Newest Blackhawks Baby, Historic Sabres Losing Streak, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Tonight, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Carolina Hurricanes square off for the fourth time this season. It kicks off the last set of games that Chicago will have against any of the top three teams in the Central Division until April 27th.

After dropping both of their previous two games to the Nashville Predators in regulation, the Blackhawks find themselves tied with Nashville based on points, but behind them in the Divisional standings based on the regulation wins tiebreaker. Chicago is chasing a playoff spot now and getting points in this series against the Hurricanes is paramount. The Blackhawks are at a point in their schedule where they cannot afford to fall behind in the playoff chase if they are truly trying to convince us that they are a playoff team.

•   Following this two-game set against the Hurricanes, the next ten games for the Blackhawks are against teams even with or below them in the standings. So the mentality needs to be that the playoffs begin now. Chicago holds a 1-1-1 record against the Hurricanes this season, with goals in favor of Carolina 13-12. After a being stifled on the powerplay in their previous two games against the Predators, the Blackhawks hope they can bounce back on their opportunities on the man-advantage against the Hurricanes. Chicago has scored five powerplay goals this season against Carolina on 11 opportunities.

•   Kevin Lankinen looks to be the starter tonight for the Blackhawks. He has started each of the the previous three games against the Hurricanes this season, holding a .902 save percentage in those three games.

•   Kirby Dach will also get into this third game of the season tonight. He has logged 20:08 and 21:18 minutes in his first two outings, but hasn’t found the scoresheet. That’s not to say he hasn’t looked ready to play or hasn’t been effective. Head coach Jeremy Colliton has said a few times now that the plan is to deploy him in pretty much every situation and get the most out of him for the remainder of the season, so long as his body holds up and there’s no reason to doubt it so far.

•   Maybe all he needs is a change of stick tape?

•   As we all know, skill players get to use white tape. I expect points, plural, from Dach tonight.

•   I also expect big things from a returning Dylan Strome, since he now has his “New Dad Strength.”

https://twitter.com/NHLBlackhawks/status/1376642443555258371?s=20

•   Strome returns to the Blackhawks tonight after missing the last game due to the birth of his new daughter Weslie. So cute! Congratulations to the new parents, again.

•   A number of reports came about yesterday surrounding the Blackhawks, first that NCAA free agent Mike Hardman is expected to sign an entry-level deal with Chicago. Hardman spent the previous two seasons with Boston College and tallied 44 points in 58 games.

•   Another report coming out last night involved Blackhawks President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Stan Bowman. According to TSN’s Frank Seravalli, Bowman is expected to be named the General Manager of the 2022 Team USA Winter Olympic Men’s Hockey team. Bowman has previous international tournament team management experience having been the assistant GM for Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

•   Happening around the Central Division yesterday, unfortunate news for the Florida Panthers as Aaron Ekblad messed up his knee and will miss the rest of the season. I don’t want to put the video of the injury in here because it’s not pretty. Just know it’s bad enough to end the season.

•   I feel bad for Ekblad, who was having one of his best seasons of his career. Fallout from this could be that the Panthers get active in the trade market for a defensemen. The NHL trade deadline is coming up on April 12th.

•   Around the league, we look at the Buffalo Sabres, oh the poor Sabres. They held a 3-0 lead over the Philadelphia Flyers heading into the third period yesterday and lost 4-3 in overtime. It just is so unfair to such a diehard hockey market like Buffalo to have to endure this train wreck of an organization.

•   They have not won a game since February 23rd. The good news for the Sabres is that they will probably get one of the top three picks in the NHL Draft this summer, since the new rule being implemented this year is that only the top two picks, no longer the top three, are up for grabs. At worst, they’ll pick third.

•   That bodes well for the Sabres, since the 2021 NHL Draft class is wide open. As for the Blackhawks, their targets in the draft have seemed to change a bit since the beginning of the season. Chicago was looking at potential top-five prospects at the beginning of the season, but now likely are shifting their focus to mid-round players. For reference, here is the latest version of my draft prospects to keep an eye on for the Blackhawks with their first and second round picks.

•   A draft pick to look out for in 2023, Connor Bedard is doing more than players like Connor McDavid and John Tavares did as 15-year-olds playing in the CHL.

•   This is a 15-year-old playing against mostly 18 and 19-year-old players. That’s impressive.

•   Bedard has 17 points in 9 games in the WHL, tied for second in the league in scoring. He is tied with Peyton Krebs, a 2019 first-round pick, and trails Dylan Guenther, a 2021 top-ten prospect, and Cole Clayton, who is 21-years-old.

•   That’s all for today. Have yourselves a good Tuesday! We’ll see you tonight for Blackhawks and Hurricanes at 6:30 p.m. CT.

written by

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

more blackhawks news

Blackhawks 0, Senators 2 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

Remember when the Blackhawks went to California for three games and started each game like they had 45 minutes of hockey to start caring? And dug a deep hole in each game that they were only able to escape from...

Blackhawks at Senators – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

Don't look now, but the Chicago Blackhawks have won six of their last ten games. They still sit in second for the NHL draft lottery, but they're trending in the right direction; they're .500 in the month of March with...

