The Chicago Blackhawks have spent this week in a different kind of rhythm. With only two games over the past seven days, they leaned into the break with a stretch of long practices, trying to sharpen a few areas that have already shown up as trouble spots. Now, with four games left to finish out October, the question is whether that work starts showing up in the standings.
A handful of the recent notebook items focused on the players trying to push this team forward, especially on the blue line. Young defenseman Sam Rinzel has had a rough opening to the season, and one piece dug into the need for him to clean up his puck-handling. Artyom Levshunov, meanwhile, drew a more optimistic read, with Brooke noting that his play is already looking way more promising than it did last year.
Ethan Del Mastro has also been part of the conversation after stepping into the lineup with Bowen Byram sidelined by an upper body injury. His situation has had its share of adversity, but the takeaway was that Del Mastro is using his confidence to help him through it. Veteran Ian Cole got a feature of his own as well after reaching 1000 NHL games on Friday against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Blackhawks also made a small roster move during the break, sending Dominic Toninato back to the Rockford IceHogs. Before that happened, he got to a notable personal milestone too, skating in his 200th NHL game.
There was plenty on the forward group as well. One breakdown focused on how the fourth line of Cole Smith, Ryan Greene and Jordan Greenway has been a real asset in a depth role.
Another piece looked at the team’s youth movement and how it is taking shape across the roster. There was also a look at the Blackhawks’ new elite center trio and how it could help them find more success going forward.
Special teams and game results remained part of the bigger picture. A separate analysis examined how the power play needs to improve, while another pointed out that the Blackhawks have already been shut out twice in their first nine games, which history says is not a comforting sign. With Chicago sitting at 3-7-0, another piece warned that things could get even tougher with a brutal schedule coming up.
The prospect side of things stayed active, too. Doug’s recent work included Vaclav Nestrasil’s success in a win with UMass, along with three Rockford IceHogs players to keep on the radar.
On the practice front, Brooke and I were on site to track how the Blackhawks used the week to their advantage. There was a practice update on that front, along with a notebook that included injury notes, the latest forward lines and defensive pairings, and a conversation with Connor Bedard about his linemates, Kane and Roman Kanterov.
As for the games themselves, the results didn’t do much to brighten the mood. A 4-0 shutout loss to the Dallas Stars was a rough way to enter the break, and the Blackhawks followed that by dropping a 4-1 contest against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 23.
In Other News...
Blackhawks Rough Start Feels Even Worse After Another Flat Finish
Connor Bedard gave the Blackhawks an early lift at the United Center, but the rest of the night quickly turned familiar in all the wrong ways. Chicagos 4-1 loss to the Canadiens was its seventh defeat in 10 games, another step backward in a season that has already started with more frustration than momentum.
Montreal erased the opening goal and kept the Blackhawks on their heels as the game went on, with Jake Evans playing a central role in the comeback. Chicago did not take advantage of its chances on the power play, and the flat finish was the kind that leaves little room for comfort, especially when a game that starts with promise ends with the opponent controlling the final stretch. [Read more 🡒]