It’s a post-Christmas miracle! The Chicago Blackhawks pulled off an improbable win in their first game out of the NHL’s three-day break, defeating the Dallas Stars 4-3 in a shootout. The Hawks were without Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Nick Foligno, and Ilya Mikheyev, but still found a way to snap their six-game losing streak against the second-best team in the league.
More in the links for a recap and the highlights from an exciting shootout win in Dallas.
Also in Blackhawks news, 2025 first-round pick Vaclav Nestrasil helped Team Czechia earn its first win at the 2026 World Junior Championship. Another member of Chicago’s 2025 Draft Class, third-round pick Nathan Behm, scored a hat trick and tallied five points in the WHL.
Around the league, J.J. Moser inked a long-term deal with Tampa, the Sabres extended their winning streak to eight games, and Nathan MacKinnon had three points in another win for the Avalanche.
All that & more in the Daily!
Chicago Blackhawks Recap, News & Tidbits
Chicago Hockey Now: For the first time since Connor Bedard got injured on Dec. 12, the Blackhawks picked up two points with a 4-3 shootout win in Dallas. It was a valiant team effort to snap the six-game losing streak, as Tyler Bertuzzi scored twice, Arvid Soderblom had his best game in over a month, and rookie Nick Lardis scored the shootout winner.
More CHN: Captain Nick Foligno still wasn’t ready to return from his hand injury on Saturday, and Ilya Mikheyev was away from the team after his wife recently gave birth to their first child. With another two forwards on the shelf, the Blackhawks recalled Landon Slaggert ahead of their weekend back-to-back.
In World Juniors news, Vaclav Nestrasil scored his first goal of the tournament in Team Czechia’s 7-2 win over Team Denmark on Saturday. Nestrasil also added an assist for his second consecutive multi-point effort. Czechia is now 1-1-0 in the preliminary round and will face Finland next on Monday.
In the WHL, Nathan Behm scored a hat trick and had two assists for a five-point game in the Kamloops Blazers’ 9-5 win over the Calgary Hitmen. Behm is now second in the league with 51 points (20G, 31A) in 33 games this season.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
The Athletic: Now that the NHL’s roster freeze has been lifted, it’s a good time to start thinking about which players make sense for different teams. Here’s who all 32 clubs should try to acquire in the trade market before the deadline.
NHL.com: Out of the Christmas break, the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Boston Bruins 4-1 on Saturday to extend their winning streak to eight games. Matthias Samuelson led the charge with a goal and two assists.
ESPN: J.J. Moser became the latest member of the Tampa Bay Lightning to ink a long-term extension. Moser and the Bolts agreed to an eight-year deal with a $6.75 million AAV on Saturday. The 25-year-old leads the Lightning in time on ice this season.
New York Post: The New York Islanders placed goaltender Ilya Sorokin on injured reserve with a lower-body injury ahead of Saturday’s match against the Rangers. On the bright side, head coach Patrick Roy believes Sorokin will be able to rejoin the team in the not-so-distant future.
Colorado Hockey Now: After trailing three times — and twice by multiple goals — the Colorado Avalanche outlasted the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, winning 6-5 in a shootout at T-Mobile Arena. Nathan MacKinnon had 3 points and nine shots on goal in the comeback victory.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Pittsburgh Penguins roll into Chicago for a matchup with the Blackhawks at the United Center on Sunday. It’s been a messy past few weeks for the Penguins, and here’s what THEY think needs to be changed to turn things around.
New Jersey Hockey Now: It’s one step forward, two steps back for the New Jersey Devils this season. There were some promising points in their first game out of the Christmas break, but they still lost 4-3 in overtime to the Washington Capitals.
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