Happy first day of December! I hope everyone had a spectacular Holiday weekend and navigated the heavy snowfall carefully. Winter has once again smacked us all square in the face. What happened to that 50-degree weather?!
The Chicago Blackhawks are set to hit the road for a four-game West Coast trip that starts Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights. They’ll be riding high heading into Sin City, coming off a massive 5-3 come-from-behind win over the Anaheim Ducks to snap a five-game losing streak. To no one’s surprise, Connor Bedard led the comeback effort against Anaheim and has vaulted into second in the NHL in points. More in the links for the recap and observations from a much-needed victory at the United Center.
Also in Blackhawks news, two top prospects found the back of the net twice, while Kevin Korchinski returned after a mysterious absence from the Rockford IceHogs lineup.
Around the league, an update on star forward Logan Cooley, the season continues to unravel for the Rangers, and Carter Hart’s upcoming debut for the Golden Knights.
All that & more in the Daily!
Chicago Blackhawks Recap, News & Tidbits
Chicago Hockey Now: For the first time this season, the Blackhawks pulled out a win when trailing after 20 minutes. Connor Bedard recorded his third four-point performance of the year to help his team claw back from an early 3-0 deficit and beat the Ducks 5-3. The losing streak is FINALLY over.
More CHN: Bedard will garner all the attention after tying Macklin Celebrini for the second-most points in the league. But here are the other key observations from the Blackhawks’ win over Anaheim to close out November.
In prospects news, 2024 first-round pick (No. 27 overall) Marek Vanacker scored his 22nd and 23rd goals of the season in the Brantford Bulldogs’ 5-4 loss to the Oshawa Generals on Sunday. Vanacker remains at a goal-per-game pace and leads the OHL in goals.
In the AHL, Nick Lardis also scored twice and added an assist in the Rockford IceHogs’ 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Admirals. Lardis now has 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points through 20 games in his first season as a professional. The 2023 third-round pick (No. 67 overall) leads all AHL rookies in scoring.
The IceHogs also had defenseman Kevin Korchinski back in the lineup after he was mysteriously scratched just before Friday’s game started. No reason was announced behind Korchinski’s absence. He played on the team’s top defensive pairing alongside Nolan Allan on Sunday.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
Sportsnet: Utah Mammoth star forward Logan Cooley appears to have avoided a major injury. The 21-year-old forward exited Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Blues following a knee-to-knee collision with Alexey Toropchenko but was later spotted walking to the team bus under his own power. Further reports suggest that he’s only dealing with a quad contusion.
NHL.com: Wyatt Johnston scored his fourth career hat trick to power the Dallas Stars to a 6-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. Two of his goals were scored via the power play, giving Johnston a league-leading 12 PPGs on the season. Johnston is now tied with Bedard for fourth in the NHL in goals with 16.
TSN: Don’t look now, but Alex Ovechkin suddenly has 11 goals and is on pace for 38 in what could be his final season in the NHL. Ovechkin started the season quietly, but he’s now back to filling the net at his usual rate.
Vegas Hockey Now: The Carter Hart Era will officially begin for the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday… against the Blackhawks. Hart has been recalled from Henderson in the AHL and is expected to make his first start with the Golden Knights when they play next on Dec. 2. Hart is eligible to resume his NHL career starting today, Dec. 1.
Forever Blueshirts: From bad to worse for the New York Rangers. The Blueshirts dropped their eighth game of the season at Madison Square Garden, and they’ve scored only three goals in those eight games. Now, the team will be without star defenseman Adam Fox, as he’s been placed on LTIR due to a left-shoulder injury.
Florida Hockey Now: The Florida Panthers head into December closer to last place in the Eastern Conference than they are to a playoff spot. While there isn’t any panic around the two-time defending champions, the start to the season has been less than ideal.
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