be a question of “when;” now it’s a question of “if.” (Photo courtesy of Matt Marton / Imagn Images)

We are nearly four years removed from his draft year, though, and if you looked back to 2022, by the beginning of 2026, you may have thought that Korchinski would have made more significant “NHL-level” strides by now. Truthfully, he hasn’t. He can move the puck, but his strength, gaps and angles are not NHL caliber at this point, and with his puck-moving style, you will not see him as a rugged, penalty-killing bottom-pairing defenseman. Many, myself included, wanted to see Korchinski or perhaps Ethan Del Mastro stand out in training camp to earn a roster spot in October. Neither of them did, and in the case of Korchinski, as of this moment, it is beginning to feel like “if” as opposed to “when” he is going to be part of the core moving forward.

The case for the draft

The Blackhawks could very well address this in the draft, as with two first-round picks in the 2026 Draft, there will be ample options in their wheelhouse for what could be a top-10 pick, as well as an additional first-round choice later on courtesy of the Florida Panthers and the Seth Jones-Spencer Knight trade. In the weeks to come, you will hear from The Rink names and analysis on hopefuls such as Carson Carels, Alberts Smits and others in terms of who the Hawks may be targeting at this position.

If the Hawks do take this approach, then they buy some time to see if Korchinski is their guy, can focus on Kaiser’s extension (restricted free agent in 2027) and keep on keeping on, building through prospects and the draft. Seems simple, but is it?

The problem here is that anything less than making the playoffs in 2026-27 would and should be considered a failure for Chicago. Considering that a defenseman does take time to develop if Korchinski isn’t it, and you are taking the time to develop a mid-first round pick, it could be another message to the fan base of “hurry up and wait,” a sentiment that simply cannot go on for much longer.

The case for acquisition 

There are top-four defensemen out there and few teams have the draft capital and bargaining chips of prospects that the Hawks do to swing a good deal. That’s a fact. Particularly in their mix of forwards, the Hawks are going to literally run out of room in the next couple of years in their prospect pool, as they cannot keep them all. Chicago has two first-round picks and a luxury of three second-round picks in the 2026 Draft. They have ample assets to offer to a team looking toward their future.

A possible trading partner to consider could be the Ottawa Senators. The Sens have had a miserable season with difficult publicity and an unexpected nose dive in their play. Due to the league invalidating their 2021 trade of Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Sens have forfeited their 2026 first-round pick, and they do not currently possess an abundance of quality prospects. Should they choose to retool, left-handed top-four defensemen such as Jake Sanderson or Thomas Chabot, both still young in their careers, could be very appealing to Davidson. The likelihood of the Senators being willing to move the 23-year-old Sanderson is slim, but the 28-year-old Chabot at an $8 million cap hit through 2028 is more than reasonable and would be a huge addition.

With the Ottawa Senators reeling and in need of picks and prospects, Thomas Chabot could be a player worth targeting via trade. (Photo courtesy of Chris Tanouye / Freestyle Photography / Getty Images)

There are others to look at, such as Ivan Provorov of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who recently fired head coach Dean Evason. But with the recent cap increase and it being set to increase again, summer free agency frenzies will be on hold for a few years. The idea of signing a premier free-agent defender will be very challenging, and the only way to look outside will be via trade, which Chicago truly needs to consider.

This year, expect the Blackhawks to miss the playoffs again, but they have taken strides. They will be in the mix next season no matter how they handle the left side of the blue line. Yet, for the Hawks to get back to the promised land, be the best that they can be and be a year in, year out Cup contender, Davidson and company will need to make some tough decisions and the future of the blue line is no exception to that.

The post ANALYSIS: The Blackhawks’ need for a premier left-side defenseman appeared first on The Rink.

Not much action through a period and a half of play when Bjornfot scored on a wrap-around goal beating Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight five hole after bouncing off his pads. The goal, 24-year-old Swede’s first goal of the season, was assisted by forward Cole Schwindt.

Chicago would tie the game at 1-1 after forward Tyler Bertuzzi fired home his team-leading 25th goal of the season at the 19:30 mark of the second period. Forward Ilya Mikheyev and defenseman Wyatt Kaiser assisted on the goal.

Tyler Bertuzzi – Chicago Blackhawks (25) pic.twitter.com/EfR0YDNdz0

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) January 26, 2026

The visiting Panthers would make the Blackhawks look like they were skating in mud for the third period as Florida scored four unanswered goals. Chicago Steel alum Mackie Samoskevich, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart and Bjornfot each scored to finish off the Blackhawks 5-1.

Chicago returns to action on Tuesday for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop versus the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul.

Analysis

The Stanley Cup-winning Panthers showed their class in the third period and put the sleeping Blackhawks to bed. This was a good game in January for a wake-up call for fans and players to show how much of a grind the season is for players. This is also a good reminder that when Connor Bedard is not rolling offensively and finding the scoresheet and the defense refuses to put any body on any player in front of the net and in the corners, this is an underwhelming team that has been winning games with Bedard leading the way.

The post RECAP: Bjornfot scores twice as Panthers down Blackhawks 5-1 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Despite being a very tough place to play, the Hawks got on the board first. Ilya Mikheyev scored the first goal of the game, shorthanded.

GOAL: Ilya Mikheyev with a signature shorthanded steal and then he scores on the ensuing rush. What a play pic.twitter.com/QF9v0LQhWj

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 23, 2026

However, less than a minute later, the Canes responded with a goal from Joel Nystrom.

Second period

In the second period, Nick Lardis buried a pass from Ryan Donato for the goal.

GOAL: Oliver Moore wheels in wide and makes a spinning pass to Donato, who slides it to Nick Lardis for a one-time goal. Beautiful goal pic.twitter.com/LiMwAiqG21

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 23, 2026

Later in the period, Jordan Staal of the Canes tied the game at 2-2. Moore then defended Lardis by picking a fight with Alexander Nikishin. Moore was sent to the ice after two punches.

Third period

Despite being outplayed by the Canes for two periods, the score was tied. In the third period, the game shifted toward the Blackhawks. Frank Nazar had one of his best performances of the season, generating multiple scoring chances.

The Hawks took the lead on a Connor Murphy goal. Murphy displayed some silky mitts as he dangled past Frederik Andersen.

GOAL: Connor Murphy SHOWS OFF THE HANDS in tight to score the go-ahead goal pic.twitter.com/gpEmsM9kUl

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 23, 2026

Jackson Blake tied the game less than a minute later for Carolina.

Overtime and shootout

Both teams went scoreless in overtime, forcing a shootout. In the shootout, it was tied until Moore was sent out to shoot. The birthday boy buried the game winner for a Gordie-Howe-ish hat trick.

Oliver Moore WINS IT pic.twitter.com/M8kDKlyAuZ

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 23, 2026

After defeating Carolina, the Hawks returned home for a tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday. The only changes to the Hawks’ lineup were that Jason Dickinson returned from illness and Arvid Soderblom got the start in place of Spencer Knight.

First period

Despite being outplayed in the first period, the Hawks finished the first period up 1-0. Ryan Greene capitalized on a Tampa Bay miscue.

GOAL: Ryan Greene breaks free and beats Vasilevskiy to open the scoring pic.twitter.com/R0J6CSghwF

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 24, 2026

Second period

Tampa continued to dominate the play and finally got a game-tying goal. Nikita Kucherov scored late in the second to even the game.

Third period and overtime

As was the case in Carolina, the Hawks came to life in the third period. The Hawks owned the play in this period and yet did not score.

In overtime after trading chances, the game remained tied.

Shootout

In the shootout, Chicago and Tampa traded goals. The Lightning goals were from Kucherov and Gage Goncalves. At the same time, the Hawks got goals from Nazar and Louis Crevier. The game came down to Dominic James vs. Soderblom. James, the former Blackhawks draft pick who spurned the Hawks this past offseason to become a free agent, had a chance at revenge. James fired a wrist shot by Soderblom for the Tampa victory.

Analysis

The Hawks’ goalies were the heroes of these two games. Both Knight and Soderblom turned in excellent performances. This might have been Soderblom’s best start of the year.

Another positive was Nazar. Nazar was playing fast and generating chances in both games. His lower body looks to be healthy again.

These two games were odd for Connor Bedard. Bedard was noticeable against Carolina and invisible against Tampa Bay.

The Hawks still need to get off to better starts and not count on excellent goalie play to bail them out.

The Hawks’ next game is Sunday night against the Florida Panthers. The game starts at 6 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks secure three points in back-to-back shootouts appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and Jimmy O’Malley to talk about the Jason Dickinson trade rumors, thoughts on the prospect pool and more.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 19 – Dickinson on the Block and Prospect Thoughts appeared first on The Rink.

Writers will continually tell you that goaltending is “voodoo.” That it’s unpredictable. That you cannot predict goalies or goaltending. Some of this is true. It is possibly the most mental position in sports. Goalies spend almost the entire game on the ice, by themselves, in their own heads. When they make those saves that everyone expects them to, “You’re just doing the job you’re supposed to do.” When they give up that soft goal, or that one that looks easy on a video replay slowed down a frame a second, “this guy is a bum.”

Hockey goaltending is an absolutely thankless position played by sadists.

I digress, though, as I am not here to solve the great mystery of this position that people are not much closer to understanding than they did when this sport was born well over 100 years ago. I am here to give you some insight into what this team you all root for has under its thumb for the next few years.

The Blackhawks have promise in goal. They have something to look forward to. So, let me take you through the system from top to bottom.

Spencer Knight

I have been a fan of Spencer Knight since his World Junior Championship days in 2021. Knowing full well that the Blackhawks, especially Stan Bowman at the time, never spent high draft picks on goalies, I never thought the team would ever have a chance to have him in their crease.

Then came the great Seth Jones dump. Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito felt that Knight was expendable, and suddenly, Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson had a 23-year-old potential franchise goalie.

Potentially.

No one truly knows what he will be, but the fact that he was in the conversation for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team is encouraging. He is not perfect, but there is plenty to see in his game that would translate well when he has some structure around him.

Knight has a coolness to the game and moves ultra-smoothly. He never looks shaken by bad goals and appears to have ice in his veins. It is rare that you get gifted a goalie of this level, this young, so hopefully this move and the Connor Bedard pick are the start of another dynasty story.

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom has had a contentious career in Chicago. (Photo courtesy the of NHL)

Arvid Soderblom

The great mystery of Arvid Soderblom. The first word that comes to mind when thinking of Soderblom is “enigma.” It is a cliché term, but he truly fits that mold for me.

He came over from Europe with not much of a reputation, much like Stanislav Berezhnoy, to play in the AHL or ECHL. That season, he played very well in Rockford, one of the best goalie seasons with the IceHogs in recent memory.

His first year in the NHL, he looked relatively strong on a very bad team. The Blackhawks finished 18-49-7 and he finished with only two wins and a .894 save percentage in all situations. The numbers were not anything to get excited about, but you could see flashes of talent. This was great for a player that Bowman poached from Sweden for free.

One of my favorite theories about goalies is “wait until the entire league has seen you once through before you start your judgments.” They will have seen film and probably faced you at least once. The surprise is gone. That is the epitome of NHL year two for Soderblom, a disaster.

The team was, somehow, worse than the previous year with a modern-era team-low 52 points, and Soderblom could not stop a thing. He went from 15 games played to 33, and his stats were abysmal — five wins and an .880 save percentage in all situations. The drop of .014 might not seem like a lot, but I can assure you it is considerable.

Which Soderblom was he? The serviceable backup or the sieve that was a huge liability?

The answer is somewhere in the middle, as it turns out. He jumped back up to a .898 save percentage last season, but this year he is back down again, this time into the sub .870 range with only two regular-ish goaltenders below him (Leevi Meriläinen and Samuel Ersson).

I will expound on this later, but when the entire team started hot, I was hoping he would remain warm, and some team would take a chance on a big 26-year-old Swedish netminder. He has torn that up and made confetti.

The salary is not an issue, but the term is. Chicago is on the hook for one more season, with Drew Commesso just about ready to start seeing NHL duty, Berezhnoy surprising people in the AHL and Adam Gajan playing well at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, which earned him a trip to Italy with the Slovakian Olympic Team.

Davidson might just need to put him through waivers, bury a chunk of his salary and let him be the guy in Rockford next season. It looks as though his time wearing a Blackhawks uniform is coming to a close.

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Drew Commesso has played very solid in the AHL. (Photo courtesy of the NHL)

Drew Commesso

Commesso came with some pretty high praise after the Blackhawks selected him in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft. He had a very impressive season with the U.S. National Team Development Program, which he parlayed into a very respectable career at Boston University, including two games with the U.S. Olympic Team in 2023, one of which a shutout.

His professional career has not exactly started off with bells and whistles, but he has put up respectable numbers. Over parts of four AHL seasons, he has a .909 save percentage in the regular season and .922 in the playoffs. It is time for the Blachawks to take his training wheels off and see what this kid has.

What can you expect from him? Think “Corey Crawford-ish.” He will not “wow” you, but he is consistent. The Blackhawks need more consistency.

Granted, I would not expect him to unseat Knight, but what a one-two punch they could have for the next 5-6 seasons.

Rockford IceHogs goaltender Stanislav Berezhnoy has started off his career nicely in the AHL. (Photo courtesy of the NHL)

Stanislav Berezhnoy

It has only been 10 games into his AHL career, but Berezhnoy has made fans notice his play. Several highlight saves have made their rounds on the internet that should have the fans raising their eyebrows.

