Oil Spill, Drew! Changes North of the Border, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

After a week off, and having to pay attention to so many things outside of the Blackhawks’ on-ice product, it was a nice change of pace to actually watch a hockey game last night. And the Blackhawks didn’t disappoint in their first game back from the NHL All-Star break, topping the Edmonton Oilers 4-1 and getting Oilers coach Dave Tippett fired in the process.

•   Fresh off his “Hangover” experience at the NHL All-Star weekend in Las Vegas, Alex DeBrincat wasted no time getting himself and the Blackhawks on the board last night.

•   DeBrincat’s 27th goal of the year has him on a 47-goal pace for the season. He would add an assist minutes later, on the 2-0 goal from Brandon Hagel (Hagel’s 13th of the season and DeBrincat’s 12th assist of the season).

•   It would be a shaky second period for the Blackhawks getting out-shot 20-6, but Marc-André Fleury was up to the task and kept the Chicago lead safe at 2-1 heading into the second intermission. In the third period, Dylan Strome would tally his eighth goal of the season and Kirby Dach would add his seventh to make it a 4-1 game and that would be all the cushion that the Blackhawks would need.

•   Chicago had just one win in their previous eight games leading into the NHL All-Star break, so it was refreshing to see the return to action start on the right foot.

•   On the other side, the Oilers dropped to 5-7-3 since December 29 with the loss last night. It was their second loss in back-to-back nights having allowed four goals. It was enough to get head coach Dave Tippett fired this morning.

•   Edmonton’s AHL affiliate head coach Jay Woodcroft will take over the team.

•   The Oilers were once thought to be Stanley Cup contenders this season. Why wouldn’t they be with Connor McDavid and Leon Draistail? But as we have seen time and time again in Edmonton, McDavid and Draistail alone cannot drag the team into the postseason. Now sitting in fifth in the Pacific Division and five points back of Calgary for the Western Conference second wildcard spot, if the Oilers are going to get into the postseason, they must address their defense and goaltending and Marc-André Fleury is likely not going to want to head to Edmonton either.

•   Also making changes yesterday were the Montreal Canadiens with the firing of head coach Dominique Ducharme.

•   And in a surprise twist, with no previous coaching experience, Hockey Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis was named the interim head coach in Montreal.

•   This should be very, very fun to watch from a distance in Montreal.

•   More coaching news yesterday, St. Louis (the city) extended their head coach Craig Berube three-years through the 2024-25 season.

•   Well deserved for Berube, who is 133-71-30 behind the bench in St. Louis and led the Blues to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

•   Ok, back to the Blackhawks. Last night was not only important for the action on the ice, it was important for what we saw on the broadcast before the game and during the intermissions. Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz had a sit-down interview with NBC Sports Chicago’s David Kaplan to discuss everything that had happened over the past week since the Town Hall event. First things first, Danny addressed his Dad Rocky’s outbursts at the event:

•   He also was able to answer the topic of the question that was originally asked to him, that set-off Rocky at the Town Hall event:

•   Wirtz was also able to address the current GM search and what the organization is looking for in their re-vamped vision for the GM role:

•   You can find the full interview with Wirtz and Kaplan here:

•  And speaking of the GM search, another name was announced by the Blackhawks yesterday as they interviewed Tampa Bay Lightning assistant GM Mathieu Darche.

•   Darche is another name that we highlighted prior to the search beginning for Chicago, so it’s good to know that the search committee is listening to our suggestions. So that is now six people that the Blackhawks have interviewed for the GM position with Darche added to the list of Peter Chiarelli, Scott Mellanby, Eric Tulsky, Jeff Greenberg, and current interim GM Kyle Davidson.

•   One name that was on our list and is no longer in-play is Cammi Granato. Formerly of the Seattle Kraken, Granato was named the assistant GM for the Vancouver Canucks.

•   Granato now joins Émilie Castonguay as the first two female assistant GMs in Canucks team history.

•   If you are looking for Super Bowl betting promos, we’re gathering them all here. This is basically the biggest time of year to get the promos, so if you’re into it at all, make sure to check it out. For example, BetMGM has a 20-1 odds boost promo that allows new users to Bet $10, Win $200 if the Rams or Bengals score a touchdown.

•   In Olympic news, Blackhawks goaltending prospect Drew Commesso got the first start of the Men’s tournament for Team USA early this morning against hosts China. The start made Commesso the youngest goaltender to start an Olympic game for the Men’s U.S. team. He made the most of it in a dominant 8-0 win for the U.S., making all 29 saves asked of him.

•   How’s this for a Chicago connection to the U.S. Men’s first win of the Olympics?!

