Last nightâs game was another debacle â against a Rangers team that lost their previous six games and was, before last night, one of the two teams between the Blackhawks and dead last place in the NHL. Where the Blackhawks were completely flat and never got off the bus in Philadelphia, last night checked a lot of boxes you donât like to see from young rosters.
There were times the Blackhawks tried to get pretty when they didnât have to (and shouldnât have). There were times they tried to do too much with the puck. There were times when defensemen pinched and got burned. And lots of mental mistakes. You name it, the Blackhawks did it last night. The fact that they only attempted seven shots in a second period that saw the Rangers score three goals was just bad. Thereâs no sugarcoating it.
The Blackhawks are young and tired. The last time we saw them play like this â consistently overwhelmed â was right before the Olympics at the end of a packed January schedule. Theyâve played 16 games (5-7-4) in 30 days since the Olympic break, and the schedule has become increasingly tough with road trips and some of the top teams in the league (obviously not last night). After the game last night, Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill again acknowledged part of a young teamâs learning process is working thru tough stretches like this.
âThereâs zero doubt,â Blashill said. âKind of what I felt before the Olympic break is we have a whole bunch of guys going through the NHL schedule for the first time, much less this condensed schedule. Itâs a hard challenge for a group thatâs as young as we are, but weâve got to respond to the challenge. Weâve got to take these opportunities to grow and get better. We didnât do that in the second and third tonight.â
Here are your updated 2026 NHL Draft Lottery odds, courtesy the fine folks at Tankathon:
In the NCAA Tournament, Adam Gajan had himself a game last night! The Blackhawks prospect stopped 29 of 30 against Gavin McKenna and Penn State, leading Minnesota-Duluth to a 3-1 win.
With the loss, it certainly appears McKennaâs college career could be over. And heâs likely risen back to the top of the NHL draft boards for many NHL organizations. According to Chris Peters on Twitter last night, McKennaâs 51 points are the fifth-most points by a draft-eligible player in NCAA since 1990. And Cam Robinson shared the top producers of the last decade (youâll notice a familiar name at No. 7).
Arvid Söderblom is going to probably spend the first week of the offseason in a sauna somewhere. Söderblom has been in net for all five Blackhawks games in which their opponents attempted over 80 shots this season. In his two starts before last night, the Blackhawksâ opponents attempted 87 shots (vs. Colorado on March 20), and 92 shots (at the Islanders on Tuesday night) â the two highest numbers of the season. The Rangers attempted âonlyâ 68 shots last night.
In the OHL playoffs last night, Jack Pridham had three primary assists to help Kitchener win Game One of their series against Sagniaw 6-4.
Brantford beat Sudbury 6-2 last night. Marek Vanacker had the primary assist on the game-winning goal for the Bulldogs.
Good read here from Ben Pope on Louis Crevier emerging as a bona fide NHL defenseman and how that impacts the Blackhawksâ blue line now and into the future.
Hereâs an interesting look at some data on newly-signed Blackhawks forward prospect JiĆĂ Felcman.
Some news here from Pierre LeBrun on next year. Remember: weâre getting 84 games in the regular season and theyâre cutting down the preseason.
A couple interesting updates regarding the NHL/CHL/AHL discussion around 19-year-old prospects being able to play in the AHL from Elliotte Friedman in his written â32 Thoughtsâ column on Friday morning:
As part of the being-worked-on NHL/CHL/AHL eligibility rules, there will be a date prior to the CHL trade deadline (second week of January) for 19-year-olds to rejoin their junior clubs rather than stay. Past that date, they canât go back. âŠ
Originally, the plan was for one 19-year-old per NHL team to be loaned, but thatâs been amended to any first-round selection. Teams with multiple picks argued they shouldnât have to create problems with players, families and/or agents by choosing between eligible players. As Iâve written, I donât think this means we will see a flood of players headed there. NHLPA must still approve.
Finally, it looks like the Blues will have some significant changes coming to their front office structure this summer. On July 1, Doug Armstrong will become the full-time president of hockey operations (though thereâs been speculation he could be open to another GM gig) and Alexander Steen move into the general manager role. Darren Dreger reported on Friday that others are leaving the organization now as well. Peter Chiarelli has been linked to the Nashville general manager opening recently as well.
BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
In addition to news, Bleacher Nation publishes both rumor and opinion, as well as information reported by other sources. Information on Bleacher Nation may contain errors or inaccuracies, though we try to avoid them. Links to content and the quotation of material from other news sources are not the responsibility of Bleacher Nation. Photos used are the property of Bleacher Nation, are used under a license with the USA TODAY NETWORK, are used with permission, are fair use, or are believed to be in the public domain. Legitimate requests to remove copyrighted photos not in the public domain will be honored promptly. Comments by third parties are neither sponsored or endorsed by Bleacher Nation.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
There were times the Blackhawks tried to get pretty when they didnât have to (and shouldnât have). There were times they tried to do too much with the puck. There were times when defensemen pinched and got burned. And lots of mental mistakes. You name it, the Blackhawks did it last night. The fact that they only attempted seven shots in a second period that saw the Rangers score three goals was just bad. Thereâs no sugarcoating it.
The Blackhawks are young and tired. The last time we saw them play like this â consistently overwhelmed â was right before the Olympics at the end of a packed January schedule. Theyâve played 16 games (5-7-4) in 30 days since the Olympic break, and the schedule has become increasingly tough with road trips and some of the top teams in the league (obviously not last night). After the game last night, Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill again acknowledged part of a young teamâs learning process is working thru tough stretches like this.
âThereâs zero doubt,â Blashill said. âKind of what I felt before the Olympic break is we have a whole bunch of guys going through the NHL schedule for the first time, much less this condensed schedule. Itâs a hard challenge for a group thatâs as young as we are, but weâve got to respond to the challenge. Weâve got to take these opportunities to grow and get better. We didnât do that in the second and third tonight.â
Here are your updated 2026 NHL Draft Lottery odds, courtesy the fine folks at Tankathon:
In the NCAA Tournament, Adam Gajan had himself a game last night! The Blackhawks prospect stopped 29 of 30 against Gavin McKenna and Penn State, leading Minnesota-Duluth to a 3-1 win.
With the loss, it certainly appears McKennaâs college career could be over. And heâs likely risen back to the top of the NHL draft boards for many NHL organizations. According to Chris Peters on Twitter last night, McKennaâs 51 points are the fifth-most points by a draft-eligible player in NCAA since 1990. And Cam Robinson shared the top producers of the last decade (youâll notice a familiar name at No. 7).
Arvid Söderblom is going to probably spend the first week of the offseason in a sauna somewhere. Söderblom has been in net for all five Blackhawks games in which their opponents attempted over 80 shots this season. In his two starts before last night, the Blackhawksâ opponents attempted 87 shots (vs. Colorado on March 20), and 92 shots (at the Islanders on Tuesday night) â the two highest numbers of the season. The Rangers attempted âonlyâ 68 shots last night.
In the OHL playoffs last night, Jack Pridham had three primary assists to help Kitchener win Game One of their series against Sagniaw 6-4.
Brantford beat Sudbury 6-2 last night. Marek Vanacker had the primary assist on the game-winning goal for the Bulldogs.
Good read here from Ben Pope on Louis Crevier emerging as a bona fide NHL defenseman and how that impacts the Blackhawksâ blue line now and into the future.
Hereâs an interesting look at some data on newly-signed Blackhawks forward prospect JiĆĂ Felcman.
Some news here from Pierre LeBrun on next year. Remember: weâre getting 84 games in the regular season and theyâre cutting down the preseason.
A couple interesting updates regarding the NHL/CHL/AHL discussion around 19-year-old prospects being able to play in the AHL from Elliotte Friedman in his written â32 Thoughtsâ column on Friday morning:
As part of the being-worked-on NHL/CHL/AHL eligibility rules, there will be a date prior to the CHL trade deadline (second week of January) for 19-year-olds to rejoin their junior clubs rather than stay. Past that date, they canât go back. âŠ
Originally, the plan was for one 19-year-old per NHL team to be loaned, but thatâs been amended to any first-round selection. Teams with multiple picks argued they shouldnât have to create problems with players, families and/or agents by choosing between eligible players. As Iâve written, I donât think this means we will see a flood of players headed there. NHLPA must still approve.
Finally, it looks like the Blues will have some significant changes coming to their front office structure this summer. On July 1, Doug Armstrong will become the full-time president of hockey operations (though thereâs been speculation he could be open to another GM gig) and Alexander Steen move into the general manager role. Darren Dreger reported on Friday that others are leaving the organization now as well. Peter Chiarelli has been linked to the Nashville general manager opening recently as well.
BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
In addition to news, Bleacher Nation publishes both rumor and opinion, as well as information reported by other sources. Information on Bleacher Nation may contain errors or inaccuracies, though we try to avoid them. Links to content and the quotation of material from other news sources are not the responsibility of Bleacher Nation. Photos used are the property of Bleacher Nation, are used under a license with the USA TODAY NETWORK, are used with permission, are fair use, or are believed to be in the public domain. Legitimate requests to remove copyrighted photos not in the public domain will be honored promptly. Comments by third parties are neither sponsored or endorsed by Bleacher Nation.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