Despite not speaking a lick of English, Davidson signed the 6-foot-4, 218-pound Berezhnoy out of the Russian VHL in July to potentially play in Rockford or with the Indy Fuel. He earned a spot backing up Commesso in Rockford and has done an admirable job despite injuries taking a toll on his season.

Stats will not tell you the story of his season, as they are pretty pedestrian. He has gone 5-4-1 with a .898 save percentage in all situations, which ranks him 10th among rookie AHL goaltenders. He started off red hot in his first three games, then had a below-average November and missed most of December. Considering the recent play of Soderblom and the success of Commesso, Berezhnoy could see some more time in Rockford down the stretch. His most recent performance was an impressive 31-save, 3-1 win against the division-leading Grand Rapids Griffins.

By no means am I proclaiming any great huge results, but he is a big goaltender who is very athletic, especially for his size. If he can continue to develop at only 22 years old, he could be another sneaky good signing by the Blackhawks.

University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldog’s goalie Adam Gajan has had an impressive season that led him to the Slovakian Olympic hockey team. (Photo courtesy of the NHL)

Adam Gajan

Gajan has been one of my favorite goaltending prospects in recent memory. The good and bad of playing in leagues like the USHL are that you can somewhat avoid the spotlight, but players only really have basic stats to be judged on.

This is what happened when Gajan played his D+1 season with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. For those not aware, the USHL is a league notorious for not supporting the defensive end of the ice, so the average 8.66 goals per game were scored — not ideal for a goaltender looking to impress.

Davidson picked Gajan in the now-famous Connor Bedard 2023 NHL Draft in the second round (35th overall). He was also the first goaltender picked in that draft, ahead of netminders like Detroit Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine and Montreal Canadiens rookie Jacob Fowler.

Following his adventure in Green Bay, he committed to play at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Truth be told, his first year was not eye-opening. He played 21 games as the primary starter and posted a 7-15-1 record with a .885 save percentage in all situations as a 20-year-old freshman.

As a sophomore, he has cemented his spot as the primary starter for the Bulldogs with a current 15-7-0 record and a .911 save percentage. This was impressive enough to earn Gajan an invite to travel to Milan Cortina with Team Slovakia.

He is another big goaltender (notice the trend here) at 6-foot-3 and 187 pounds, and is known for his extreme flexibility. He regularly goes into full splits to make saves, which can often show up on highlight reels.

If Blackhawks fans can be patient with him, and the organization puts the time into development, Gajan could end up the best goalie in the system.

Ilya Kanarsky

This is a name that not many Blackhawks fans will be familiar with, just yet. Davidson took the 6-foot-2, 192-pound 21-year-old this summer in the seventh round of the 2025 NHL Draft. He has been playing Russian professional hockey, first in the MHL/NMHL, then in the VHL, since 2021.

Ilya Kanarsky comes from a hockey family, as his father, Pavel Kanarsky, was a defenseman in the Russian leagues from 2006 until 2017. His younger brother, Yan Kanarsky, is also a defenseman in the Russian MHL.

His stats are pretty gaudy, but keep in mind that he was drafted in his D+2 season, which means he went undrafted in two previous years of eligibility. Individually, he has a 7-13-8 record with a .925 save percentage. Without context, that sounds sensational, but the VHL is a strong goalie league. He is ranked 29th overall in save percentage. There are 59 goalies who have played 10 games or more who have save percentages over .900.

Playing with AKM Tula Region, Kanarsky is the primary starter despite being the youngest goaltender on the team. His team, unfortunately, is 21st out of 32 teams in the standings.

I would not expect much from this player, but stranger things have happened. He could be a candidate for Indy or Rockford should he choose to pursue North America, but his chances of showing up in a Blackhawks sweater are low.

The post ANALYSIS: Chicago Blackhawks goaltending assessment 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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.

Chicago took the lead at the 2:38 mark of the game when captain Nick Foligno fired a wrist shot past Calgary goaltender Devin Cooley. The goal, assisted by forwards Colton Dach and Landon Slaggart, was Foligno’s second of the season.

Nick Foligno goes top shelf for his 2nd goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Hc0Ukz3M1p

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 16, 2026

Calgary would tie the game at 1-1 when forward Yegor Sharangovich scored his ninth goal of the season, beating Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight on the power play. Backland and Connor Zary assisted on the goal.

Yegor Sharangovich – Calgary Flames (9) pic.twitter.com/H8lGnBEsK8

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) January 16, 2026

Backlund would finish off the scoring for Calgary in the first period with the shorthanded goal at the 6:05 mark of the first period. The go-ahead 2-1 goal was unassisted.

What a goal by Mikael Backlund

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/35uPi0ngGv

— FlamesNation (@FlamesNation) January 16, 2026

Calgary would finish the scoring for the night after former Chicago Steel forward Matt Coronato scored his 13th goal of the season into the Chicago empty net. The goal, assisted by Sharangovich, capped off the two-point nights for Backlund and Sharnagovich.

Analysis

Chicago could not muster much pressure on the power play and finished the game 0 for 4 with the man advantage. The Blackhawks’ power play is running at a 22% clip this season, which ranks 12th in the NHL leaderboards, so panic would not be the word for a one-game slip up.

Knight continues to play well even in defeat. The 24-year-old has the task of playing behind a inexperienced blue line and has shown to keep them in games even when the struggle is there in front of him.

The post RECAP: Flames defeat Blackhawks 3-1 behind Backlund’s two-point night appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and Jimmy O’Malley to talk about Jimmy’s latest article featuring the the Blackhawks’ mid-term grades.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 18 – Blackhawks ’25-26 Mid-Term Grades appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago entered the game winning five out of its last six. Edmonton entered the game losing three out of its last five.

Connor Bedard would miss the contest with the flu.

First period

The first period was defined by high-danger chances by Edmonton. With multiple second chance opportunities and Connor McDavid hitting the crossbar, the Oilers scoring first felt inevitable.

The inevitable first goal came with just over five minutes left in the period. With open space, Evan Bouchard skated toward the net. Instead of shooting, Bouchard made a daring pass to Zach Hyman, who was battling by the net with Alex Vlasic. The puck bounced off Hyman’s stick and into the net, giving the Oilers a 1-0 lead.

That was the only goal of the period, as the Oilers outshot the Blackhawks 10-5.

Second period

It did not take long for Edmonton to extend its lead. Just 16 seconds into the second frame, Bouchard shot the puck fro seemingly an impossible angle, deflecting off Spencer Knight, giving the Oilers a 2-0 lead.

The rest of the period continued with Oiler dominance, only curtailed by Knight standing on his head. Outshot 16-12 in the period, the Blackhawks were seemingly being run out of the United Center.

Third period

It took a few periods, but some pushback finally took place. Whether it was the Blackhawks finding their groove or the Oilers taking their foot off the gas, most of the third period was controlled by Chicago.

That control finally translated to a goal when Tyler Bertuzzi shot a rebound off Connor Ingram into the net with just over five minutes to go.

big fans of this pic.twitter.com/KEiY67x1Et

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 13, 2026

As the game reached its end, Chicago pulled Knight for the extra attacker. After a faceoff win in the defensive zone, Bouchard fired the puck all the way down the ice to take a 3-1 lead.

A defeated Blackhawks squad gave up an ugly goal with less than a minute left to Leon Draisaitl, ending the game with a final score of 4-1.

Final thoughts

An example of too little, too late for Chicago. Although they outshot the Oilers 13-11 in the third period, it was clear Edmonton played a conservative game in the finals frame. Without Bedard, Chicago lacked an offensive threat that Edmonton needed to account for.

The Blackhawks continue their season on Thursday at home against the Calgary Flames at 7:30 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks dismissed by Oilers, lose 4-1 appeared first on The Rink.

Once again, feel free to object to any of my assessments. These grades are mine alone. They are not a reflection of any other member of The Rink and their assessments, nor the organization as a whole.

For further insight into my grades, please listen to the upcoming Rinkcast.

Blackhawks Roster Grade

Criteria

• Must currently be on the Blackhawks roster
  • This excludes players traded away or currently with the Rockford IceHogs
• Must have played at least 20 games with the Blackhawks
  • This excludes players who have split the season between Rockford and Chicago, they will be graded separately
• All stats are as of Jan. 11

Connor Bedard

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Grade: A
• Season stats: 33 games played, 19 goals, 27 assists, 46 points

Positives

• Leads the team in points, assists, and plus/minus
• Clear MVP of the team

Negatives

• Health concerns

Assessment

The only thing keeping Bedard from an A+ is his health. As some say, the best ability is availability, so missing nearly a month of action does affect his grade.

Even so, he has played like an Art Ross candidate. If he had remained healthy, he might be on the Canadian Olympic roster and in serious talk of winning the MVP. Bedard has officially reached superstar status.

Tyler Bertuzzi

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Grade: A+
• Season stats: 42 games played, 23 goals, 13 assists, 36 points

Positives

• Has already matched his goal total from last season
• Produces without Bedard
• Leads team in power play goals

Negatives

• One-hit wonder?
• Unsustainable shooting percentage

Assessment

An easy A+ in my book, Bertuzzi has been the perfect net-front goal scorer for this team. There was concern that when Bedard went down with injury, Bertuzzi’s effectiveness would dry up. Instead, it reached new heights, capped by a hat trick against the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 4.

The concerns, however, are similar to ones many had about Ryan Donato last season. Shooting 23.2%, it is reasonable to believe this is not who Bertuzzi will be for the remainder of his contract. The good news is, unlike Donato, he is not doing this in a contract season. The Blackhawks have two more years of control with Bertuzzi, so further assessment of who Bertuzzi is can be made.

Andre Burakovsky

(Photo courtesy of David Banks / Imagn Images)

• Grade: A-
• Season stats: 40 games played, 10 goals, 19 assists, 29 points

Positives

• Effective lineman of Bedard
• Two-way presence

Negatives

• Loses effectiveness without Bedard
• Noticeable cold spells

Assessment

An absolute steal when acquired by Kyle Davidson, Burakovsky has proved to be a lineman that Blackhawks fans were hoping Chicago would acquire for Bedard. Already matching his 2024-25 goal total, Burakovsky has shown himself to be reliable playing top-line minutes.

However, he has proven to be a double-edged sword. Without Bedard, his effectiveness drops in the offensive zone. He can also go on cold spells that hampers the forward group. Still, his defensive play will overcome poor offensive performances, giving him an A- at this point in the season.

Artyom Levshunov

(Photo courtesy of Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images)

• Grade: B+
• Season stats: 43 games played, 2 goals, 19 assists, 21 points

Positives

• Offensive force
• Great puck control
• Transition game
• Leads team in assists on the power play

Negatives

• Maturity
• Consistency

Assessment

Perhaps my Levshunov bias is showing, but I truly believe we are seeing the emergence of a franchise defenseman this season with Levshunov. Despite a slow start to the season, Levshunov has shown the talent that warranted his selection at second overall in the 2024 Draft. Poised with the puck, aggressive with his stick and possessing a wicked shot, there’s so much to like with Levshunov.

Even so, there are concerns. His maturity has come into question this season. Him being scratched during the home opener, and later being late to a practice and failing in a drill caused another scratching. It is fair to say that Levshunov needs to become a professional in all aspects. That will come in time, but for now, it is a concern, along with his consistency.

Frank Nazar

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Grade: B-
• Season stats: 33 games played, 6 goals, 15 assists, 21 points

Positives

• Strong start to the season
• Effective second-line center

Negatives

• Cooled off immensely in November
• Injury concerns

Assessment

By far the hardest Blackhawk to grade, Nazar began the season looking like he could threaten Bedard for first-line center minutes. In October, he had five goals and six assists in 11 games. Since then, Nazar has managed only one goal.

Along with his cold stretch, Nazar received a jaw injury on Dec. 20 against the Ottawa Senators that has kept him out for weeks. Perhaps I am being generous in my grading, however, I would like to believe his cold streak that started in November has more to do with health than skill.

Teuvo Teravainen

(Photo courtesy of Matt Marton / AP Photos)

• Grade: C
• Season stats: 44 games played, 9 goals, 12 assists, 21 points

Positives

• Penalty killer
• No dire weakness

Negatives

• Drop in offensive effectiveness
• Moved down the lineup

Assessment

There is not much to say about Teravainen. The only thing I can say about his season is that he has been aggressively fine. He doesn’t do anything poorly, but he doesn’t do anything especially well. Perhaps shooting a higher clip will improve his grade, but until then, he may just be a guy at this point.

Ryan Donato

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Grade: C
• Season stats: 45 games played, 10 goals, 8 assists, 18 points

Positives

• Effective bottom-six production
• Two-way game

Negatives

• Mediocre offensive production
• Drop-off from last season

Assessment

After re-signing with Chicago in the offseason, Donato has shown to be a lot like Teravinen. He is, for all intents and purposes, aggressively fine. The problem is, signing a long-term extension to be aggressively fine isn’t ideal.

This is not to say he has played poorly. Donato is still an effective two-way, bottom-six forward. The issue is that last season is looking more and more like a fluke with every game.

Ryan Greene

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Grade: B+
• Season stats: 45 games played, 5 goals, 12 assists, 17 points

Positives

• Impressive at the dot
• Mature game for his age

Negatives

• Scoring drought

Assessment

A forward I thought would start the season in Rockford, Greene has quickly proven he is an NHLer. Despite his counting stats not popping off the screen, his value is seen elsewhere. Effective at the dot, Greene looked comfortable taking first-line center reps when Bedard went down with injury.

