Most of Chicago will wake up still in awe of what occurred on Saturday night at Soldier Field, with the Bears miraculously clawing back from a 16-6 deficit to take down the rival Green Bay Packers 22-16 in overtime.
But it’s not as exciting of a morning for the Blackhawks, who dropped a fifth consecutive game on Saturday to the Ottawa Senators and lost another key player to injury. Frank Nazar, who was filling in for Connor Bedard as the team’s top-line center, took a puck to the face early in the game and did not return. Head coach Jeff Blashill announced during his postgame media availability that Nazar is expected to be out for roughly four weeks.
Things have quickly gone from bad to worse for the Blackhawks, as they are now without their top two centers for an extended period and have just three wins in 16 games since Nov. 20.
Also in Blackhawks news, the Rockford IceHogs put seven goals on the board in a win over the Manitoba Moose, and one player had a four-point performance in his first game back with the team.
Around the league, the Pittsburgh Penguins are also in the midst of a long losing streak, new Buffalo Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen is already making moves, and Jacob Fowler recorded his first NHL shutout for the Habs.
All that & more in the Daily!
Chicago Blackhawks Recap, News & Tidbits
Chicago Hockey Now: While the offense potted more than two goals for the first time since Bedard got hurt, the Blackhawks couldn’t keep the puck out of their own net in Ottawa on Saturday. The Senators came away with a 6-4 win, which extended Chicago’s losing streak to five games. Nazar was injured early in the game and did not receive a positive prognosis from his head coach afterwards.
Down in the AHL, Rem Pitlick scored one goal and added three assists in his first game back with the IceHogs to carry the way to a 7-3 win over Manitoba. Pitlick was reacquired from the Bakersfield Condors in a trade earlier in the week. Brett Seney also scored twice, while Sam Rinzel (3A) and Joey Anderson (2G, 1A) tallied three points.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
The Athletic: In his final season as the St. Louis Blues GM, Doug Armstrong must make some tough decisions on the future of the franchise. With the Blues slipping down the standings, several players figure to be on the trade block. Jordan Binnington, Jordan Kyrou, and Pavel Buchnevich each could be dealt by Armstrong at some point before the deadline.
Sportsnet: Buffalo Sabres new GM Jarmo Kekalainen isn’t wasting any time in getting to work. Jason Karmanos is out as assistant general manager, while Josh Flynn and Marc Bergevin have been brought in as replacements. Flynn and Kekalainen worked together for several years in Columbus.
Montreal Hockey Now: Jacob Fowler was flawless on Saturday, stopping all 30 shots faced to record his first NHL shutout against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Owen Beck also scored his first NHL goal for the Montreal Canadiens in the 4-0 win.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: On the other end of the outcome, the Pittsburgh Penguins have now lost eight games in a row after falling 4-0 to the Habs. Before the game, coach Dan Muse juggled the lines and defensive pairings. He achieved a spirited effort, but far from clean.
Boston Hockey Now: Morgan Geekie scored his 25th goal of the season, but the Boston Bruins couldn’t hang onto a late lead against the Vancouver Canucks. Liam Ohgren scored the shootout winner for Vancouver in the 5-4 victory.
New Jersey Hockey Now: New Jersey Devils head coach, Sheldon Keefe, said the magic words. It sounds like some massive lineup returns are imminent. Pair the hint with a recent ticket sales tweet by the Devils, and you could read between the lines on who could be returning.
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