Baby Blackhawks Shoot Down Dallas with Fans at the United Center

For the first time in 14 months, there were paying fans in the seats at the United Center on Sunday night. More than 3,000 happy humans were able to take part in the penultimate game of the 2021 Blackhawks season. And the organization welcomed fans back in the building with a stirring video narrated by Brent Seabrook and Andrew Shaw.

The Blackhawks were playing for pride and the chance to make a final impression on the coaching staff and front office on Sunday evening. Thanks to Nashville clinching the final playoff berth in the division on Saturday, the same was true of the Dallas Stars.

So Jeremy Colliton loaded up his lineup with rookies. Ten first year players were in the lineup for Chicago; Duncan Keith and Dylan Strome were among those who were not dressed. Kevin Lankinen was back between the pipes and Colliton rolled with seven defensemen.

The first goal of the game was the first of MacKenzie Entwistle’s career. Mike Hardman was credited with a helper on the goal.

Patrick Kane picked up his 50th assist of the season.

Three minutes later, Denis Gurianov tied the game for Dallas. While Chicago wasn’t getting as many shots on net, they were making them matter.

Brandon Hagel scored his ninth of the season 51 seconds after the Gurianov goal to give the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead.

Philipp Kurashev and Dominik Kubalik picked up the assists on Hagel’s goal.

With 96 seconds left in the period, Alex DeBrincat sniped home a power play goal to extend Chicago’s lead to 3-1.

Kane and Hagel picked up the helpers on DeBrincat’s 30th of the season.

When the dust settled at the end of one period, the Stars had a 17-9 shot advantage but the Blackhawks had a two-goal advantage on the scoreboard. Lankinen was good but the youngsters came to play. Four of the Hawks’ rookies — Hagel (two), Kurashev, Hardman and Entwistle — had points in the opening 20 minutes. Kane had two assists in the period as well.

The Hawks were out-shot 10-5 in the second period but Lankinen kept Dallas off the board. Chicago took the same two-goal lead to the third.

Getting out-shot by a 2-1 ratio isn’t a good way to hang onto any lead, and it didn’t take long for Dallas to cut the lead in half once the third period began. Mark Pysyk scored 2:16 into the final period to make the lead just one.

With 3:11 left in regulation, DeBrincat added his 31st goal. He has 11 goals in his last 14 starts and a seven-game point streak, pushing himself to third place in the NHL in goals behind Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid.

Pius Suter picked up an assist on DeBrincat’s second of the night.

Dallas pulled the goalie with two minutes left in the game chasing two but it didn’t matter. The Hawks handled their business and took two points to the room with fans in the stands to applaud the final horn.

Let’s break down the rookie performances for the Blackhawks on Mother’s Day:

  • MacKenzie Entwistle: 1 goal, 1 blocked shot, 1 takeaway, 2 hits, 1 shot, 11:51 TOI
  • Brandon Hagel: 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 shots, 1 blocked shot, 1 hit, 17:14 TOI
  • Mike Hardman: 1 assist, 6 hits, 1 takeaway, 11:12 TOI
  • Philipp Kurashev: 1 assist, 1 shot, 1 blocked shot, 2 hits, 1 takeaway, 18:02 TOI
  • Pius Suter: 1 assist, 5 shots, 1 blocked shot, 17:34 TOI
  • Kevin Lankinen: 37 saves
  • Ian Mitchell: 1 blocked shot, 14:48 TOI
  • Nicolas Beaudin: 2 blocked shots, 10:41 TOI
  • Alec Regula: 1 takeaway, 10:29 TOI
  • Wyatt Kalynuk: 1 blocked shot, 2 hits, 16:30 TOI

52 thoughts on “Baby Blackhawks Shoot Down Dallas with Fans at the United Center

  • May 9, 2021 at 8:58 pm
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    Great job by Lankinen in a true goalie win as the Hawks were outshot,out chanced,and pretty much dominated at the dot. The young Hawks looked a little jittery when pressured and had difficulty exiting the zone. Stillman and Murphy were very good on the Defense. Beaudin was probably the worst and most shaky. He has to get more urgency in his game. Once everything shakes out and whoever is going to be part of this team gets to practice and play together I think the puck control and exits out of the zone will be a lot better. Of course a couple of legitimate Centermen will also help. Hey,they beat a veteran interested Dallas team with a group of 1st year players so that is great for everyone!