Greene already looks to be a center good teams want on their third line. If he continues to develop at this rate, the Blackhawks may have one of the best center depth charts in the NHL.

Oliver Moore

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Grade: B+
• Blackhawks season stats: 33 games played, 5 goals, 9 assists, 14 assists
• IceHogs season stats: 9 games, 6 goals, 3 assists, 9 points

Positives

• Incredible skater
• Emerging scoring touch

Negatives

• NHL growing pains
• Cold spells

Like with Nazar last season, Moore played his way out of Rockford very early. After only nine games in Rockford where he went a point per game, Moore received the call-up.

Moore did not light it up right away with the Blackhawks, recording just five points in his first 11 games this season. However, he has since found his footing, using his skating skills to record five points in his last six games. The hope with Moore is that he continues to find his scoring touch and solidifies his place in the top-six this season.

Ilya Mikheyev

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Grade: C+
• Season stats: 40 games played, 8 goals, 6 assists, 14 points

Positives

• Shorthanded menace
• Effective skater

Negatives

• Drop-off in scoring
• Cold streaks

Assessment

Like with many veteran forwards on this roster, Mikheyev offers the Blackhawks a two-way game, but has struggled to light the lamp, with noticeable cold streaks. Another aggressively fine forward.

Louis Crevier

(Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski / Imagn Images)

• Grade: B+
• Season stats: 42 games played, 4 goals, 10 assists, 14 points

Positives

• Powerful shot
• Physical presence

Negatives

• Slower skater
• Maxes out as a third-pairing defenseman

Assessment

A pleasant surprise dating back to last season, Crevier has gone from seventh-round longshot to a consistent NHL defenseman with a powerful shot. With four goals, Crevier has found the offensive touch that was missing last season.

That being said, he still only appears to be a third-pairing guy. Not a bad thing, but it shows his limits as an NHL defenseman.

Matt Grzelcyk

(Photo courtesy of Mark Konezny / Imagn Images)

• Grade: C+
• Season stats: 45 games played, 0 goals, 11 assists, 11 points

Positives

• Stabilizing force
• Effective puck-mover

Negatives

• Undersized, meaning he is not a physical defenseman
• Lack of scoring

Assessment

Starting his time with Chicago on a PTO, Grzelcyk earned a one-year contract for this season. Despite his lack of scoring production, Grzelcyk has proven to be a stable partner for the young defensemen on Chicago’s roster.

The question is whether he will be re-signed, or if Grzelcyk will be a trade candidate when the deadline comes around.

Alex Vlasic

(Photo courtesy of Derek Cain / Getty Images)

• Grade: B-
• Season stats: 44 games played, 2 goals, 8 assists, 10 points

Positves

• Effective in the defensive zone
• Recent upswing in offensive production

Negatives

• Noticeably unnoticeable at times
• Slow offensive start to the season

Assessment

Still a defensively gifted defenseman, Vlasic’s offensive ability has noticeably lacked this season. With only 10 points, it is fair to want more from a defenseman recently signed to a six-year contract.

This is not to say hope is lost; far from it. It is, however, reasonable to want a lot more from Vlasic.

Jason Dickinson

(Photo courtesy of David Banks / Imagn Images)

• Grade: C
• Season stats: 32 games played, 5 goals, 4 assists, 9 points

Positives

• Efficient at the dot
• Far healthier than last season

Negatives

• Offensive black hole
• Some injury concerns

Assessment

Another “aggressively fine” Blackhawk, Dickinson is finally healthy enough compared to last season to not give him a failing grade. Near 50% from the dot, Dickinson looks the part of a fourth-line center.

Wyatt Kaiser

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Grade: B
• Season stats: 45 games played, 4 goals, 5 assists, 9 points

Positives

• Plays bigger than he is
• Solid defensive game

Negatives

• Offensively inconsistent
• Noticeably bad performances

Assessment

A defenseman who I may have been too harsh to when grading last season, Kaiser has proven to be competent this season. A trusted partner of Levshunov, Kaiser plays an effective defensive game with the occasional offensive touch.

With Kaiser, however, there are still some concerns. I joked after a podcast that he is solid until someone in the media heaps praise on him, and then he puts up a stinker. He is solid when not paid attention to, that is the best way I can put it.

Connor Murphy

(Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski / Imagn Images)

• Grade: B-
• Season stats: 45 games played, 1 goal, 7 assists, 8 points

Positives

• Defensively trustworthy
• Defensive unit leader

Negatives

• Slow skater
• Little offensive talent

Assessment

I hate to use the term yet again, but Murphy is the only defenseman that I have graded to be given the “aggressively fine” title. Consistent in the defensive zone, healthy and an obvious leader, Murphy has been what the Blackhawks have asked of him all season.

Perhaps more can be asked of him in the offensive zone, but he does what is needed.

Colton Dach

(Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski / Imagn Images)

• Grade: C
• Season stats: 44 games played, 3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points

Positives

• Physical menace

Negatives

• Minimal offensive presence
• Questionable defensive skill

Assessment

Currently sixth in the NHL in hits with 155, Dach has brought a physical presence to the forward group. Even so, there is not much else to his game. His defensive metrics are meh, and his offensive is mediocre. Not saying he is a lost cause, but there are certainly questions about his long-term outlook with the Blackhawks.

Nick Foligno

(Photo courtesy of China Wong / NHLI via Getty Images)

• Grade: C-
• Season stats: 23 games played, 1 goal, 7 assists, 8 points

Positives

• Consistent when on the ice

Negatives

• Little offensive impact
• Injury concerns

Assessment

Little is to be said about the captain. Foligno has not lit up any scoresheet, nor is he noticeable on the ice when he plays.

That being said, the Blackhawks went on a noticeable cold streak in December when he went down with a wrist injury. I don’t think that was a coincidence. This team needs his presence, one way or another, to play at peak form.

Spencer Knight

(Photo courtesy of Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

• Grade: A
• Season stats: 30 games played, 13 wins, 11 losses, 6 overtime losses, .910 save percentage, 2.62 goals against average

Positives

• Blossoming franchise goaltender

Negatives

• Cooled off since his strong start to the season

Assessment

Spencer Knight is clearly becoming Chicago’s franchise goalie. There is not much else to be said. He is excelling with a struggling defensive unit in front of him. Once they get better, he will only continue to rise.

Arvid Soderblom

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Grade: D+
• Season stats: 14 games played, 5 wins, 7 loses, 1 overtime loss, .873 save percentage, 3.86 goals against average

Positives

• Strong early start to the season

Negatives

• Just about everything else

Assessment

A real struggle for the Blackhawks to figure out, Soderblom has not looked good for most of the season. Perhaps lost in the shuffle of the season, but Soderblom is looking dangerously close to his 2023-2024 form.

Blackhawks/IceHogs Roster Grades

Criteria

• At least eight games with the IceHogs and two games with the Blackhawks
• Grading is a cumulative grade based on performance in the NHL and AHL

Sam Rinzel

(Photo courtesy of Bryan Holliday / Rockford IceHogs)

• Grade: C-
• Blackhawks season stats: 28 games played, 1 goal, 7 assists, 8 points
• IceHogs season stats: 12 games played, 0 goals, 7 assists, 7 points

Positives

• Puck distributor

Negatives

• Overmatched in the NHL

Assessment

It has been an unfortunate first half of the season for Rinzel. What started as a dark-horse Calder season turned into a demotion to the AHL. His confidence was noticeably shaken in the NHL, which caused a dramatic loss in ice time before being sent to Rockford.

Not all is lost for the young defenseman. Rinzel got to Rockford and started distributing the puck very efficiently, already recording seven assists. There is still plenty of time, both this season and in the future, to right the Rinzel ship.

Nick Lardis

(Photo courtesy of Kristin Ostrowski / Rockford IceHogs)

• Grade: A
• Blackhawks season stats: 14 games played, 4 goals, 1 assist, 5 points
• IceHogs season stats: 24 games played, 13 goals, 13 assists, 26 points

Positives

• Scoring machine in the AHL
• Scoring touch translating in the NHL

Negatives

• Cold spells
• Defensive game

Assessment

Like with Moore, Lardis quickly outgrew the AHL. Once Bedard went down with injury, Lardis took full advantage. With Bedard back, Lardis was an immediate scoring winger to plug next to Bedard.

There is still a lot of growth for Lardis, especially in his defensive game, but Lardis is an easy A at this point.

Landon Slaggert

(Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski / Imagn Images)

• Grade: C-
• Blackhawks season stats: 19 games played, 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points
• IceHog season stats: 8 games played, 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points

Positives

• Looks fine on an NHL fourth line
• AHL top-six forward

 Negatives

• Not particularly skilled
• No real spot on the NHL roster

Assessment

In the NHL, Slaggert is just a guy. In the AHL, he is a solid top-six forward. It may be time to seriously consider his long-term future with the Blackhawks.

Kevin Korchinski

(Photo courtesy of Kristin Ostrowski / Rockford IceHogs)

• Grade: B
• Blackhawks season stats: 2 games played, 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point
• IceHogs season stats: 32 games played, 2 goals, 17 assists, 19 points

Positives

• IceHogs’ best defenseman
• Second Blackhawks game much better than his first

Negatives

• Still undersized
• Still working on defensive game

Assessment

If his performance against the Nashville Predators on Saturday is anything to go off of, Korchinski is very close to becoming a full-time NHLer. Despite still being undersized and lacking in the defensive zone, his ability to move with and without the puck in the offensive zone shows extreme promise. By the end of this season, hope remains that he has put enough together to be in the NHL.

Dominic Toninato

(Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

• Grade: C-
• Blackhawks season stats: 5 games played, 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point
• IceHogs season stats: 29 games played, 7 goals, 14 assists, 21 points

Positives

• Competent enough when called up
• Top-six AHLer

Negatives

• Simply not a full-time NHLer

Assessment

Only graded because he technically fit the criteria, Toninato is just a guy. Nothing else needs to be said.

Ethan Del Mastro

(Photo courtesy of Jimmy Doles / Rockford IceHogs)

• Grade: C-
• Blackhawks season stats: 2 games played, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points
• IceHogs season stats: 28 games played, 1 goal, 10 assists, 11 points

Positives

• AHL top-four defenseman

Negatives

• Not an NHL defenseman

Assessment

A tough player to grade, Del Mastro looks to be in a difficult spot. Like with Nolan Allan, Del Mastro may not have an NHL roster spot. He is a solid AHL defenseman, but serious questions should be asked about his long-term future.

Drew Commesso

(Photo courtesy of Kristin Ostrowski / Rockford IceHogs)

• Grade: A
• Blackhawks season stats: 2 games played, 1 win, 1 loss, 0 overtime losses, .917 save percentage, 2.50 goals against average
• IceHogs season stats: 19 games played, 6 wins, 11 losses, 3 overtime losses, .909 save percentage, 2.72 goals against average

Positives

• Another strong AHL season
• First NHL win and shutout

Negatives

• Limited NHL time
• Little help in Rockford

Assessment

After his first win and shutout against the Nashville Predators on Saturday, the sky is the limit for the young goaltender. His time in the AHL may be coming to an end with his strong play and the struggles of Soderblom. If his performance against Nashville is anything to go off of, he may be ready for a longer stint with the Blackhawks.

The post ANALYSIS: Blackhawks midterm grades 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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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 Chicago Blackhawks were hit with the illness bug as Jeff Blashill skipped the morning skate and goaltenders Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom were not dressed for the game in Chicago. Drew Commesso ended up getting the start in net and stopped 19 of the 25 shots in the loss.

First period

Decked out in their black sweaters, Chicago looked slow, lost and chasing the puck for most of the period as Washington scored three goals in the early frame to take the 3-0 lead into the first intermission. Anthony Beauvillier received a great pass from Martin Fehervary and tipped in the pass into a wide-open corner as Commesso was anticipating a shot from the point as forward Nick Lardis was slow getting off his check along the boards.

Chicago would fall behind 2-0 at the 15:07 mark when forward Connor McMichael beat defensemen Matt Grelzyck and Kevin Korchinski to a loose puck, skated between the two without being touched and slid a backhand through the five hole of Commesso. The goal, McMichael’s sixth of the season, was a great effort between two undecided defensemen.

Washington scored a minute before intermission when Ethan Frank scored his fifth goal after a Blackhawks turnover at the blue line and scored their third goal in six shots on Commesso.

Second period

Chicago would score its only goal of the game at the 8:48 mark of the second period when forward Oliver Moore snapped home his fifth goal of the season beating Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson.

OLIVER MOORE WITH AN ABSOLUTE SNIPE! pic.twitter.com/dAvHWNFMKX

— NHL (@NHL) January 10, 2026

Washington would not wait long to regain the three-goal advantage when winger Justin Sourdif scored his ninth goal of the season.

Third period

Many fans came out to see the all-time NHL goal scoring leader Ovechkin for perhaps one final time on Chicago ice and the legend did not disappoint fans with his goal at the 13:33 mark of the last frame. Ovechkin found a loose puck in the neutral zone and fired a snap shot through the five hole of Commesso to finish off the Blackhawks 5-1.

Analysis

The Blackhawks had a five-game point streak snapped with the loss to the Capitals, which coincided with the return of forward Connor Bedard after a 12-game absence. Bedard played just over 17 minutes and did look a bit rusty. However, it is great to have the heart and soul back on the ice.

