Since we last undertook this exercise in vibes and valuations, the Blackhawks hit their first real speed bump of the season, losing five consecutive games. Yet here they still are, holding down the second wild card in the Western Conference after a stirring comeback victory over Joel Quenneville’s high-flying Anaheim Ducks. So it’s not all bad, but for the first time all season, it’s not all good, either.

Let’s dive into the latest Blackhawks Power Rankings:

1. Ducks game

The narrative around the Blackhawks would be entirely different right now if the Ducks’ game Sunday continued in the direction it started. A six-game losing streak, which would have included two lopsided losses, going into a tough West Coast stretch could have been a recipe for a long slide. Instead, the Blackhawks pulled off an impressive comeback to snap the losing streak and can focus on the positives of even their recent losses. It was just the fifth time in NHL history that a team won a game in which is gave up two goals in the opening minute, and just the second time in 37 years. Let’s see where this season goes for them, but Sunday’s win could prove to be a significant one.

2. Connor Bedard

With how Bedard is playing and where the Blackhawks are in the standings, it’s not hyperbole to say Bedard would be in the Hart Trophy discussions if the season ended today. He’s been that good. Nathan MacKinnon (deservedly) might be running away with it at the moment, and Spencer Knight has been a huge part of the Blackhawks’ success, but if Chicago actually does make the playoffs, it could be a 2018 Taylor Hall situation, where one player drags his team into the postseason with dozens more points than his nearest teammate. It’ll be interesting to see what the Blackhawks do when Nick Foligno returns. That “A” on Bedard’s jersey figured to be temporary, but the way he’s leading the charge both with his play and competitiveness, it’d be hard to take it off.

3. The black jerseys

Nostalgia sells, and the Blackhawks are going to make a fortune off Gen Xers and elder millennials whose formative hockey-fan seasons came during the late-1990s and early 2000s. Those were a lot of dark seasons, so that’s a hardy bunch of fans. And if they want to wear a dulled-down version of one of the most recognizable uniforms in all of sports in honor of Tyler Arnason, Mark Bell and Kyle Calder, then who are we to yuck their yum? Good thing the Blackhawks came back to beat Anaheim, though. If they had been swept over the holiday weekend in those jerseys, there might have been an impromptu bonfire outside the United Center on Sunday evening.

4. Attendance

There was legitimate concern within the Blackhawks organization because of their smaller-than-usual crowds to begin the season. Everyone was curious — maybe even a little nervous — to see what the building would look like after their long Western Canada road trip. The results were positive for the Blackhawks. In their last eight games, they averaged 19,060 fans. They went from an average of 16,806 fans after six games to 18,094 following 14 games.

First overall ➡️ Second overall

Connor Bedard finds Artyom Levshunov for his first NHL goal! pic.twitter.com/4VKLB8lBUZ

— NHL (@NHL) November 27, 2025

 

5. Artyom Levshunov’s first goal

Where was the belly flop down center ice? Where was the Yogi Berra leap into Bedard’s arms? Where was the Tie Domi riding-the-stick celebration? After celebrating every assist like he just won the Stanley Cup, we expected more from Levshunov after he finally got his first goal in the Minnesota game, taking a Bedard pass and making a strong move to the net and beating Filip Gustavsson with a backhander. Oh, well. It’s the holiday season, and maybe it really is better to give than receive. At least he sort of flew through the air, Bobby Orr-style, after getting clipped just after the puck went in.

6. Nick Lardis

When Nick Lardis gets his chance in the NHL and gets called up from Rockford is difficult to guess right now. The Blackhawks already have numbers issues up front, especially with the 11 and seven lineup. But Lardis is doing his part. Over his last six games, he’s produced six goals and three assists. For the season, he has 11 goals and 11 assists in 20 games. Frank Nazar was recalled last season after he had 11 goals and 13 assists in 21 games. It’s only a matter of time, regardless of how crowded it is.

7. Avalanche game 

Colorado is entering 2013 Blackhawks and 2023 Bruins territory with its absurd 18-1-6 start to the season. The Avalanche have won 12 games by at least three goals, for crying out loud. Only three other teams have that many regulation wins at all. So while the Blackhawks have matriculated beyond moral victories, their 1-0 loss to Colorado last Sunday was still quite impressive. Blashill threw Bedard’s line into the fire, matching that trio (Ryan Greene, Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi) with Nathan MacKinnon, who’s been the league’s best player all season. Bedard played nearly 11 minutes of five-on-five play against MacKinnon and in those minutes, the Blackhawks had the lion’s share of attempts (15-13) and scoring chances (7-4), while playing to a 0-0 tie. Yes, the Blackhawks lost. No, not all losses are the same. If there’s such a thing as a statement loss, this was it.

8. Laurent Brossoit

The good news for Laurent Brossoit is he’s getting closer to actually playing in a game again. It’s been a long road. He’s expected to have a conditioning stint in Rockford soon. The bad news is he isn’t likely to ever play in the NHL for the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks like their tandem in Chicago and still believe in Drew Commesso’s potential. Trading Brossoit won’t be simple. He has a $3.3 million cap hit, and the Blackhawks might not be interested in eating any of that, with the return for him not likely to be much. Brossoit is coming off a very long layoff, and there’s no way of knowing if he can return to the high-end form he had in Las Vegas and Winnipeg. But the way things are going in Edmonton, former Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman should be on the phone with Kyle Davidson ASAP.

9. Frank Nazar

Nazar started the season hotter than any Blackhawks player, even Bedard. He had five goals and six assists in his first 11 games. But over the last 12 games, Nazar has had zero goals and six assists. His recent injury is likely a factor, but he also just doesn’t seem like the same player. Confidence and swagger play such a vital role in his game, and he just doesn’t seem to have those qualities as of late. Remember, this is his first full NHL season, and it’s hardly unusual for second-year players to get worn down by the relentless grind of the campaign — especially as the early “I’m in the NHL!” adrenaline wears off and especially in a compressed Olympic-year schedule.

10. CHSN

The Blackhawks are worth watching right now. If you’ve already cut the cord on cable and don’t want to go back down that route, CHSN’s direct-to-consumer app is your best option. It’s just unfortunate the app isn’t better. Rewinding, fast-forwarding and getting to the live video can be challenging. You’re lucky, too, if you don’t have to close the app and reopen it multiple times in a game.

11. Arvid Söderblom 

No matter how many goals the Blackhawks gave up against the Sabres recently, Söderblom had to know he wasn’t leaving the net. The Sabres finished with nine goals and destroyed his season’s save percentage, but that’s sometimes the job of the No. 2 goalie. More concerning for him and the Blackhawks was that he didn’t bounce back against the Predators in his next start, allowing four goals on 29 shots in a 4-3 loss. While Söderblom had been solid in the games leading up to the last two, the challenging part for him is he isn’t likely to see much action, especially with Knight playing as well as he is. Knight is establishing himself as a true No. 1, the kind of goalie who can be expected to play 55-60 games a season, so this won’t be a 50/50 split going forward. Söderblom now likely has to sit until the Blackhawks’ back-to-back games in California later this week. The Blackhawks do have three sets of back-to-backs in December.

12. Sabres game

Every team is entitled to a couple of absolute clunkers over the course of a long season, and this one was a doozy. The difference between this year’s team and the last several seasons is that it’s not happening twice a week. That’s progress.