Friday Fun, Reichel Scores in IceHogs Loss, Mrazek Placed on IR, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

We’ve got afternoon hockey just a couple of hours away, so we’ll make this one short and sweet today so you can get in as much NFL Red Zone time as possible before the puck drops at the United Center.

  • While the point is certainly to lose this season, I won’t apologize for enjoying a home victory over the Red Wings, especially one that features a comeback and an overtime game-winner like we saw on Friday night. The momentum began to shift when Andreas Athanasiou scored on the penalty shot (despite Dominik Kubalik potting one after), and Max Domi sent the United Center crowd home happy with his overtime goal.
  • Domi’s reaction to the goal when Colby Cohen asked him about it was hilariously true:
  • That was a fun game, and sticking it to the Red Wings fans among us here in Chicago is always a good thing.
  • For those itching for losses, don’t worry, they’re coming. Anyone who can score will be gone before the trade deadline. There’s also the fact that the Blackhawks just haven’t seen very good defensive performances by their opponents. The league as a whole is still getting adjusted and working things out. Defenses will get ironed out, teams will get better, and the Blackhawks, by design, will get worse.
  • Up in Rockford the IceHogs fell to the Chicago Wolves at the BMO Harris Center on Saturday night, but Lukas Reichel scored his second goal of the season, a power play tally in the second period. Rockford fell to the Wolves 4-1.
  • Speaking of reasons to hope that the Blackhawks are very bad when all is said and done this season, Adam Fantilli logged a four-point performance last night.
  • The Blackhawks are back in action this afternoon, taking on the Seattle Kraken at the United Center in a battle of .500 teams to open the season. With Petr Mrazek banged up, Alex Stalock will get the start for the Blackhawks with Arvid Söderblom serving as the backup net minder.
  • If you’re heading to the United Center today, it’s kids day! Check out this incredibly accurate drawing of Andreas Athanasiou shared by the Blackhawks’ social team.
  • Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said this morning that the only lineup changes will be Filip Roos in for Caleb Jones and Stalock in for the injured Peter Mrazek who was placed on IR this morning with a groin strain (retroactive to October 21).
  • See, I told you we were going to make this one short and sweet. I’ll have the Pre-Gamin’ up shortly and I’ll be handing today’s game coverage.
  • written by

    Patrick grew up in Chicago's Bridgeport and Garfield Ridge neighborhoods before moving to the Western Suburbs of Chicago before eventually relocating to the Las Vegas area with his family in 2023. He started with Bleacher Nation in 2021 and has spent time as a Staff Writer and on the Chicago Blackhawks beat. He is currently a writer and editor at Bleacher Nation covering the Chicago Bears and the NFL at large and the author of the Bleacher Nation Newsletter. Patrick is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA).

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