Commesso’s start to his NHL career has been slow, having been called up a few times as a “emergency” start but the 23-year-old goaltender has been solid in Rockford for a season and a half now for the rebuilding Blackhawks.

Korchinski was also called up last night as the “bug” ripped through the locker room and looked a bit out of place chasing the puck a bunch and did not make many positive plays in his 13:53 minutes of action.

The 5-1 loss will be a good learning experience for the young Blackhawks as this is a “throw away” game in the memories and move onto the next game after their run of five-point streak. The locker room needs to get healthy and back to full strength.

The Hawks return to action tonight, traveling to face the Nashville Predators for a 7 p.m. CST start.

The post RECAP: Ovechkin scores in Capitals’ 5-1 victory in Chicago appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and Jimmy O’Malley to talk about the Blackhawks’ recent trade with the San Jose Sharks, their winning streak, Connor Bedard’s return, the emergence of Anton Frondell at the World Junior Championships, and more.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 17 – The Up and Down ’25-26 Blackhawks appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Tyler Tucker needed just 27 seconds to give the Blues an early 1-0 lead. Brayden Schenn gathered a loose puck behind the net and fed a pinching Tucker, who knocked it in for his second of the season.

The Hawks answered with a power-play goal by Nick Lardis. Oliver Moore faked a shot from the right circle and fired a pass to Lardis, who buried a one-timer for his third of the season at 9:26 to tie it at 1-1.

another goal for the kid pic.twitter.com/95L64uf9Bl

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 8, 2026

The game would remain tied after one period.

Second period

The Hawks took a 2-1 lead when Moore scored his fourth of the season on the power play and his first goal in 17 games. Matt Grzelcyk fired a shot from the point that was stopped by Bimnington, but Nick Foligno outworked the Blues’ defenders to get it back to Grzelcyk, who fed Moore just below the right circle and fired a wrist shot off Binnington’s glove at 7:41.

more goals pic.twitter.com/MHHAks0n5L

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 8, 2026

The lead did not last long, as Otto Stenberg scored his first NHL goal. Artyom Levshunov attempted a pass to Landon Slaggert, but it went off his skate and right to Stenberg, who fired a top-shelf shot at 8:22 to tie it at 2-2.

The Hawks quickly regained the lead when Connor Murphy powered a shot past Binnington for his first of the season at 8:57. Chicago took a 3-2 lead.

Murph’s first of the season! pic.twitter.com/KJGdwOCmiP

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 8, 2026

Slaggert extended the Hawks’ lead to 4-2 with his second of the season. Murphy gathered the puck at the point and fed Colton Dach, who fired it from the point and Slaggert tipped it in at 12:27.

admin stands corrected, Landon Slaggert tipped in this goal! https://t.co/jGotVsXB3F pic.twitter.com/4IUhAGKr8K

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 8, 2026

The Hawks took a 5-2 lead on Jason Dickinson’s fifth of the season. The Hawks won a board battle and the puck landed on Louis Crevier’s stick at the point. Crevier shot it and Dickinson tipped it in at 17:24.

could we add Chelsea Dagger to the queue one more time pls pic.twitter.com/ebGyERyT6g

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 8, 2026

The Hawks would take a three-goal lead into the second intermission.

Third period

With the Hawks on a 5-on-3 power play, Andre Burakovsky snapped a wrist shot past Binnington for his 10th of the season. Ryan Greene and Burakovsky played catch with the puck and eventually Burakovaky shot it in off the post to give Chicago a 6-2 lead.

Andre Burakovsky on the power play pic.twitter.com/gDzTmNBLko

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 8, 2026

Crevier hits the proverbial extra point with his fourth of the season to give the Hawks a 7-2 lead. Slaggert’s shot from the point was stopped by Binnington but he left a bouncing rebound that Crevier swatted in on the doorstep at 12:56.

touchdown + the extra point pic.twitter.com/WsIrhwrxDB

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 8, 2026

The Blues cut it to 7-3 when Nathan Walker scored his fourth of the season at 13:19. Alexey Toropchenko made a cross-ice pass to Walker, who drove to the net and deflected it up in the air then followed through by batting the puck in mid air into the net. That would be the final goal of the game as the Hawks picked up their fourth straight win.

Analysis

The Hawks turned an early deficit into a dominant performance with contributions throughout the lineup. Special teams played a huge factor as the Hawks killed two straight overlapping Blues power plays then proceeded to pick up three power-play goals of their own to stay red hot with the man advantage. The Hawks are rolling and will get some reinforcements soon with Connor Bedard, who is now listed as day-to-day, potentially returning as early as this weekend. The Blackhawks stay at home to host the Washington Capitals on Friday night. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. CST on CHSN with a national telecast on NHL Network and the radio call on WGN AM 720.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks blow out Blues 7-3 appeared first on The Rink.

Sunday’s victory was powered by a hat trick from Tyler Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi has emerged a real leader in Connor Bedard’s absence and is having arguably the best season of his career. Ironcially enough, Bertuzzi’s previous best season came under Jeff Blashill in Detroit.

The victory also broke the Blackawks’ winless streak in back-to-back games this season.

First period

The scoring in this game was started by former Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad. Saad was able to bury a puck loose in front of the Hawks net.

The Hawks tied the game on Bertuzzi’s first goal of the contest.

GOAL: Tyler Bertuzzi rips a shot from the circle to tie the game! pic.twitter.com/NyeaexIjPi

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 5, 2026

The first period ended with the score knotted at 1-1.

Second period

In the second period, Mark Stone scored to give the Knights a 2-1 lead.

Third period

At just past the midway point, Bertuzzi struck again for the second time.

GOAL: Tyler Bertuzzi jams in his second of the game off a feed from Ryan Greene pic.twitter.com/9TGHstxhzv

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 5, 2026

Ryan Greene, who had been denied on several great chances, was able to find Bertuzzi for the second goal.

After several great chances by the Hawks to end the period, this game went to overtime.

Overtime

The Hawks had a great scorong chance when Artyom Leshunov won a board battle. The win sent Ilya Mikheyev and Bertuzzi down the ice. After a near miss, Mikheyev wheeled around the net and found a wide-open Bertuzzi for the winner.

Tyler Bertuzzi OT WINNER FOR THE HAT TRICK! pic.twitter.com/JPnXHuyzgB

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 5, 2026

Vegas challenged the goal-scoring sequence for offside. Ultimately the goal was upheld for the Blackhawks victory.

Analysis

The Hawks have won three in a row and continue to play excellent for their goalies. While Bertuzzi will get a ton of credit for this victory, we should also recognize the play of Arvid Soderblom. Soderblom denied Colton Sissons on three seperate occassions in this contest. He has gotten really good at stopping 1-on-1 chances.

In addition to Soderblom, Greene continues to get himself in great scoring position. He appears to have at least one A+ chance per game. Hopefully some of those pucks will go in the net.

The offensive hero of the contest, Bertuzzi, has been a godsend for this team. Bertuzzi continues to find ways to help this team out night in and night out. He has really stepped up his offensive game since Bedard’s injury. The Hawks need Bertuzzi and company to continue to play well  before the Olympic break. With Bedard and Frank Nazar still out, the Hawks must continue to ride this wave of positive vibes.

The Hawks’ next game is Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues on TNT at 8:30 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Bertuzzi powers Blackhawks to victory over Vegas with hat trick 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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.

This was the second time the Hawks had seen Dallas in less than a week. Spencer Knight got the start in goal.

First period

The Hawks got the scoring started with a power-play goal from Arytom Levshunov. The young defenseman finally cashed in a scoring chance after so many near misses in the past.

GOAL: Artyom Levshunov finishes off an amazing sequence in the O-zone with a snipe. What a shift. pic.twitter.com/uwHGQ55GAw

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 2, 2026

The Hawks’ lead was short-lived, as Mikko Rantanen answered less than three minutes later, tying the score at 1-1.

Second period

The Hawks started the second period on power play after delayed penalty on Nils Lundkvist. The Hawks wasted little time cashing in on the power play for a 2-1 advantage.

GOAL: Bertuzzi and Burakovsky set up Teuvo Teravainen for his 8th goal of the season on the power play! pic.twitter.com/Uu58hvJHtX

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 2, 2026

The Hawks continued to dominate the second period when Ilya Mikheyev donned his superman cape for a 3-1 lead.

GOAL: Ilya Mikheyev wheels in and chips it over Oettinger to extend the Blackhawks lead! pic.twitter.com/9ISPIyFcmJ

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 2, 2026

The Hawks ended a dominant second period with a two-goal lead.

Third period

Early in the third period, Mikheyev fired a shot on net. The shot squirted through Jake Oettinger’s pads for the goal.

GOAL: Ilya Mikheyev scores his second of the game on a shot that leaks through Oettinger pic.twitter.com/Cd2HNbj4hN

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 2, 2026

The Stars did not go quietly into the night. Jason Robertson scored with under four minutes to play. With less than 20 second left to play, Matt Duchene potted a goal to cut the lead further, but the Hawks held on for a 4-3 victory.

Analysis

Despite the close final score, the Hawks dominated the majority of this game. The Hawks got great games from Tyler Bertuzzi, Mikheyev, Levshunov and Alex Vlasic. In the closing seconds of the game, Mikheyev missed an empty-netter. That would have been his first NHL hat trick.

The Hawks are finally finding out how to play winning hockey without Connor Bedard.

Another unsugn hero of tonight’s victory was Ryan Greene. While Greene is still not scoring at a great clip, he is finding ways to contribute. Greene won 62.5% of his faceoffs in the victory.

Knight enjoyed another solid effort in the net. He stopped 21 of 24 shots for the victory.

The Hawks now have points in three of their last four games. The Hawks’ next game will Saturday against the Washington Capitals. The game will be at 6 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks defeat Stars 4-3 to start 2026 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Islanders took an early 1-0 lead on Calum Ritchie’s fifth goal of the season. Wyatt Kaiser was surrounded by three Islanders, who forced a turnover near the blue line. Simon Holmstrom skated in alone with Ritchie, who received the pass and fired it off the shaft of Knight’s stick at 2:56.

Bo Horvat made it 2-0 with a power-play goal. Mat Barzal dished it to Horvat, who fired a wrist shot from the right circle past Knight for his 21st of the season at 12:08. The Islanders would take a 2-0 lead after one.

Second period

Teuvo Teravainen got the Hawks on the board with his seventh of the season. Artyom Levshunov, who had been putting on a skating display all game, carried the puck up the right wing boards and fed Oliver Moore in the slot, who set up Teravainen for a one-timer that he buried at 15:31 to cut the deficit to 2-1.

With the Hawks on a four-minute power play, Nick Lardis tied the game at 2-2 with his second of the season in the closing seconds of the period. Moore skated up the right wing side and found Lardis in the left circle, who fired a one-timer past Rittich at 19:57 to tie the game at 2-2 after two periods.

Third period

The Hawks nearly won it in the closing seconds when Nick Foligno missed a wide-open cage with five seconds left in regulation. After a scoreless third, the teams went to overtime

Overtime

The Hawks had a few great chances early in the extra frame but could not cash in. With a little over two minutes left, Levshunov took a tripping penalty, however, the Hawks killed it off and went to a shootout.

Shootout

Lardis, Barzal and Teravainen traded misses, then Horvat slowed up and buried a wrist shot up high. That goal would stand, as Ryan Donato was denied and the Islanders got the extra point and the 3-2 win.

Analysis

After a slow start that brought flashbacks of Sunday night’s stinker against the Penguins, the Hawks rebounded with a strong effort. They tightened up defensively in the final two periods, which allowed them to fight their way back and tie it up only to fall short in the shootout. Levshunov put on a show with his outstanding skating ability and creativity. The line of Moore between Lardis and Teravainen was excellent and accounted for both Hawks goals while generating numerous other scoring chances.

The Hawks remain home for their next contest on Thursday night against the Dallas Stars. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. CST on CHSN with the radio call on 720 AM WGN.

The post RECAP: Hawks come back but fall 3-2 to Islanders in shootout appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Pittsburgh scored four goals on 10 shots in the first period as Chicago looked like they were still on their holiday break. Knight allowed four of those goals on nine shots. Anthony Mantha got the scoring going at within the first two minutes of the game and Chicago never really could answer with anything as each shot seemed to find the back of the Chicago net.

Rust and Brazeau scored minutes apart to take the Pittsburgh lead to 3-0 as Knight was helpless as Chicago defensemen either could not find a puck at their feet to clear the zone or let Penguins forwards skate to the net without any check or body on body of any kind.

Rust scored his second of the game and extended the Penguins lead to 4-0 after jumping on the ice from the penalty box and firing a shot through Knight.

Second period

Nick Foligno found his way back to the ice and found the back of the net at the 10:50 mark of the middle frame for his first goal of the season. Foligno made an awesome play screening Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs and pounded home a rebound between his legs off a shot from forward Colton Dach.

Welcome back to Nick Foligno, who scores his 1st goal of the season. He missed the last 19 games with an injury. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/dRAJJsHVsX

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 29, 2025

Pittsburgh answered the Foligno with back-to-back goals by Brazeau to give the 27-year-old Canadian 11 goals on the season.

Trailing 6-1, defenseman Wyatt Kaiser scored his fourth goal of the season to shorten the Penguins’ lead to 6–2. Kaisers wrist shot from the point went wide of the net only to corral off the end boards, hit the back of Silovs’ pads and find the back of the net.

