Saturday night’s celebration of “The Banner Years”, the 2010s era of the Chicago Blackhawks, where three Stanley Cups were won in six years, was spoiled by the Boston Bruins. The numerous former champions in attendance, such as Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa, and Brent Seabrook, watched the Bruins rattle off five unanswered goals to suck the energy out of the sold-out crowd at the United Center.
While the Blackhawks once led 2-0 in the game, they never played their best hockey at any point on Saturday. Sloppy puck control and self-inflicted errors eventually caught up to them, and the Bruins pounced on their mistakes over the final 40 minutes. More in the links for the recap of Chicago’s third consecutive loss.
Also in Blackhawks news, Frank Nazar appears to be closing in on his return, while Teuvo Teravainen’s upper-body injury is still giving him issues. It was also a productive Saturday night for several prospects!
Around the league, Leon Draisaitl is taking a leave of absence from Edmonton, Rasmus Andersson likely appeared in his final game with the Flames, and what comes next for Artemi Panarin and the Rangers.
All that & more in the Daily!
Chicago Blackhawks Recap, News & Tidbits
Chicago Hockey Now: The Blackhawks simply were never as crisp as they needed to be on Saturday night. Even when they were ahead 2-0 after the first period, it was clear the lead wouldn’t last if they didn’t clean up their play. As it turns out, the Hawks kept making the same mistakes, and the red-hot Bruins capitalized. Five unanswered goals led to a 5-2 win for Boston.
More CHN: On the bright side, Chicago got some encouraging news regarding Frank Nazar’s progression on Saturday. Nazar, who’s been out since Dec. 20, participated in the morning skate ahead of the game against the Bruins. Nazar is expected to practice on Sunday and could return to the lineup within the next week. Teuvo Teravainen, however, still has an unknown timeline. Here are the Blackhawks’ latest injury updates.
In prospects news, 2025 No. 3 overall pick Anton Frondell scored his 12th goal of the season with a beautiful breakaway finish. Frondell now has 18 points in 28 SHL games as an 18-year-old.
In the OHL, 2024 first-round pick Marek Vanacker became the first player in the league to reach 30 goals on the season with a key insurance tally late in the third period. Vanacker also added an assist in the Brantford Bulldogs 5-2 victory. He’s 14th in the league with 49 points in 35 games.
Another former first-round pick, Mason West, a member of Chicago’s 2025 draft class, scored his fourth goal of the season with the Fargo Force in the USHL. West, who won’t turn 19 until August, has eight points in his first 12 games since joining the team.
Before the Blackhawks squared off with the Bruins, Connor Bedard was seen walking into the United Center rocking a No. 18 Caleb Williams jersey. Williams evidently saw the clips shared around the internet and seemed to love that Bedard was showing support!
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
The Athletic: The NHL season is now past the midway point, providing a strong sense of where all 32 teams are at. From A to F, here are the grades for every club from The Athletic’s staff.
TSN: Rasmus Andersson hugged his Calgary Flames teammates and waved goodbye to the crowd after Saturday’s win over the New York Islanders. A trade is coming; it’s only a matter of where he’ll get dealt. Darren Dreger believes the Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights are among the teams in the mix for Andersson.
Boston Hockey Now: Speaking of the Bruins, Jack Studley from BHN breaks down the 5-2 win against the Blackhawks on Saturday night. That’s now six consecutive victories for Boston.
Daily Faceoff: The Edmonton Oilers announced that star forward Leon Draisaitl is taking a leave of absence from the team due to a family illness back in Germany. Draisaitl is expected to return sometime next week. Here’s to hoping everything is alright with his family.
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman on ‘Saturday Headlines’ breaks down what’s next for Artemi Panarin after the New York Rangers won’t be offering him a contract extension.
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