Wanna Play Goalie? Mask Art, Draft Talk, Sens for Sale, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

The Blackhawks lost their fourth straight game last night. They also lost their second goaltender off the NHL roster. And the offense struggled against a heavy Islanders team. It was a flat performance, but we could have probably seen that coming considering the Blackhawks’ schedule the last couple weeks and how the Islanders play.

  • So… do you know a goalie who needs a job? Because the Blackhawks are accepting applications. After last night’s game, head coach Luke Richardson admitted he didn’t know who the EBUG was (not a concern… normally) and told us Alex Stalock is in concussion protocol after leaving the game because of a nasty collision. With Petr Mrazek still on his way back (see below) and Jaxson Stauber hurt in Rockford, the Blackhawks might need to find goaltender today who can back up Arvid Söderblom in the next game or two. The Blackhawks only have three goaltenders under NHL contract and three are hurt with two games in the next four days.
  • Söderblom told us after the game that coming in as early as he did in relief wasn’t as bad as you might think because the game wasn’t three minutes old yet, and the Blackhawks had a five-minute (wasted) power play for him to get his legs back under him from warm-ups. He also told us he feels a lot more confident now in his second run in the NHL.
  • If you noticed something different about Stalock’s mask last night, it’s because he and Mrazek had custom masks made for Native American Heritage Night.
  • Speaking of Mrazek, he was on the ice for the morning skate getting in some work and could be back soon. He sounded optimistic in the room after practice Tuesday. Richardson said he might be ready to go next week after the four-day layoff. The Blackhawks might need him sooner than that if they can’t find a suitable extra body worth signing.
  • Because I’ve written about the Blackhawks winning more faceoffs than we’re used to so many times over the first couple weeks of the regular season I decided to ask a couple of the guys in the room what’s working. Their responses were interesting. So… how did the Blackhawks become the best faceoff teamin the NHL?
  • Scott Wheeler over at The Athletic dropped his rankings of the top 64 overall players for the 2023 NHL Draft. As I’ve said on a few occasions here, I respect the work Scott does so these are worth considering and reading, no matter if the Blackhawks have the first overall pick or not.
  • Don’t call it a comeback… unless it is one. And in nearly half of the games in the NHL so far this season, that has been the case. So Blackhawks fans shouldn’t feel like we’re getting picked on with all of the late-game drama.
  • With Sportico announcing their NHL team valuations on Tuesday, it will be very interesting to see how much the Ottawa Senators ultimately get if they are indeed sold. In June the Sens reached an agreement with the National Capital Commission to build a new arena in downtown Ottawa. So they’re a young team and they have an agreement to build a new arena in the not-too-distant future. Sound familiar, Bears fans?
  • The Bruins are kicking it back to the old school with their logo for this year’s Winter Classic. Absolutely love to see it. The Cubs had a similar look back in the day because, you know, the whole bear thing.
  • Finally, I’m not sharing this as a precursor to what is expected to be a busy trade season at the United Center, but… yeah. The NFL’s trade deadline was yesterday and it was insane! And SURPRISE! The Bears did something that not only made sense, but showed the new front office is ready to change the narrative (sound familiar?).
  • written by

    Tab Bamford has been writing about the Chicago Blackhawks for almost two decades. He joined Bleacher Nation as the lead Blackhawks writer in May 2022. Tab is a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and is the author of two books about the Blackhawks: "100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die" (Triumph Books) and "Chicago Blackhawks: An Illustrated Timeline" (Reedy Press, 2021). Find him on Twitter/X/Instagram/Threads at @The1Tab

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