Wyatt Kaiser’s shot goes off the boards, off Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs and in for his 4th goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Ml1lG81tl0

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 29, 2025

Pittsburgh would score one more time in the second period when Noel Acciari scored his third goal of the season beating Soderblom as the Blackhawks’ goaltender gave up all three Pittsburgh goals in the second period.

Third period

Tyler Bertuzzi scored his 19th goal of the season with one second left in the game. As time was expiring, Bertuzzi found a puck at the left circle and fired a shot that suprised Silovs and into the back of the net.

Chicago heads to New York to take on the New York Islanders for a 7:30 p.m. CST puck drop at the UBS Arena on Tuesday.

Analysis

Chicago looked like they were still on the holiday break and spent most of their time chasing the puck. To say that this was a sleepwalk of a game would be an understatement. Artyom Levshunov looked out of place most of the night and Kaiser seems to always have a player behind him making plays.

Bertuzzi continues to be a nice piece to the offensive puzzle as Chicago continues to struggle with Connor Bedard on the shelf. Despite his goal coming with one second left, the 30-year-old forward continues to drive plays offensively and certainly tries to work in the corners and in front of the net, something lacking dearly amongst young Blackhawks forwards.

The post RECAP: Pittsburgh destroys Chicago 7-3 behind Brazeau hat trick 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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.

Konecny scored his 11th goal of the season in the first period after defenseman Wyatt Kaiser lost his man darting to the net and allowed a cross-crease pass from Zegras to find the Konecny for the early 1-0 lead. The goal, also assisted by Sean Couturier, beat Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight glove side.

As both teams continued to sleepwalk through the early part of the game, the Chicago crowd was only sparingly shouting “Green Bay sucks” as fans seemed disinterested with the paid practice they were watching on West Madison Street.

Travis Konecny – Philadelphia Flyers (11) pic.twitter.com/OnLaiTmIUK

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) December 24, 2025

Philadelphia extended its lead to 2-0 after Noah Cates netted his ninth goal of the season at the 11:13 mark of the second period. Cates found a loose puck after Konecny attempted to drag the puck to his stick and fanned on the attempt, only to find a Cates in front from an easy tap-in goal.

Chicago found a little life late in the second period after a few scuffles and pushing and shoving around the Flyers’ net led to a Ryan Donato goal at the 18:30 mark of the second period. The goal, Donato’s ninth of the season, was assisted by defensemen Matt Grzelcyk and Artyom Levshunov and cut the Flyers’ lead in half at 2-1 going into the second intermission.

Ryan Donato snaps an 11-game goal drought by scoring his 9th of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/UkxQVdXnQN

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 24, 2025

Philadelphia would send the fans to the exits with an empty net goal at the 17:52 mark when head coach Jeff Blashill waived for Knight to come to the bench for the extra attacker, only to be surprised that Philadelphia was already in possession of the puck, and buried home its third goal of the game before Knight actually ever made it off the ice. The goal, scored by Carl Grundstrom, was his fifth of the season.

Knight stopped 23 of the 25 shots while Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson stopped 20 of the 21 shots he faced in the victory.

Chicago is back in action in Dallas on Saturday for a 7 p.m. start at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Analysis

Anyone watching this game, and recent games since his injury, that does not understand that this team’s blemishes this season have been covered up by the great play from Connor Bedard needs to have their eyes examined. Chicago is still a bottom-five team without their star and the defense just does not have the talent to compete on a night-to-night basis at this point in their careers. Growing pains are still coming as the “dog days of winter” are quickly approaching this young team.

Knight kept his team in the ball game but must watch his overpowered and outsmarted defensemen continue to give up easy chances in front of him. The 24-year-old should see out the back end of this rebuild with a strong mental game with the toughness he is providing for this current last-place team in the NHL.

The post RECAP: Konecny and Flyers drop Blackhawks 3-1 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Early in the first period, it appeared that Tim Stutzle scored the game’s first goal. However, after a coach’s challenge, it was ruled that Arvid Sorderblom was interfered with.

Less than four minutes later, Tyler Kleven scored the game’s first goal. However, this goal was mired in controversey because upon review, it appeared that Brady Tkachuk interfered with Soderblom. The Blackhawks challenged the call only to have the goal upheld by the officials.

The first period ended with the Ottawa up 1-0.

Second period

The second period was pure chaos. Frank Nazar of the Blackhawks left the game after taking a puck in the mouth, he would not return.

With Nazar out, the Hawks needed production from other forwards and they got it Ilya Mikheyev. Wyatt Kaiser hit a streaking  Mikheyev for the Hawks’ first goal of the game.

What a stretch pass by Wyatt Kaiser, who finds Ilya Mikheyev for his 5th goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/OcjFS1uYCV

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 20, 2025

After the Mikheyev goal, there was another bizarre goalie interference call and review.

This was an all-timer https://t.co/Pso2NKIt5n

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) December 20, 2025

So after all the calls, the game remained tied at 1.

With the game STILL tied, Stutzle capitalized on a costly turnover for Teuvo Teravainen for a shorthanded goal. Ottawa regained the lead 2-1.

Less than two minutes later, Andre Burakovsky tied the game up for the Hawks with a knuckle puck on the power play.

Andre Burakovsky makes it a 2-2 game! pic.twitter.com/79qRGfUAW1

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 20, 2025

Four minutes after the Burakovsky goal, the Senators retook the lead with a goal from Tkachuk. The Hawks answered with another Mikheyev goal.

Ilya Mikheyev scores his 2nd goal of the game after going 20 straight without one. It’s his 6th of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/fH1oAM4rqw

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 20, 2025

The wild second period ended with the score tied at 3-3.

Third period

Once again, the Blackhawks allowed an early third period goal, this time it was David Perron cashing in on the power play. Later in the period, Perron scored his second goal of the game to put the Senators up 5-3.

Nick Lardis cut the lead in half with his first NHL goal. This is Lardis’ fourth NHL game.

GOAL: Nick Lardis FIRST NHL GOAL on the backhand! pic.twitter.com/l84Xd4AO9T

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) December 20, 2025

Ottawa sealed the victory with a goal from Fabian Zetterlund. The Hawks lost 6-4.

Analysis

After the game, it was announced by Jeff Blashill that Nazar will be out at least four weeks. This is a crushing blow to the already-vulnerable Blackhawks. Since losing Bedard, the Hawks have lost four in a row. The Hawks should be expected to call up another forward from Rockford before their next game.

While Nazar was struggling offensively, he had scored against Montreal and looked to be on the verge of breaking out. With Nazar down, forwards like Mikheyev need to step up. Mikheyev, like Nazar, had not scored a goal in 20 games before his breakout performance today. Mikheyev is going to need to score more often for the foreseeable future.

Lardis is also going to be relied upon to help with the scoring issues. Lardis notched his first NHL goal in today’s contest. It was his first goal in four NHL games. Lardis is known for being a pure goal scorer after putting up 71 goals in the OHL last season.

In net, Soderblom surrendered six goals in the loss. He has now allowed three or more goals in his last six starts. To make matters worse, the Blackhawks are in a bit of a goalie log jam. While Soderblom has struggled, there is no plan to replace him with Drew Commesso. The reason being that Commesso needs to continue to develop and play, while Soderblom plays so sparingly. In addition to Commesso, the Rockford IceHogs must find minutes for Laurent Brossoit and Stanislav Berezhnoy. Although, Berezhnoy could be sent to the Indy Fuel of the ECHL to get minutes, too. The log jam should open up when Brossoit is eventually dealt away.

The Hawks returned home on Tuesday to take on the Philadelphia Flyers at 8 p.m. CST on TNT.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks fall to Ottawa 6-4 in a wild Saturday matinee appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Alex Vlasic thought he gave the Hawks an early 1-0 lead, however, Montreal challenged the play successfully for goaltender interference so the game stayed scoreless.

Frank Nazar finally broke out of his scoring slump with his sixth of the season to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. Matt Grzelcyk’s shot from the point was deflected in front by Nazar at 7:27.

28 48 91 pic.twitter.com/sTKoEI6vcW

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 19, 2025

Montreal tied it at 1-1 on Zachary Bolduc’s eighth goal of the season at 14:23. Cole Caufield found Bolduc in the slot and he one-timed a shot past Knight for the goal. The game would remain tied after one.

Second period

Montreal took a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal by Brendan Gallagher, however, the Blackhawks challenged the play for offside. The challenge was successful and the goal was disallowed so the game stayed tied at 1-1 heading into the second intermission.

Third period

Bolduc needed just 20 seconds to give the Habs an early third-period lead at 2-1. Lane Hutson’s shot from the point was redirected by Bolduc for his second of the game and ninth of the season.

Just 53 seconds later, Josh Anderson appeared to have given the Canadiens a 3-1 lead, however, the Hawks challenged it again for offside and were successful. The game remained 2-1 Montreal.

Noah Dobson gave the Canadiens a 3-1 lead with his fifth of the season. Ivan Demidov shot the puck from the right circle and Dobson grabbed the rebound and backhanded it on goal from behind the net. The puck went under Knight and he knocked it in with his glove at the 10:00 mark.

The Hawks pulled the goaltender with just under four minutes left in regulation. The Hawks turned it over in their own zone and Nick Suzuki fired one into the empty net for his 10th of the season at 16:29. The Canadiens picked up the 4-1 win at home.

Analysis

For the second straight game, the Hawks played a respectable first 40 minutes only to collapse in the third period. This time, the Hawks entered the third tied at 1-1 and gave up three goals. With Bedard out of the lineup, the Hawks have a very slim margin for error because their offense is not good enough to play from behind. It also does not help when the team generates a total of 15 shots on goal. On a positive note, despite giving up a bad goal to Dobson in the third, Knight played very well and did all he could to keep the Hawks in the game.

The Blackhawks conclude this three-game road trip on Saturday afternoon against the Ottawa Senators. Puck drop is at 2 p.m. CST on CHSN with the radio call on 720 AM WGN.

The post RECAP: Montreal defeats Chicago 4-1 with four unanswered goals appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast co-host Sean Fitzgerald is joined by Rink Staff members Jimmy O’Malley and co-founder Jeff Osborn, who are back in the Rinkcast studio to discuss the Blackhawks’ last two losses and future road trip. They will discuss Laurent Brossoit, the lack of goal scoring, and other NHL news.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 16 – Bedard-less World 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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.

To fill Bedard’s spot on the roster, Chicago recalled Nick Lardis from the Rockford IceHogs. Lardis has 26 points in 24 games in the AHL. Ironically, Lardis was recalled on the same day that Frank Nazar was recalled the year prior.

Sadly, Lardis was not enough to get Hawks on the scoresheet as they were shut out 4-0 by John Gibson.

First period

Early in the game, the Wings got on the board with a goal from Alex DeBrincat. It was the former Hawk’s 17th goal of the season.

Shortly after, Patrick Kane scored the 498th goal of his career. The former Hawk is now two goals away from 500 and seven goals behind Joe Mullen on the all-time American-born goals list. He only trails Mike Modano by 10 points for the most points by an American-born player.

The first period ended up 2-0 in favor of the Wings.

Second period

The Wings added another goal from Emmitt Finnie to take a 3-0 lead.

Third period

DeBrincat capped off the scoring with an empty-net goal. The Hawks fell to the Red Wings 4-0.

Analysis

The Blackhawks are now living in a Bedard-less world. As we saw in the 2023-24 season, this is going to be painful. Without Bedard, that team went 3-10-1. That was with Bedard playing at a lesser level. While there has been no timeline for this return, the Blackhawks have ruled him out for the next three games. Those three games will be on the road through Eastern Canada. Without Bedard, players will have to step up their offensive games.

Lardis

Lardis made his NHL debut against the Wings. He was given 15:32 of ice time for the game. Of his 15 minutes, he played 4:52 on the power play. For his night, he recorded two shots on net and five hits. Sadly the outcome was not what he wanted in a solid debut.

Nazar

While Nick Lardis did not look out of place in his NHL debut, the young rookie cannot be expected to make up for Bedard. The other forwards who have been on cold streaks have to start scoring. The biggest culprit is Nazar. Nazar’s last goal was on October 28.The young forward must regain his scoring touch that helped him record five goals in the season’s first 10 games.

In addition to Nazar, several other forwards are struggling on offense. Both Andre Burakovsky and Jason Dickinson have two goals combined in their last 10 games. Ryan Donato has one goal in his last eight games and Illya Mikheyev has not scored since November 5.

The Hawks need someone to contribute on offense besides Tyler Bertuzzi.

Soderblom

Coming into Saturday’s game, Arvid Soderblom had been going through a rough stretch. He needed to have a strong game. Instead, he allowed two first-period goals and never fully recovered.

He has now lost his last four start in a row allowing 9, 4, 7 and 3 goals in those starts. Perhaps it is time for the Blackhawks to give Drew Commesso a look in the NHL. Commesso current has a .913 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average in the AHL.

If not Commesso, perhaps trade candiate Laurent Brossoit should get a spot start soon. Brossoit is trying to make a comeback to the NHL after double hip surgery and knee surgery. Brossoit last played in the NHL in the 2024 playoffs.

The next hurdle for the Blackhawks will be Bedard’s MRI, which is scheduled for Monday. The Hawks’ next game is Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The post RECAP: Red Wings blank Blackhawks 4-0 as Lardis debuts appeared first on The Rink.

First period

On a delayed penalty call, the Blues struck first when Logan Mailloux skated up the right wing boards and snapped a wrist shot past Knight. The goal was his first as a member of the Blues at 3:41 to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead.

