While it’s Victory Monday for Chicago Bears fans, it’s a nervous start to the week for supporters of the Chicago Blackhawks. Head coach Jeff Blashill is set to finally provide an update on star forward Connor Bedard, who suffered an injury in the final second of Friday night’s game against the Blues in St. Louis. Blashill will speak with the media following Monday’s practice at Fifth Third Arena.
Be on the lookout for Chicago Hockey Now’s write ups later this afternoon on Bedard’s injury status.
In their first game of the season without Bedard, the Blackhawks were shutout 4-0 by the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Top prospect Nick Lardis made his NHL debut but had his party crashed by two former franchise icons. Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat stole the show at the United Center, combining for three of Detroit’s four goals in the game. More in the links for the recap of the Original Six matchup.
Also in Blackhawks news, the IceHogs made a trade to bring back a former player and add some offensive support with Lardis up in the NHL.
Around the league, both Quinn Hughes and Zeev Buium scored in their team debuts, Blues forward Dylan Holloway got injured during practice, and Jakub Dobes helped the Montreal Canadiens take down Connor McDavid and the Oilers.
All that & more in the Daily!
Chicago Blackhawks Recap, News & Tidbits
Chicago Hockey Now: Surprise, surprise. Scoring goals without Connor Bedard in the lineup proved difficult for the Blackhawks on Saturday night. While Nick Lardis looked the part in his first taste of NHL action, Chicago was shutout 4-0 by the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Both Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat scored in the opening five minutes of the game, and the Blackhawks could never claw their way back.
More CHN: Ahead of his debut, here’s what Blackhawks top prospect Nick Lardis has been up to with the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL so far this year. Not only has Lardis been the top rookie scorer in the league, he’s been one of the best players overall in the AHL, period.
More CHN: ICYMI, Blackhawks 2024 first-round pick Marek Vanacker was named as a late addition to Team Canada’s 2026 World Junior Championship roster. Vanacker, who was snubbed by the Canadians on the initial roster release, leads the Ontario Hockey League with 26 goals in 26 games this season. All’s well that ends well.
Late on Sunday night, the Rockford IceHogs announced some trade news. Rockford acquired forward Rem Pitlick from the Bakersfield Condors in exchange for defenseman Tyson Feist. Pitlick, 28, played for the IceHogs in the 2023-24 season, recording 33 points in 27 games. With Lardis, Oliver Moore, and Dominic Toninato currently in the NHL with Chicago, the IceHogs needed some more scoring help.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
NHL.com: After being part of the package sent from Minnesota to Vancouver in the Quinn Hughes deal, defenseman Zeev Buium made his debut with the Canucks on Sunday. And what a debut it was from Buium, as he scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in a 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.
More NHL.com: On the other end of the deal, Quinn Hughes also made his first appearance as a member of the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. Just like Buium, Hughes didn’t waste any time making a strong first impression, as he scored a goal in Minnesota’s 6-2 win against the Boston Bruins.
Sportsnet: After the win, Hughes spoke with the media and shared his thoughts on being traded to the Wild. He also said he is “extremely open-minded” about signing a long-term extension with the Wild. Time to put those earmuffs on, Devils fans.
The Athletic: Believe it or not, yet another member of the St. Louis Blues forward group is out with an injury. This time, it happened during practice. Dylan Holloway suffered a lower-body injury on Sunday and is set to miss six weeks. Holloway has tallied eight goals and 17 points in 33 games this year.
Montreal Hockey Now: Jakub Dobes was excellent in goal for the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday to shutdown Connor McDavid, Leon Draisailt, and Co. Dobes stopped 28 of 29 shots faced in the Habs 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Oh, and Ivan Demidov also found the back of the net.
New Jersey Devils: New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald must have a pivot after failing to reel in Quinn Hughes. Fitzgerald needs to get even more creative and find a solution for New Jersey.
Forever Blueshirts: Derek Stepan knows exactly what awaits his former New York Rangers teammate Chris Kreider next week, when he returns to Madison Square Garden for the first time as an opposing player. Here’s what Stepan had to say about Kreider’s trip back to the Big Apple.
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