{"id":427965,"date":"2026-01-25T21:48:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T21:48:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/427965\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T21:48:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T21:48:25","slug":"blackhawks-week-ahead-schedule-storylines-forwards-back-stability-in-net-and-more-the-hockey-writers-chicago-blackhawks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/427965\/","title":{"rendered":"Blackhawks Week Ahead: Schedule &#038; Storylines &#8211; Forwards Back, Stability in Net and More &#8211; The Hockey Writers &#8211; Chicago Blackhawks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Here are the key storylines for the Chicago Blackhawks and their upcoming schedule for the week of Jan. 25 \u2013 Feb. 1, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Bedard and Nazar Return from Injury<\/p>\n<p>The biggest news is the return of superstar Connor Bedard, who was activated from injured reserve earlier this month after missing time with a shoulder injury. He recently scored an empty-net goal in a 2-0 win against the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 19, marking his first goal since returning. Bedard currently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhl.com\/blackhawks\/player\/connor-bedard-8484144\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">has 48 points<\/a> (20 goals, 28 assists) in 36 games, leading the team offensively despite the missed time.<\/p>\n<p>Forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyfaceoff.com\/news\/chicago-blackhawks-frank-nazar-andre-burakovsky-return-lineup-carolina-hurricanes-injury-illness\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Frank Nazar returned<\/a> in time for the win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 22 after missing 14 games with an upper-body injury.<\/p>\n<p>Spencer Knight Stabilizing the Net<\/p>\n<p>Goaltender Spencer Knight has been <a href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/blackhawks-goalie-tandem-set-for-the-present-future\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a bright spot<\/a>, recently recording a 32-save shutout against the Winnipeg Jets. It was his third shutout of the season, helping to stabilize the team\u2019s defensive play as they navigate the Central Division.<\/p>\n<p>Jonathan Toews Returns to the United Center<\/p>\n<p>An emotional storyline from last week that still lingers is the return of former captain Jonathan Toews, who played his <a href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/brookes-blackhawks-notebook-toews-return-hunger-for-greatness\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">first game back<\/a> at the United Center as a member of the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 19. The Blackhawks spoiled his return with a 2-0 victory, but the game was highlighted by a tribute to the three-time Stanley Cup champion.<\/p>\n<p>Blackhawks Schedule Jan. 25 \u2013 Feb. 1<\/p>\n<p>DateDayOpponentTime (CT)VenueBroadcast\/NotesJan. 25Sundayvs. Florida Panthers6:00 PMUnited CenterHome game against Stanley Cup ChampsJan. 27Tuesday@ Minnesota Wild7:00 PMGrand Casino ArenaCentral Division MatchupJan. 29Thursday@ Pittsburgh Penguins6:00 PMPPG Paints ArenaBedard vs. CrosbyJan. 30Fridayvs. Columbus Blue Jackets7:30 PMUnited CenterBack-to-back set<\/p>\n<p>AI tools were used to support the creation or distribution of this content, however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of The Hockey Writers editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/editorial-standards\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Editorial Standards<\/a> page.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.substack.com\/s\/chicago-blackhawks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"122\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Blackhawks_Banner-1200x122.jpg\" alt=\"SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE TO OUR CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS SUBSTACK NEWSLETTER\" class=\"wp-image-1567215\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"  \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/anaheim-ducks\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Anaheim Ducks\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/boston-bruins\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Boston Bruins\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/buffalo-sabres\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Buffalo Sabres\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/calgary-flames\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Calgary Flames\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/carolina-hurricanes\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Carolina Hurricanes\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/chicago-blackhawks\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Chicago Blackhawks\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/colorado-avalanche\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Colorado Avalanche\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/columbus-blue-jackets\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Columbus Blue Jackets\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/dallas-stars\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Dallas Stars\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/detroit-red-wings\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Detroit Red Wings\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/edmonton-oilers\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Edmonton Oilers\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/florida-panthers\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Florida Panthers\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/los-angeles-kings\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Los Angeles Kings\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/montreal-canadiens\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Montreal Canadiens\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/minnesota-wild\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Minnesota Wild\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/nashville-predators\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Nashville Predators\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/new-jersey-devils\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"New Jersey Devils\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/new-york-islanders\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"New York Islanders\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/new-york-rangers\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"New York Rangers\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/ottawa-senators\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Ottawa Senators\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/philadelphia-flyers\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Philadelphia Flyers\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/pittsburgh-penguins\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Pittsburgh Penguins\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/san-jose-sharks\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"San Jose Sharks\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/seattle-kraken\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Seattle Kraken\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/st-louis-blues\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"St. Louis Blues\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/tampa-bay-lightning\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Tampa Bay Lightning\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/toronto-maple-leafs\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Toronto Maple Leafs\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/utah-mammoth\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Utah Hockey Club\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/vancouver-canucks\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Vancouve Canucks\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/vegas-golden-knights\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Vegas Golden Knights\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/washington-capitals\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Washington Capitals\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><br \/>\n<a xlink:href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/winnipeg-jets\/\" target=\"---\" xlink:title=\"Winnipeg Jets\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here are the key storylines for the Chicago Blackhawks and their upcoming schedule for the week of Jan.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":427966,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5115],"tags":[521,37,96,5263,508,800,5,3862,4,488],"class_list":{"0":"post-427965","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-blackhawks","8":"tag-blackhawks","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-chicago-blackhawks","11":"tag-chicagoblackhawks","12":"tag-connor-bedard","13":"tag-frank-nazar","14":"tag-hockey","15":"tag-jonathan-toews","16":"tag-nhl","17":"tag-spencer-knight"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115957944391080079","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=427965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427965\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/427966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=427965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=427965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=427965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}