Another first goal of the season and this time it was Matt Luff who gave the Blues a 2-0 advantage. After a good scoring chance by Connor Bedard, the Blues quickly skated up the ice and Robby Fabbri set up Luff, who was wide open in the slot and fired a wrist shot past Knight at 11:48.

The Hawks got one back thanks to Wyatt Kaiser, who scored his second of the season. Bedard rushed up the ice and fed Andre Burakovsky, who skated up the left wing boards and found Kaiser in the slot, who skated in and fired a wrist shot past Hofer at 15:50 to cut the Blues’ lead to 2-1, which they would take into the locker room after 20 minutes.

Second period

The Blues took a 3-1 lead on Justin Faulk’s seventh of the season. Faulk was pinching in down low and his defensive partner Tyler Tucker made a cross-ice feed to Faulk, who skated in to the left of Knight and snuck one in at the 8:57 mark. The Blues took the two-goal lead into the locker room after two periods.

Third period

The Blackhawks cut the deficit to 3-2 on Burakovsky’s eighth of the season. Bedard lost a an offensive-zone faceoff but he aggressively forechecked and forced a turnover and took a shot that was stopped by Hofer but the rebound went right to Burakovsky, who tapped it in at 14:08. The Hawks could not get the equalizer and fell 3-2 to the Blues. A bigger loss may have occurred in the final second, as Bedard took an offensive-zone draw against Brayden Schenn and injured his shoulder. Bedard left the ice in significant pain holding his right shoulder.

Analysis

Coming off an embarrassing 7-2 loss in Nashville, the Blues, who entered the game with the second-worst goals against average in the NHL, played a sound defensive game and really did not give Chicago much room to use their speed or generate second-chance opportunities. The Blues also played very disciplined, as the Hawks did not get any power play opportunities. The big story out of this one is the health of Bedard.

The Hawks head home for a quick turnaround as they host the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. CST on CHSN with the radio call on 720 AM WGN.

The post RECAP: Bedard injured as Blues shut down Hawks 3-2 appeared first on The Rink.

When the Chicago Blackhawks signed Laurent Brossoit in the summer of 2024, it was believed that he would be a tandem goalie with then-starter Petr Mrazek. Brossoit would not suit up for the Blackhawks at all last season due to a knee injury.

After the acquisition of Spencer Knight and the rebound of Arvid Soderblom, the Blackhawks figured Brossoit was a lost cause. The Hawks would carry his contract on injured reserve this season and let him walk as a free agent. Following double hip surgery, which helped relieve the issues in his knee, the former Winnipeg Jets goalie is attempting a comeback.

The first step in his attempted comeback is a conditioning assignment with the Rockford IceHogs.  The stint can last up to 14 days, which is already underway.

Now the Blackhawks have given his agent, Ray Petkau, permission to speak to others to see if there is any interest.

Before his injuries, Brossoit had compiled an impressive 15-5-2 record with the Jets with a 2.00 goals against average and .927 save percentage.

Analysis: What will be a Brossoit trade return?

Brossoit has now played two games with Rockford. He has recorded 3.56 goals averaged and a .891 save percentage on his two starts. While the numbers are not great, it was first live game action in over two years. The Rink’s very own Jimmy O’Malley speculated the return from Brossoit could be seventh-round pick with conditions to be become upwards of a fifth based on games played.

Now, Jimmy’s prediction was before the Tristan Jarry trade to the Edmonton Oilers.

BIG TRADE

The @penguins have traded Tristan Jarry and Sam Poulin to the @EdmontonOilers for Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick!

Powered by @SAP pic.twitter.com/PxbaMbWdOa

— NHL (@NHL) December 12, 2025

While the Jarry trade elimanated the Oilers from the Brossoit sweepstakes, it also sets the goalie trade market. Before this surge from Jarry, he was playing like a below-league-average goalie, while Stuart Skinner was also playing in a similar fashion.

Now this deal was basically a wash in terms of salary cap; the Oilers had to pay the freight for Jarry to come to Edmonton with a second-round pick in 2029.

While Kyle Davidson would love to get a second-round pick for Brossoit, odds are still closer to Jimmy’s prediction with the ceiling being a fifth-round pick outright. While the return will be a late-round pick at best, that does not mean there won’t be a shortage of suitors. The possible remaining suitors for Brossoit figure to be the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens.

Possible suitors: Red Wings and Canadiens

The Red Wings need to make the playoffs this season and their goalie duo is not helping their cause. The current goalies on the Red Wings’ roster are John Gibson and Cam Talbot. Gibson has a .884 save percentage with a 3.32 goals against average. Talbot is not much better with a .885 save percentage and 3.01 goals against average. Gibson is still under contract for next season, while Talbot is in the last year of his deal.

Brossoit could be a fit with the Wings because their need in net but also because of Davidson’s relationship with Steve Yzerman, as the Wings and Hawks completed a trade last season for Mrazek.

In Montreal, the goalie situation is not much better. The Habs called up 2023 draft pick Jacob Fowler to make his NHL debut earlier this week. Fowler has played 18 AHL games after playing two seasons at Boston College. While Fowler won in his first NHL start, rushing goalies to the NHL is not a receipt for success.

The reason for Fowler’s callup is because of the poor play of their goalie tandem, Jakub Dobes and Sam Montembeault. Dobes has a .887 save percentage and 3.15 goals against average, while Montembeault has a .857 save percentage and a 3.65 goals against average.

It is clear that the Habs are desperate for a spark with their goalies.

Both teams would benefit from a league-average goalie. The current league average for goalies in the NHL is a .900 save percentage and around 3.00 goals allowed per game. These are numbers that Brossoit exceeded when he was fully healthy.

Davidson’s decision

As we have seen in the past with Davidson trades, he does what is best for the Blackhawks but also the player involved. His trade of Seth Jones dramatically helped reshape the Blackhawks and sent Jones to a team he desired. Patrick Kane wanted to go to the New York Rangers when he was traded and Davidson facilitated that deal. Even in a lesser deal, Jack Johnson was sent back to Colorado after his brief time in Chicago.

While the return will not be large, the deal will benefit the player and the Blackhawks. Hopefully there is a deal to be done soon.

In a fun twist, Brossoit scored a goalie goal, Friday night against the Milwaukee Admirals.

You love to see it!

Laurent Brossoit has scored a goalie goal with the @goicehogs!

(: @TheAHL) pic.twitter.com/4PzR5MoKWR

— NHL (@NHL) December 13, 2025

The post ANALYSIS: What would a trade return be for Laurent Brossoit? appeared first on The Rink.

Louis Crevier scored his third of the season in the second period, shorthanded, beating Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin at the 7:08 mark. The goal was assisted by Matt Grzelcyk and Jason Dickinson. Crevier showed the fans his best Bedard imitation with a little shake and bake with a quick breakaway move.

Shorthanded goal alert!

Louis Crevier scores first for the @NHLBlackhawks!

: @NHL_On_TNT & @StreamOnMax https://t.co/4TuyIATi3T pic.twitter.com/5PY1nJg4Gl

— NHL (@NHL) December 11, 2025

Bedard was not be to outdone, scoring his 19th goal of the season on a snap shot at the 14:27 mark of the second period. Andre Burakovsky took the puck hard to the net on the left wing and found a streaking Bedard in front of the net for the 2-0 lead.

Gotta be aware when Connor Bedard is lurking

: @NHL_On_TNT & @StreamOnMax https://t.co/4TuyIATi3T pic.twitter.com/bd1xkUxAWQ

— NHL (@NHL) December 11, 2025

With a two-goal lead, forward Tyler Bertuzzi continued his hot hand, beating Shesterkin at the 3:52 on the third period of action. Bertuzzi’s 16th goal of the season, assisted by Ryan Greene and Bedard, finished off the Rangers at 3-0.

Tyler Bertuzzi somehow cleans up the rebound from a weird angle for his 16th goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/ucvdRj3ftg

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 11, 2025

Chicago hits the road on Friday for a 7:00 p.m. CST puck drop in Missouri against the St. Louis Blues. Fans can find your favorite team on ESPN+ and Hulu.

Analysis

Knight continues to be a brick wall for the his team on many nights. With Wednesday’s shutout, the 24-year-old now has seven career shutouts and two for his current team. Knight sits with a 10-6-5 record and a 2.50 goals against with a .916 save percentage.

Crevier has been a pleasant surprise on both ends of the ice. The mammoth former seventh-round pick has three goals and eight assists for the season while averaging 14:17 minutes of ice time per game. This type of production from someone not expecting to do much as a last-round pick is an excellent story fans should gravitate toward.

The post RECAP: Knight’s 21-save shutout propels Blackhawks 3-0 over the Rangers appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by Rink Staff members Jeff Osborn, and  Jimmy O’Malley, in the Rinkcast studio to discuss the Blackhawks’ recent road woes and, Sam Rinzel’s demotion, some goalie talk with the guru and a brief preview of their game against the New York Rangers.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 15 – Time to Panic? appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Jacob Truba got the scoring started for Anaheim with an unassisted goal. Despite trailing 1-0 after the first, Soderblom stopped 16 of 17 shots on goal.

Second period

The Ducks unleashed 27 shots on goal in the second period. The Ducks got goals from Mason McTavish, Beckett Sennecke, Alex Killorn and Leo Carlsson to take a commanding lead of 5-1.

Third period

Carlsson potted another goal, this one on the power play, to give the Ducks a 6-0 lead. The lone offensive bright spot for the Hawks was Tyler Bertuzzi scoring his 15th goal of the season. Connor Bedard and Artyom Leshunov received assists on the Bertuzzi goal.

we’re on the board pic.twitter.com/Uvng1f1sPE

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 8, 2025

Frank Vatrano added his third goal of the season to put the finishing touches on the Blackhawks’ loss.

Analysis

How bad have the Blackhawks been in the last two games?

FINAL: Ducks 7, Blackhawks 1

First time since 1951 that the Hawks have lost by 6+ goals in consecutive games.

First time any NHL team has done so on consecutive nights since the Atlanta Thrashers in November 2000.

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) December 8, 2025

In addition to two bad games, the Blackhawks might be losing patience with Sam Rinzel. Rinzel’s minutes have been significantly decreased on this West Coast trip. While he averages 16:36 on the season, he played a low of 9:30 against Vegas. In the two games against Los Angeles, he played 13:13 and 12:40. In Sunday’s matchup, Rinzel played 14:52, with only Matt Grzelcyk and Connor Murphy playing fewer minutes.

While we all anointed Rinzel as a top-pairing defenseman, this has clearly been a tough stretch for the young player.

In an ironic stat of the night, Soderblom made a career-high 46 saves and still surrendered seven goals in the loss.

In their last 10 games, the Hawks are 2-6-2. The team and coaching staff need to take the next two days and regroup. The Hawks’ next game will be on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. CST against the New York Rangers.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks trounced 7-1 by Ducks 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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.

This was their second meeting of the season and their first of two consecutive games in LA. A weird quirk in the schedule had the Hawks playing LA on Thursday and Saturday in LA this week.

In the 2-1 victory, the Hawks once again got a spectacular performance in net from Spencer Knight and a goal from Connor Bedard.

Second period

After a scoreless first period in which Corey Perry had five shots on the goal for LA, the Hawks finally got on the scoresheet in the second. After the Hawks were awarded a power play on the Joel Edmundson tripping penalty, Bedard and Frank Nazar switched positions. Bedard took the face off in Nazar’s spot and then filled his role as the bumper. In the bumper spot, Bedard buried the Tyler Bertuzzi pass for the game’s first goal.

Connor Bedard falls down after scoring and immediately gives credit to Tyler Bertuzzi for the pass. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/aXePBkdIcA

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 5, 2025

After a frantic sequence in the Hawks’ own end, Wyatt Kaiser was able to corral the puck and score the Hawks’ second goal of the game late in the second period.

Wyatt Kaiser scores his 1st goal of the season with 5.1 seconds left in the 2nd period. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/cHzG0koJyD

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 5, 2025

The defensive defenseman had not scored in 41 games before his goal on Thursday. The second period ended with Chicago up 2-0.

Third period

The third period was the Kings’ best period of the game and perhaps their season. They were buzzing in the Hawks’ offensive zone and firing shots on Knight. After a steady diet of Kings shots, Knight was finally beaten. Trevor Moore scored to cut the lead in half.

With the Kings desperately trying to tie the game, Bedard committed a penalty with 1:36 left to play. With the Hawks down a man, the Kings pulled their goalie to have a two-man advantage. The Hawks’ defense tightened up and did not allow the Kings to tie the game. The Hawks won 2-1.

Analysis

This victory is yet another step in the Blackhawks’ development this season. Coming into Thursday’s game, the Hawks had lost their last five one-goal games. Last season, Chicago would have lost this game, but this is a much-improved Hawks team.

One of the big reasons for improvement is the goaltender play. Knight continued to be amazing in the net. He made 26 of 27 saves on the night. The last two games have been some of the best goaltending the Hawks have had since Corey Crawford.

In addition to Knight’s performance, Bedard continued his impressive season. He now has 18 goals and 21 assists in 27 games.

Along with Bedard and Knight was the emergence of Nazar. Nazar was very noticeable with his speed. He was driving line into scoring opportunities all game. He also had a key assist on the Kaiser goal and drew a late third-period penalty with a strong move toward the net. It now appears that Nazar is once again fully healthy.