These 3 Blackhawks Veterans Are Having Terrific Seasons

Entering Thursday night's action, the Chicago Blackhawks have the second-worst point percentage in the NHL -- even while they're 6-4-0 in their last 10 games. And they own the second-worst goal differential in the league (minus-76). It's been a long,...

28 on 28: Steve Larmer’s Rookie Season Remains the Blackhawks’ Standard

We're ten games away from the end of the 2023-24 regular season, and Connor Bedard continues to put up remarkable numbers for at age 18 in his first professional season. He will likely join Steve Larmer on the list of...

The Greatest Sports Watching Day of the Year, Next Year’s TV, an IceHogs Stunner, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Congratulations, sports fans! Today, March 28, 2024 is the greatest sports viewing day of the calendar year. Hands down, lock it up, no competition. It's Opening Day in MLB and Sweet 16 day one in the NCAA men's basketball tournament....

NHL Notes: Penguins Paradox, Torts Apologizes, Doan’s Dazzling Debut, Rangers Punch Ticket, More

It's a mid-week edition of NHL Notes and we have plenty to cover around the league. The Penguins find themselves with a tricky decision as their season draws to a close. John Tortorella dished out an apology to one of...

We Need to Talk About Jason Dickinson As a Selke Trophy Candidate — Again

Back in early February as the Blackhawks wrapped their pre-All-Star Game schedule, I wrote about Jason Dickinson's case for Selke Trophy votes. We're now ten games away from the end of Chicago's regular season, and with Dickinson reaching 20 goals...

Slaggert’s Big Night, Bedard’s Tape, Felcman to Rockford, Anderson, Tinordi, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

I'm gonna continue to smile, just like Landon Slaggert, because of his performance in last night's Blackhawks win. The former Notre Dame captain had his parents and young brother in the stands and he had one helluva game last night....

Blackhawks 3, Flames 1 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

The message Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson was trying to get across with Monday's bag skate clearly landed. The start Chicago had on Tuesday night was a polar opposite of what they showed in the three games in California. They...

Blackhawks vs Flames – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

After a disappointing road trip that saw the Blackhawks get smoked for 7 of 9 periods, the team got a bag skate on Monday to think about their effort. They'll get back on the ice tonight in front of a...

Latest News

Braves vs. Phillies Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Atlanta Braves start their season as road favorites (-125) in a matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday at 3:05 PM ET, live on BSSO from Citizens Bank Park.Spencer Strider will get the ball for Atlanta while Philadelphia will...

Washington State vs. Illinois Women’s Basketball: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

Two hot teams meet when the Washington State Cougars (21-14) host the Illinois Fighting Illini (17-15) on April 1, 2024. The Cougars will put their three-game win streak on the line against the Fighting Illini, who have won three straight.On...

Villanova vs. Penn State Women’s Basketball: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

The Villanova Wildcats (21-12) will try to extend a three-game winning streak when they host the Penn State Lady Lions (22-12) on April 1, 2024. The Lady Lions have also won three games in a row.In its previous game, Villanova...

Brewers vs. Mets Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Milwaukee Brewers open their season as -110 favorites in a road matchup with the New York Mets on Friday at 1:40 PM ET, live on SNY.Freddy Peralta gets the starting nod for Milwaukee while Jose Quintana is New York's...

Braves vs. Phillies Probable Starting Pitchers – March 29

The Philadelphia Phillies (0-0) host the Atlanta Braves (0-0) in an Opening Day contest at 3:05 PM ET on Friday.The Braves will call on Spencer Strider against the Phillies and Zack Wheeler.Braves vs. Phillies Pitcher Matchup and Game InfoWhen: Friday,...

Suns vs. Thunder Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder (50-22) are 2.5-point underdogs against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns (43-30) Friday, March 29, 2024 at Paycom Center. The game starts at 8:00 PM ET on KSBI. The matchup's point total is...

Brewers vs. Mets Probable Starting Pitchers – March 29

The Milwaukee Brewers (0-0) and the New York Mets (0-0) face off on Friday at Citi Field for Opening Day. First pitch is at 1:40 PM ET.The Brewers will look to Freddy Peralta versus the Mets and Jose Quintana.Brewers vs....

Cavaliers vs. 76ers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Philadelphia 76ers (39-34) are 8-point underdogs against the Cleveland Cavaliers (44-29) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday, March 29, 2024. The game starts at 7:30 PM ET on NBCS. The matchup's point total is set at 212.5.Our computer predictions...

Heat vs. Trail Blazers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Portland Trail Blazers (19-54) will attempt to end an eight-game losing streak when they visit the Miami Heat (39-33) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at FTX Arena as heavy, 14-point underdogs. The contest airs at 8:00 PM ET on...

Rockets vs. Jazz Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Utah Jazz (29-44) will try to end a seven-game losing streak when they host the Houston Rockets (37-35) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at Vivint Smart Home Arena as 7.5-point underdogs. The contest airs at 9:30 PM ET on...

more blackhawks news