•   Seven of the eight goals from the U.S. came from current NCAA players. Don’t look now, but this non-NHL U.S. team might be pretty fun to watch.

•   On the Women’s side, Team USA plays tonight in their quarterfinal matchup against the Czech Republic.

•   The U.S. looks to make it seven Olympics in-a-row making it to the semifinal with a potential win tonight.

•   Yesterday we learned that long-time Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask’s comeback efforts would end, as would his playing career.

•   Rask was one of the best goalies in the NHL for close to a decade and a major reason why the Bruins were perennial Stanley Cup contenders. Rask backed-up Tim Thomas during the 2011 Stanley Cup run for Boston and helped the Bruins to the Cup Finals in 2013 and 2019. He won the Vezina in 2014 and since the 2010-11 season, Rask ranks seventh in wins among all goaltenders and is second in save-percentage (.920) among 37 goalies to play at least 300 games. Quite the career.

•   That will do it for today. Hope you all enjoy your Thursday!

written by

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

more blackhawks news

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...

Happy Birthday Luke, Bag Skate Monday, Bedard vs. Faber, Saturday Cartoons, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson is celebrating a birthday today. He's celebrating his Korchinski year; today is his 55th birthday. Happy birthday, Luke! Hope you get a win tonight so you can celebrate with some wine. There have been...

Blackhawks Prospects, Draft Hopefuls Ready for OHL Playoffs

The Ontario Hockey League playoffs begin this week on Thursday. The Chicago Blackhawks will have five prospects still playing in the OHL postseason: Gavin Hayes (Sault Ste. Marie), Paul Ludwinski (Kingston), Nick Lardis (Brantford), Alex Pharand (Sudbury) and Martin Misiak...

Latest News

Top 25 College Basketball Picks and Best Bets: March 28

The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Iowa State Cyclones hit the court in one of four games on the college basketball slate on Thursday that include a ranked team.How to Bet on Top 25 Games[lasso rel="draftkings-promo-1" id="299003"]Top 25 Games for...

What Does a Chicago Bears NFL Draft Trade Down Look Like?

You'd think we'd be well-versed in trade-back options after months of wondering what kind of haul it would take for the Bears to move off taking quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. But trading...

Diamondbacks vs. Rockies Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Arizona Diamondbacks are moneyline favorites (-230) to begin their season with a home win over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday at 10:10 PM ET, live on ARID.Zac Gallen gets the starting nod for Arizona while Kyle Freeland is Colorado's...

Mariners vs. Red Sox Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Seattle Mariners are moneyline favorites (-162) to begin their season with a home win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday at 10:10 PM ET, live on NESN.Luis Castillo starts for Seattle while Brayan Bello is Boston's starter for...

Guardians vs. Athletics Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Cleveland Guardians start their season as road favorites (-156) in a matchup with the Oakland Athletics on Thursday at 10:07 PM ET, live on NBCS-CA from Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.Cleveland's Shane Bieber and Oakland's Alex Wood have been named the...

Damian Lillard Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Pelicans – Thursday, March 28, 2024

To beat his 3-point prop, Damian Lillard must make four from downtown on Thursday, when his Milwaukee Bucks face the New Orleans Pelicans, tipping off at 8:00 PM ET.Damian Lillard's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PelicansDamian Lillard's over/under for three-pointers...

Brook Lopez Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Pelicans – Thursday, March 28, 2024

To beat his 3-point prop, Brook Lopez needs to make two from downtown on Thursday, when his Milwaukee Bucks meet the New Orleans Pelicans, starting at 8:00 PM ET.Brook Lopez's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PelicansBrook Lopez's over/under for three-pointers...

Giannis Antetokounmpo Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Pelicans – Thursday, March 28, 2024

Will Giannis Antetokounmpo make just a single 3-pointer when the Milwaukee Bucks play the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday at 8:00 PM ET? If so, he'll beat his over/under for the game.Giannis Antetokounmpo's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PelicansGiannis Antetokounmpo's...

CJ McCollum Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Bucks – Thursday, March 28, 2024

To beat his 3-point over/under, CJ McCollum must make four from downtown on Thursday, when his New Orleans Pelicans play the Milwaukee Bucks, beginning at 8:00 PM ET.CJ McCollum's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the BucksCJ McCollum's over/under for three-pointers in...

Devils vs. Sabres Prediction: Odds, Picks, Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The New Jersey Devils are -115 on the moneyline and the Buffalo Sabres are at -105 for their game on Friday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.Devils vs. Sabres Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Devils (-115)Underdog: Sabres (-105)Total: 6.5Best Devils vs. Sabres Promo...

more blackhawks news