The Hawks will have tomorrow off to enjoy LA before taking on the same Kings again on Saturday. The game will be played at 8:00 pm CST on CHSN/ESPN+.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks hang on to beat Kings 2-1 appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks had lost five of their last six games, but were coming off a strong comeback against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday at the United Center.

First period

It was a “blink and you’ll miss it” beginning to the game. The Golden Knights took the early lead after Ivan Barbashev banked a pass off Wyatt Kaiser 27 seconds into the game.

The lead did not last even a minute. After an effective neutral-zone transition, Frank Nazar found Oliver Moore, who buried a laser above Carter Hart’s right arm to tie the game less than two minutes into the contest.

early equalizer pic.twitter.com/2U5MKr3LRg

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 3, 2025

The remainder of the period contained no goals. Despite this, the Blackhawks got on the power play twice, only managing one combined shot.

The Blackhawks noticeably took control of the game in the second half of the period, leaving Vegas without a shot in the last 7:45 of the period.

The period ended tied at 1-1, with both teams managing eight shots on goal.

Second period

A far more frantic period than the first, both teams netted a goal this period.

The first goal of the period went Chicago’s way. Taking advantage of Hart’s misplay of the puck, Tyler Bertuzzi made an aggressive play to take a 2–1 lead.

ope just gonna sneak past ya there pic.twitter.com/ckFaolbPRn

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 3, 2025

Following Bertuzzi’s goal, Vegas challenged for offside. That challenge failed, leading Chicago to the power play. That power play was quickly ended by a hooking call on Nazar. Both penalties were eventually killed.

Near the end of the period, Golden Knights defenseman Ben Hutton took a shot that bounced off Chicago defenseman Matt Grzelyck, tying the game and giving Vegas their second goal off of a Blackhawks defenseman.

The period ended at a 2-2 tie, with shots of goal tied at 17.

Third period

The third period gave Connor Bedard one of his best goals of the season. After a breakout pass from Andre Burakovsky, Bedard danced around a Vegas defender and sniped a shot over Hart’s right shoulder to take a 3-2 lead.

ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh my goodness pic.twitter.com/jwIzJUJtF1

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 3, 2025

As the game picked up near the end, the Golden Knights refused to go out quietly. On a strong rush to the net, Vegas rookie Braeden Bowman followed his own shot up to tie the game at 3-3, which would hold for the remainder of regulation.

Overtime

It was a classic overtime with chances back and forth. The highlights came from both teams’ goaltenders, especially Hart, who saved six shots in the overtime.

After five minutes of overtime, neither team scored. A shootout would decide the game.

Shootout

The Blackhawks shot first in the shootout, with Teuvo Teravainen being stood up by Hart.

Vegas’s first shooter, Pavel Dorofeyev, succeeded on his attempt on a deceiving backhand on Spencer Knight.

Bedard followed Dorofeyev’s attempt with a beautiful shootout goal, outlasting Hart’s patience.

The next four shooters failed to convert, leaving Shea Theodore the chance to walk it off for Vegas. Like Dorofeyev, he placed a backhand shot passed Knight to end the game. Final score, 4-3 Vegas.

Final thoughts

It was an unfortunate game of unfortunate bounces. Vegas’s first two goals deflected off Blackhawks defensemen. A game where Chicago seemed to control play got away from them at the end.

Notably, the Blackhawks went 0 for 5 on the power play. Chicago never looked comfortable on the power play, with Vegas hounding the puck holder and breaking up neutral-zone entries.

Chicago will look to get back in the win column on Thursday when they take on the Los Angeles Kings at 9 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: No dice for Chicago in shootout loss in Vegas appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by Rink Staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and  Jimmy O’Malley, in the Rinkcast studio to discuss the streaky Blackhawks re-entering the win column ahead of a four-game road trip, the possible implications of activating goaltender Laurent Brossoit, and the status/future of the Hawks’ defensive core.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 14 – Blackhawks Start 4-Game Swing Out West appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks could not have had a worse start, yet the team showed some resolved and was able to win this game. The Hawks’ comeback was fueled by Bedard.

First period

The Ducks jumped all over the Hawks, who were still asleep from their pregame nap. Cutter Gauthier found the back of the net 15 seconds into the contest. Less than a minute later, Olen Zellweger put the Ducks up 2-0 in the game’s opening 60 seconds.

With the Hawks reeling, Anaheim piled on with a goal from Chris Kreider just past the midway point. Thanksfully for the Hawks, Ryan Strome cross-checked Wyatt Kaiser for a power play. On the power play, Tyler Bertuzzi cashed in his 13th goal of the season, tipping home a Frank Nazar shot.

Tyler Bertuzzi tips in Frank Nazar’s shot on the power play for his 13th goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/tZUiwxFTRX

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 30, 2025

The first period ended with the Hawks down 3-1.

Second period

Entering the game, the Hawks’ worst period statistically was the second period. The Hawks flipped the script in this contest.

Ryan Greene got the scoring started with his fourth goal of the season, burying a pass from Bedard for the goal.

Ryan Greene has goals in back to back games pic.twitter.com/yZQpao4hcx

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 30, 2025

The Hawks scored again with a goal from Colton Dach, leveling the score at 3-3.

I don’t know if this Teuvo Teravainen pass was intended for Ryan Donato, but Colton Dach quickly snagged it and goes top shelf on the power play for his 3rd goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/hSKFoRW56a

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 30, 2025

Third period

With the scored tied at 3-3 in the third, Bedard took over. Bedard beat the Ducks’ new goalie, Ville Husso, for the eventual game-winner.

Connor Bedard that was NASTY pic.twitter.com/Lg0vI5IXsj

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 30, 2025

Bedard extinguished the Ducks’ comeback hopes with an empty-net goal to seal things at 5-3. After the goal, Bedard gave the Anaheim bench some words. The Bedard words led to a scrum after the final whistle with Mason McTavish.

Analysis

The Hawks overcame a 3-0 deficit in what could have been a disastrous finish to a tough home stand. With the win, the Hawks become the fifth team in NHL history to overcome a 2-0 deficit in the first minute of the game. The Hawks also snapped their longest losing streak of the season.

Bedard

Bedard continues to have an impressive third year in the NHL. In this matchup, he brought his goal-scoring touch with two goals and two assists. He brought a fire to his game that hopefully will continue to fuel the Blackhawks this season. He was not afraid to show his emotions while jawing with his friend McTavish.

Bedard has now recorded five four-point games at the age of 20. Only seven other NHL players have more four-point games at the age of 20.

Greene

Greene was ticketed for Rockford to start the year and was recalled ahead of opening night due to injuries. He has been fantastic for the Hawks. He has played in all zones and situations and can be moved up and down the lines. With the goal on Sunday, he has now has goals in two consecutive games.

Bertuzzi

Bertuzzi continues to be an offensive driver for the Hawks. He notched his 13th goal of the season on the power play. With 20 points already this season, Bertuzzi is nearly halfway to his point production from last season.

The Hawks must now go on a West Coast trip starting with the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. Puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks score five unanswered to beat Ducks 5-3 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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.

Jason Dickinson and Connor Bedard got the Blackhawks on the scoreboard in the second period to make the lead 2-0 with just under nine minutes to play in the middle period. Dickinson’s second goal of the season, unassisted, beat Minnesota goaltender Filip Gustavsson after the Wild lost the puck in their own zone and Dickinson found himself in front to bury home a five-hole tally.

Jason Dickinson – Chicago Blackhawks (2) pic.twitter.com/NKhDoFQ4zR

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) November 27, 2025

Bedard would extend the lead to 2-0 with his 14th goal of the season on a beautiful tic-tac-toe play with defenseman Sam Rinzel and forward Tyler Bertuzzi.

Connor Bedard – Chicago Blackhawks (14) pic.twitter.com/BApguvMjjl

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) November 27, 2025

Minnesota defenseman Brock Faber would score with less than a minute to play in the second period, beating Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight.

After the start of the third period, Chicago could not hold off the Wild, as they seemed to take all advantage of the momentum in the building after the disallowed goal. Minnesota scored to tie the game at 2-2 when forward Nico Sturm scored his first goal of the season.

Chicago defenseman Artyom Levshunov buried home his first goal of his career off a nifty pass by Bedard.

Artyom Levshunov – Chicago Blackhawks (1) pic.twitter.com/oT1GL20TFD

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) November 27, 2025

Chicago took the 3-2 lead and were outshooting the visiting Wild 31-14 at the time.

The Wild would tie the game at the midway point of the final period when forward Matthew Boldy scored his 14th goal of the season.

In overtime, Chicago forward Ilya Mikheyev was called for a questionable interference penalty, which led to the Wild’s game-winning goal at the 1:43 mark of overtime. Kirill Kaprizov beat Knight for his 14th goal of the season, sending the young Blackhawks home with only a point in a game that seemed to be in hand after what appeared to be a three-goal lead.

Matt Boldy – Minnesota Wild (14) pic.twitter.com/drUShHUhYC

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) November 27, 2025

The Blackhawks are back on home ice against the Nashville Predators for a 7 p.m. CST puck drop on Friday, when the team will debut the return of the black alternate jerseys.

Analysis

Chicago looked to have the comfortable lead, but the more veteran Wild came storming back to win a game in which Minnesota was clearly not the better team on the ice for most of the game. This is the type of game that Chicago will eventually turn the tides and overcome bad calls.

Bedard continues to be a threat any time he is on the ice. His play in the neutral and offensive zones have been second-to-none of this team and most in the NHL. Anyone complaining about his offensive game is looking for things to complain about.

The post RECAP: Chicago falls to Minnesota 4-3 in overtime on home ice appeared first on The Rink.

The other big fish of the 2009 free agent class was Marian Gaborik. He was 27 years old and signed with the New York Rangers for five years at $37.5 million. Gaborik was a two-time all-star with 437 points.

Since 2009, the NHL has obviously changed a lot. One of the major changes has been the NHL salary cap. Since 2021-22, the cap has gone up from $81.5 million to the current cap $95.5 million. Since the summer of 2022 until the present, very few major free agents have left their current NHL teams. The biggest free agent to leave from 2022-2025 was Johnny Gaudreau. Gaurdreau signed for $62.25 million over seven years. Gaurdreau was 29 years old with 609 points in Calgary before signing with Columbus. I say Gaurdreau because Steven Stamkos was 32 when he signed his deal with Nashville.

Since that time, very few superstars have been allowed to get the free agency. Teams are utilizing their new-found cap space to retain their current stars.

Free agent class of 2026

This offseason had the potential to change that narrative with all of the potential stars being available.

When this season began, July 1, 2026, was supposed to be exciting.

The 2026 Free Agent class has the potential to be STACKED

– Connor McDavid
– Jack Eichel
– Kirill Kaprizov
– Kyle Connor
– Artemi Panarin
– Martin Necas
– Jason Robertson
– Alex Ovechkin
– Adrian Kempe
– Alex Tuch

How many make it to July 1st? pic.twitter.com/DYpbdRaaNO

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 2, 2025

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Well, since that tweet was posted, almost all of the guys on that list have re-signed with their respective teams. The only two left from the list are an aging Artemi Panarin and Alex Tuch. Panarin will be an unrestricted free agent at age 34 and Alex Tuch will be an unrestricted free agent at age 30, but the Buffalo Sabres are trying their best to retain Tuch.

The “headliner” of the 2026  unrestricted free agent class might be former Blackhawk forward Nick Schmaltz, who is 27 years old. While Schmaltz is having a good season, he is not viewed as a difference maker.

How does this affect the Blackhawks?

Under Kyle Davidson, the Blackhawks’ free agent plan has been strategic. Two seasons ago, Davidson spent a significant amount of money on bottom-tier free agents and middle-tier guys. He signed TJ Brodie, Alec Martinez, Pat Maroon and Corey Perry from the bottom tier. These older free agents were overpaid to be mentors and stop-gaps for the Hawks’ prospects. From the middle tier, the Hawks signed Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen to be more competitive in the next several seasons. He also signed goalie Laurent Brossoit to a two-year deal. Brossoit has not played during his tenure with the Hawks due to injury.

In terms of big-game hunting, Davidson tried to sign Jake Guentzel. While the Hawks offered more money than the Tampa Bay Lightning, Guentzel decided to take less money for a chance to win. Aside from that offer, Davidson has not been tied to big free agents.

Blackhawks’ free agent plans

This past offseason, the Hawks were not active at all in free agency. They signed a two-way forward in Dominic Toninato, who has been an AHL guy. The only free agent signing was Matt Grzelcyk, who came to the Hawks camp on PTO. Only after the young defenseman Ethan Del Mastro failed to seize a spot was Grzelcyk signed.

With free agency dead, trades  become more inportant. Davidson has already been successful in the trade market. He flipped Seth Jones for Spencer Knight in a splashy trade. He has also shown a knack for some savvy trades. Davidson has acquired useful pieces in Andre Burakovsky, Ilya Mikheyev and Jason Dickinson via trade for salary relief and picks.

Despite the changes to other teams’ approach to free agency, Davidson is not going to alter his approach to team building. He made this statement in early 2025:

“This takes time. We knew it would take time. There’s nothing that’s gone on in our prospect group or the development of our young players that’s causing me concern. … We are in the process of a rebuild here, and it’s going to be on the backs of our young players and prospects.”

So, while teams are retaining their big stars and not allowing them to reach free agency, the Blackhawks will not be affected for the near future. Instead, the team will likely continue looking within for future progress, with the trade market being the likely route should external reinforcement be needed.

