The Next “Dude,” IceHogs Season Begins, Marc-Andre Fleury Makes A Delivery, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Good Saturday morning. It’s currently 3 degrees outside and I don’t want to do anything or go anywhere today. It’s too cold. All I want to do is sit and watch campfire videos on Youtube. Literally just curl under a blanket and imagine what that warm fire would be like. Anyway, that’s where I’m at today.

I hope Blackhawks fans are staying warm, too. Given how utterly dismal the team was during the first three games of the season, I’d understand if your enjoyment was still thawing out. But given their play recently? It’s warming my heart right up. No, they’re not suddenly contenders, but they are playing better than we all expected, with plenty of exciting performances from young, potentially long-term pieces. And, hey, the Blackhawks record (4-4-4) is a lot better than the Ottawa Senators (2-8-1) or the Detroit Red Wings (2-8-2) – two teams with which I thought the Blackhawks would be on par.

You know what, I kind of feel better already.

•   The Blackhawks play on Sunday, 2 p.m. CT against the Dallas Stars leading right into the Super Bowl. Quite the appetizer for one of the biggest days in sports if I do say so myself.

•   Chicago and Dallas is going to be a fun matchup from a special teams angle. Both teams are on fire on the powerplay with the Stars ranking in a tie for first in the league at 40.0 percent and the Blackhawks ranking second at 37.8 percent. On the penalty-kill, both teams are near each other in the rankings with Chicago at 13th in the NHL with an 81.0 percent kill-rate and Dallas ranking tied for 15th with an 80.0 percent kill-rate.

•   One big reason the Blackhawks are having so much success on the powerplay this season is the emergence of Dominik Kubalík as more than just a booming shot from the circles. I mean, yes he is still that, but he’s seen an evolution in his game from last year. He’s second on the Blackhawks in points this season (11 in 12 games), but leads the team with nine points on the powerplay. He’s tied for second in the NHL for powerplay points, trailing only Connor McDavid (10 points on the man-advantage).

•   Kubalík’s puck distribution has improved this season already. He has eight assists through the first 12 games of the season (it took him 40 games to reach that mark last year), after finishing with just 16 assists during all of last season.

•   Looking at goal-scoring, it was great to see Alex DeBrincat get not one, but two goals in the 6-4 win over the Hurricanes on Thursday night. DeBrincat has four goals on the season but hadn’t found the back of the net since January 17 against the Florida Panthers. After missing time due the league’s COVID-19 Protocols, DeBrincat has seven points in his last four games played and 10 points in eight games this season. With the losses of Jonathan Toews and Kirby Dach before the season, DeBrincat and Kubalík were going to be relied upon to shoulder more of the offensive load – so far, so good.

•   Also shouldering a lot of the load defensively this season is Duncan Keith. Big surprise right? Logging a team-leading 23:58 minutes per game, Keith is once again the workhorse defensively for Chicago. At 37-years-old, you have to wonder how long he’ll be able to do that, or if it’ll even be the best situation for the Blackhawks that he’d have to do that. But ask Keith himself and he wants to have that responsibility and he physically looks up to the task. Which is an incredible feat. But it won’t be long before the Blackhawks need another guy to take that role of being the most deployed defenseman, eating up heavy minutes. Could Ian Mitchell be that next player on the Blackhawks blue-line?

•   The Rockford IceHogs begin their season today taking on the Chicago Wolves in a rescheduled home-opener. They were supposed to play the Cleveland Monsters but Cleveland ran into COVID issues so the Wolves are now up. Rockford announced their leadership group on Friday would consist of Garrett Mitchell as Team Captain, with John Quenneville and Cody Franson serving as alternate Captains

•   Speaking of COVID, because you just can’t help it now, the NHL announced that they had to reschedule 30 (!!) games for eight different clubs.

•   Now I follow COVID news with something good and fun. Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury took it upon himself to hand deliver an autographed MAF sweater to a luck fan. But, they didn’t answer the door. Oh man, what a moment that would have been. Speaking as someone who has a Ring doorbell, at least open the app and talk to the guy!

•   Finally, the Blackhawks draft board should probably just be a big bold “OWEN POWER” with a red circle around it, but they will have plenty of options in this year’s draft. It’s likely they will end up with a shot at a top pick in the draft lottery, so with that in mind, be sure to check out some names that should be on your radar as the season goes along for the Blackhawks first round target. Later today, be on the lookout for names to put on the radar for the second round.

•   Thanks for indulging us as we promote big-game betting this weekend – also, go make some money, honey:

written by

Mario Tirabassi is a writer for Bleacher Nation. You can follow him on Twitter @Mario_Tirabassi.

more blackhawks news

San Jose Sharks Fire Head Coach David Quinn

When you finish with the worst record in the NHL, it's hard to keep your job. Even when the front office strips your roster to the bare bones, apparently. And on Wednesday, David Quinn found out the San Jose Sharks...

Bedsy on ‘Shoresy’, Rockford Adds Two, Hayes Next? Cap Overages, Save of the Year, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

If you haven't watched Shoresy yet, it's worth your time if you enjoy some good hockey-related programming. They're lighting the lamp for their third season at the end of May and their new trailer is loaded with Connor Bedard references....

What are the Blackhawks’ Options to Improve in Net Next Season?

When Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson met with the media to close the 2023-24 season over this past weekend, one of the subjects that came up was goaltending. Petr Mrazek was very good this season -- he was arguably the...

Rooting Interest, Vlasic Wants to Stay, Championship DNA, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

A quick reminder for Blackhawks fans as we watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs: there are a few teams we're all probably rooting against. Not necessarily because we don't like the team or the players, but because it would help the...

WATCH: Hurricanes Provide Latest Example That Playoff Hockey Is Just The Greatest

12 hours later and I'm still scrolling the internet watching replays of Jordan Martinook's game-winner for the Hurricanes last night. The Hurricanes and Islanders game was just another example of why the Stanley Cup Playoffs are so damn awesome. In...

Blackhawks Perspectives: Players Talk About Learning from Losses, Wanting to Win, More

On Saturday, a dozen Blackhawks players spoke with the media about a wide range of topics as they closed the books on the 2023-24 season. From personal performance assessments to team consistency, a lot was covered. And each player had...

Buffalo Sabres Hire Lindy Ruff as Head Coach… Again

Did somebody throw a couple bucks in the juke box and hit the theme song from "Welcome Back, Kotter"? Because Lindy Ruff is the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres -- again. https://twitter.com/BuffaloSabres/status/1782517265956573577 Ruff, 64, was the head coach of...

Calder Cup Playoffs, IceHogs Debuts, Goalies, College Prospects, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Hey, you know what's fun? Playoff hockey. And you know who's playing playoff hockey this week? The Rockford IceHogs! They played their final game of the 2023-24 regular season last night and won it in fabulously dramatic fashion on a...

Who Are Some Potential Free Agent “Identity” Forward Targets for the Blackhawks??

The 2023-24 regular season is in the books. The Blackhawks are coming off a historically bad season that was filled with significant injuries to players who had high hopes coming into the season. When general manager Kyle Davidson spoke with...

Let’s Watch All Four of the Blackhawks’ First Career Goals From This Season

Six players made their NHL debut for the Chicago Blackhawks this past season: Connor Bedard, Kevin Korchinski, Louis Crevier, Landon Slaggert, Ethan Del Mastro and Frank Nazar. Four of those six rookies found the back of the net for the...

Latest News

Golden Knights vs. Stars NHL Playoffs First Round Game 3 Prediction: Live Odds, Stats, History and Picks – Saturday, April 27, 2024

The Vegas Golden Knights meet the Dallas Stars on Saturday and are -120 on the moneyline, with the latter at +100.Golden Knights vs. Stars Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Golden Knights (-120)Underdog: Stars (+100)Total: 6Best Golden Knights vs. Stars Promo Codes[lasso type="table"...

Guardians vs. Red Sox: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

On Thursday, Josh Naylor and the Cleveland Guardians (17-7) play Tyler O'Neill and the Boston Red Sox (14-11), with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 PM ET at Progressive Field.See how to watch the Cleveland-Boston matchup below.When is Guardians vs. Red...

Maple Leafs vs. Bruins NHL Playoffs First Round Game 4 Prediction: Live Odds, Stats, History and Picks – Saturday, April 27, 2024

The Toronto Maple Leafs are -112 on the moneyline against the Boston Bruins (-108) on Saturday, with this tight-looking matchup being played at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.Maple Leafs vs. Bruins Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Maple Leafs (-112)Underdog: Bruins (-108)Total: 6Best Maple...

Mariners vs. Rangers: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

The Seattle Mariners (12-12), led by Caleb Raleigh, visit Adolis Garcia and the Texas Rangers (13-12) on Thursday at 2:35 PM ET.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on how to watch Seattle take on Texas live.When is Mariners...

How to Watch Padres vs. Rockies: Live Stream or on TV

The San Diego Padres (13-13), with Randy Vasquez on the mound, visit the Colorado Rockies (6-18) who will counter with Dakota Hudson, at 3:10 PM ET on Thursday.If you're planning on watching this game, keep reading for TV and streaming...

2024 Las Vegas Raiders Big Board: Potential First-Round Fits Including Tackle & Cornerback

The desert heat is rising in Las Vegas, and so are the expectations for the Raiders. The 2024 NFL Draft is rapidly approaching, and the Silver and Black hold the 13th overall pick. Will they prioritize shoring up the offensive...

Twins vs. White Sox: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

On Thursday, going for a series sweep, Ryan Jeffers and the Minnesota Twins (10-13) face the Chicago White Sox (3-21), with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 PM ET at Target Field.Keep reading to find out all the details on how...

How to Watch Astros vs. Cubs: Live Stream or on TV

Justin Verlander takes the mound for the Houston Astros (7-18) when they visit starter Javier Assad and the Chicago Cubs (15-9) at 2:20 PM ET on Thursday.See how to watch the Houston-Chicago matchup below.When is Astros vs. Cubs and when...

Royals vs. Blue Jays: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

Salvador Perez and the Kansas City Royals (15-10) host Daulton Varsho and the Toronto Blue Jays (13-12) on Thursday, with first pitch at 2:10 PM ET.See how to watch the Kansas City-Toronto matchup below.When is Royals vs. Blue Jays and...

Yankees vs. Athletics: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

On Thursday, Juan Soto and the New York Yankees (17-8) play Abraham Toro and the Oakland Athletics (9-16), with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM ET at Yankee Stadium.The article below will give you everything you need to watch New...

more blackhawks news