The post ANALYSIS: NHL free agency is dead, how does it affect the Blackhawks? appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by Rink Staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and  Jimmy O’Malley, in the Rinkcast studio to discuss the Blackhawks’ recent skid of three straight games, the importance of André Burakovsky in the line-up, questions around NHL officiating, and prospect Mason West’s big weekend.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 13 – Blackhawks Drop Three Straight appeared first on The Rink.

The lone goal of the game came off the stick of Cale Makar as the 27-year-old defenseman scored his ninth goal of the season in the second period after he found a rebound off Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight on his stick and fired a wrist shot off the post and in behind Knight. Colorado forward Tristen Nielsen was credited with his first NHL point with the assist.

Cale Makar makes no mistake on the rebound! pic.twitter.com/LeR2SoovfN

— NHL (@NHL) November 24, 2025

Knight was once again excellent in net as his only hiccup was a long rebound off the stick of Nielsen after a turnover in Chicago’s end. The former 13th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft is now supporting a .924 save percentage through 15 games of action this season. Knight was bombarded in the middle frame with 19 Colorado shots.

Chicago’s head coach, Jeff Blashill, was impressed with the Blackhawks’ performance last night knowing a 1-0 loss to a potential Stanley Cup contender is not something to be disappointed over in November.

“I think if we repeat that performance, we’re winning lots of games,” Blashill said in his postgame presser. “The other team is going to push back, that’s just the reality of life, but if you look at where we were to start the game, I thought we did an excellent job in our structure, excellent job of some of the things we talked about this morning that we didn’t do in Buffalo. We had real, real, real chances in the first, I think the better of the chances in the comparisons between the two periods, and didn’t score. But we stayed with it.”

Analysis

Chicago defenseman Alex Vlasic played his 200th NHL game last night and played an excellent game versus a Stanley Cup-winning level team. The 24-year-old Wilmette, Illinois, native did an excellent job using his long reach and did a nice job with his gaps against speedier forwards and defensemen. Fans need to remember it can take defensemen some time to learn the speed of the game and the “tricks” that make for a top-level defender at the NHL level, and Vlasic is starting to show those improvements.

Knight continues to be the backbone for the Blackhawks. It will be interesting to see how long before the organization brings up his former USHL teammate, Drew Commesso, from Rockford. Commesso has shown signs of brilliance up the road from Chicago and continues to develop a calmness with his movements that shows he’s starting to believe in his talents that made him the second goalie picked in the 2020 NHL Draft.

The post RECAP: Makar and Wedgewood too much in Colorado 1-0 win over Chicago 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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.

First period

The Hawks and Kraken finished the opening frame scoreless. Seattle outshot Chicago 9-7. Of note, late in the first period, Kraken defensemen Ryan Lindgren drilled Andre Burakovsky with a big hit. Burakovsky was slow to get up but eventually made it to the bench and went into the locker room, but would not return.

Second period

Early in the frame, Tyler Bertuzzi scored his 10th of the season to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. The Hawks executed a perfect passing exhibition when Frank Nazar led the rush and fed Teuvo Teravainen, who dished to Bertuzzi for the finish at the 0:43 mark.

hey bert pic.twitter.com/mVIFc4w5Cq

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 21, 2025

That same line scored the Hawks’ second goal of the period. With the Hawks on a power play, Bertuzzi outworked a Kraken player and made a strong pass with one hand on his stick that went across the goal mouth and found Teravainen for his fifth of the season at 10:07 to put the Hawks ahead, 2-0.

a beautiful power play goal pic.twitter.com/HjxFzEmSrS

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 21, 2025

The Hawks took the two-goal lead into the locker room after 40 minutes. The Hawks outshot Seattle 13-6 in the second period and held a 20-15 edge after two.

Third period

Seattle got on the board when Tye Kartye scored his second goal of the season at 5:06. Brandon Montour fired a shot from the blue line that bounced in off Kartye to cut the Hawks’ lead to 2-1.

Seattle continued to control the period, and as a result, they tied it at 2-2 when Ryker Evans snapped a shot from the blue line through traffic and deflected in off Shane Wright and into the net. For Wright, it was his fifth of the season at 7:13.

Late in the third, Bedard had a partial breakaway and fanned on it and appeared to have been slashed. Bedard argued with the referee and pointed his stick in his face, which resulted in an unsportsmanlike penalty. On the power play, Jaden Schwartz scored his eighth of the season from in close and off a great pass by Montour at 17:42 to give Seattle a 3-2 lead. Seattle held on for the comeback win.

Analysis

It was a disappointing loss, as the Hawks completely folded in the third period. The story coming out of this contest will be the controversial no-call on Bedard’s breakaway, which led to his penalty that Seattle converted. However, before that happened, the game was tied and it was all Seattle in the third as the Hawks struggled to find their legs. It is possible the team ran out of gas after playing most of the game with just 10 forwards following the Burakovsky injury in the opening period. The Hawks need to forget about this one quickly as they head to New York for a Friday night game against the Buffalo Sabres. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. CST on CHSN with the radio call on 720 AM WGN.

The post RECAP: Kraken beat the Hawks 3-2 as Seattle scores three in the third appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast host Andy Campbell is joined by Rink Staff members Sean Fitzgerald, and  Jimmy O’Malley, in the Rinkcast studio to discuss the Blackhawks’ recent winning streak, Connor Bedard’s Olympic candidacy, the important growth of the young player, and how high the 2025-26 team can climb.

Join via YouTube or Facebook to be eligible to win a free #Blackhawks t-shirt from @500LEVEL

New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4755705350193152

Subscribe, rate this episode, share it with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook right here:

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 9 Episode 12 – Red hot Hawks! appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Ryan Donato started the scoring for Chicago after a shot from Louis Crevier. Donato was able to corral the rebound and fire a shot past Wolf for the goal.

delivering you this beauty pic.twitter.com/C7Y4RYs0dP

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 19, 2025

The first period ended with Hawks up 1-0.

Second period

In the second period, Bedard got going on offense. Sam Rinzel flipped a puck deep into the Flames’ zone. Bedard outskated the defenseman and poked the puke through Wolf’s five hole for the goal.

just tap it in, tap tap tap it in pic.twitter.com/R5dxWuOp56

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 19, 2025

Late in the second period, the Flames answered with a goal from Matt Coronato. Coronato got his first goal against the Hawks after being denied 11 times in their first matchup.

Third period

Rasmus Andersson tied the game at 2-2 with an early goal. With the Hawks reeling, Bedard recaptured the lead with a nasty shot from the right circle. Bedard was setup by a slick cross-ice pass from Ryan Greene.

Connor Bedard what a shot pic.twitter.com/QwubcAUzl5

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 19, 2025

Oliver Moore added his second goal of the season. Moore blazed his way past the Flames and had the puck go off his leg for the goal.

good golly, Ollie pic.twitter.com/RWQQjazuQq

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 19, 2025

With the Flames desperate to make a comeback, they pulled Wolf late in the game. Bedard was able to hoist a shot from his own end for the empty-net goal. The empty-netter cemented the victory and gave Bedard his second hat trick.

second career hat trick pic.twitter.com/8vRWGZ4Vwx

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 19, 2025

Analysis

Bedard and the Blackhawks are buzzing right now. In the last 10 games, Bedard has 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points with two hat tricks. He had zero hat tricks in the NHL before this season. In addition to all the points, the Hawks are winning games. They are 6-2-2 in their last 10.

Rinzel had a point in his return to the ice. The young defenseman was given a mental reset after some struggles. The reset seemed to work as he was better in his own end in this one.

In addition to Rinzel recording a point, Greene and Moore contributed points. Greene is such a solid player who can play the wing with Bedard or center the third line. Greene has a goal and assist in his last two games. Moore affected the game with his speed. He blasted by the defense for his goal. He also chipped in an assist on the Donato goal.

After the game, there was scrum that involved Rinzel and Colton Dach. Dach had taken expection to a hit Adam Klapka delivered to Connor Murphy earlier in the game. Klapka also hit Rinzel with time expiring that caused the scrum. Mutiple Hawks and Flames recieved game misconducts. Chicago has not taken kindly to other teams taking shots at their guys and have defended themselves all year.

The Hawks’ next games is Thursday against the Seattle Kraken. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks smother the Flames 5-2 appeared first on The Rink.

“That was pretty cool,” Dach said after the win. “That was a good comeback by the guys. I think, like I said, we’re having a lot of fun. We have great chemistry. We just got to keep riding with it and good things will happen.”

Chicago has now gone 4-0-1 in their last five games after goaltender Spencer Knight stopped 31 shots against the Maple Leafs.

First period

Ryan Greene started the scoring for Chicago with a snap shot after Artyom Levshunov made a great play, dragging tired defenders toward him and their eyes to him and slid a pass through the defenders, finding Greene at the bottom of the circle. Greene’s second goal of the season was assisted by Levshunov and defensman Wyat Kaiser.

Ryan Greene – Chicago Blackhawks (2) pic.twitter.com/PnGFk1sH8N

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) November 16, 2025

Toronto scored with 0:48 left in the first period when Nicholas Robertson scored his fifth goal of the season off a wrist shot that beat Knight. The goal was assisted by John Tavares.

Second period

Morgan Rielly scored his third of the season at the 9:37 mark of the middle period on a wrist shot that beat Knight. The goal, assisted by Oliver Ekman-Larssson and William Nylander, was the only action of the second period and the “comeback kids” once again found themselves down 2-1 going into the third period.

Third period

Teuvo Teravainen buried home a flip shot past Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll with an assist from Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore. Teravainen found himself down low and roofed a sweet shot over the helpless Woll.

Teuvo Teravainen – Chicago Blackhawks (4) pic.twitter.com/JJnDtyiy0o

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) November 16, 2025

Chicago would finish off the Maple Leafs for the 3-2 victory as Dach tipped home his aforementioned second of the season as defenseman Louis Crevier and forward Ilya Mikheyev assisted on the play.

Colton Dach gets a stick on it as the @NHLBlackhawks take the late lead! pic.twitter.com/woWCUQqeN1

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 16, 2025

Chicago is back on home ice versus the struggling Calgary Flames for a 7:30 p.m. CST puck drop on Tuesday.

Analysis

Connor Bedard was held without a point for the first time in 10 games but the young phenom still shows with his skill and speed that he can affect games in so many ways, even without denting the scoresheet.

Knight has shown flashes of brilliance with his .924 save percentage. Knight has looked cool and collected and not fighting the puck after giving up goals, something he was known to do in his first few seasons in the NHL. The 24-year-old Darien, Connecticut, product continually sees over 30 shots per night but has been a brick wall as the young defensemen continue to figure out their games.

The post RECAP: Chicago scores twice in third in 3-2 defeat of Toronto appeared first on The Rink.

First period

With the Hawks on a 5-on-3 power play, Connor Bedard scored his 10th goal of the season. The Hawks moved the puck quickly and ultimately created a 3-on-1 down low that put Markstrom way out of position. Teuvo Teravainen found Bedard, who snapped it into a wide-open net at 18:35 to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead, which they took to the locker room after 20 minutes.

hey siri could you play Chelsea Dagger pls pic.twitter.com/ZAJRAi9eBl

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 13, 2025

Second period

The Devils tied it with 14.3 seconds left in the period when Simon Nemec joined a Devils rush up the ice and whipped a backhand shot from the slot past Knight to tie it at 1-1 after two periods. Despite the goal, Knight was fantastic, having stopped Jack Hughes on two separate breakaways and making several other point-blank saves. Through 40 minutes, Knight stopped 23 of 24 shots.

Third period

The Hawks took a 2-1 lead when Landon Slaggert, who was just called up from Rockford, deflected a point shot from Louis Crevier. For Slaggert, it was his first of the season at the 3:05 mark.

back and better than ever pic.twitter.com/tdOit7WwyS

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 13, 2025

New Jersey tied it at 2-2 when Dawson Mercer buried a one-timer for his ninth of the season. The Devils entered the zone on a rush but a shot attempt was stopped by Knight, however, the Devils retrieved the puck and Hughes found Mercer with a cross-ice pass that found the back of the net at 10:13.

Sam Lafferty gave the Hawks their third lead of the game with his first of the season. Lafferty skated in along the left wing boards and showed some skill by avoiding an oncoming Luke Hughes and making a slick move across the goalmouth to create a wide-open net where he buried the puck to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead at 13:34.

a Sam Lafferty Chicago Blackhawks goal pic.twitter.com/znI5CunJQ3

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 13, 2025

The lead would not last long, as the Devils tied it at 3-3 when Nemec scored his second of the game and third of the season at 16:14. Jack Hughes sent a cross-ice feed to Stefan Noesen, who sent it cross ice to Nemec, who finished. The two teams finished regulation tied 3-3 as they headed to overtime.

Overtime

Nemec completed the hat trick when Markstrom executed a stretch pass, and he fired a wrist shot from the right circle and over the Knight’s glove to win it 4-3 at 3:26 of overtime.

Analysis

Despite a slow start, the Hawks found their legs toward the late stages of the first and were able to grab the lead three times but could not finish the game. Knight was clearly the best player on the ice with several grade-A saves, but Nemec had his number and was the difference in the game. While the result was disappointing, the young Blackhawks, who played without two of their top scorers, proved they could compete with one of the best teams in the NHL.

The Blackhawks return to the ice on Saturday night when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. CST on CHSN with the radio call on 720 WGN.

The post RECAP: Devils outlast Hawks 4-3 in OT appeared first on The Rink.