  • May 9, 2021 at 9:04 pm
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    Definitely be hearing some of those rookies names for awhile. Nice touch with the video. Just another game for Kane and Cat, pretty lucky to have them. Nothing game but great to see Lankinen finish his season on high note. Maybe see Barrett tomorrow night, Entwistle and Hardman maybe part of a 4th line next year posdibly.

    Blackhawks tied with Coyotes now, Arizona has tie breaker and Blackhawks finish lower in standings then them with no points tomorrow. A Blackhawks win tomorrow and Flyers loss in regulation, would tie them in standings. A regulation win Blackhawks finish higher and a ot win, Flyers would still finish higher. Arizona doesn’t get to pick in first round, so wouldn’t drop a spot there with 1 or more points but rounds 2 thru 7 would pick one spot lower with there own picks they have. Also unless Flames win last 4 games unlikely, finishing behind Coyotes would be difference in having chance to get 1st or 2nd overall pick with lottery draw early June with new rules.

  • May 9, 2021 at 9:06 pm
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    Agree really like the way Stillman. & Murphy looking last few games. Should be one pair to start next season.

  • May 9, 2021 at 9:22 pm
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    Kane logs over 20 minutes again – 2 meaningless games in a row.

    Why?

  • May 9, 2021 at 10:08 pm
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    Kane plays over 20 minutes and fans ask why? I answer why not. Kane is the Hawks superstar who is building his legacy and wants to play – I say good for JC respecting that and I hope he plays 25 minutes tomorrow. As a Hawk fan I cherish the time I get to watch 88 on the ice – he won’t be our superstar player forever so give him as much ice time as he wants.

  • May 9, 2021 at 10:32 pm
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    Love that young team …10 rookies played tonight and 14 players total where not on the team last year …that’s really what it’s all about the rebuilding.
    Very happy to see the kids having fun and DCat playing like he always did all his life ( scoring goals ) I am sure he can score 50 goals one day in NHL .
    Hagel will definitely be a player to watch in the future and hope Hawks will sign him to a 4-5 years deal .
    Next year will be a lot of fun I think .
    4 rookies on défense tonight .
    Really nice to see them having fun playing.
    Young wave is developing.
    Ian
    Why Coyote don’t have a first round pick ?

  • May 9, 2021 at 10:33 pm
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    Do I have this right? The UC was allowed to have 25% of capacity (about 5,200). They had 3,000 fans. Hmmmm. Were face diapers mandatory? While watching the golf tournament in North Carolina, almost nobody had one on. Granted, it was outside.

    I doubt if there is anybody on this site that thought DeBrincat would be third in the league in goals this year. Amazing. He has great hands. He made those goals tonight look routine, but they wouldn’t have been for other players. He was having difficulty clearing the puck in the defensive zone on two occasions and the Dallas announcers pointed it out.

    Lank was excellent, but it feels like we are back to where we were at the beginning of the season with the goalie of the future TBD. Lank had that weak spell the last 15 games or so that raised questions. He has the advantage and has earned it, but nothing is for certain. Who do the Hawks protect besides Lankinen. Delia or Subban? Wonder who gets the net tomorrow.

    Did the Hawks play a rookie this year that didn’t score a goal? It seems like they all did and it was fun when it happened.

    Dallas was dominant tonight in zone time. They had the Hawks bottled up a lot. That 6 on 5 at the end of the game lasted a minute and 1/2 or so and the Hawks barely sniffed getting the puck out.

    Thanks for putting out these updates, Tab. We enjoy them a great deal and miss them when you don’t do one. Nobody minds as we understand. But we want you to know we don’t take them for granted.

  • May 9, 2021 at 10:38 pm
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    Yeah – thank you Tab for keeping this site going. I’m sure I echo the sentiments of everyone who posts here in saying I very much appreciate what you do for us.

  • May 9, 2021 at 10:48 pm
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    Here here

  • May 9, 2021 at 10:55 pm
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    Raptor
    I agree that we are really lucky to have you ( Tab ) doing a great job taking care of this site .
    Thank you for your patience and for the great job your doing
    Namaste

  • May 9, 2021 at 11:19 pm
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    Hawks2010 the Coyotes talked to prospects when it was illegal to, so losing their 1st round pick was part of the punishment.

    Robs only 1 goalie can be protected, none are exempt so both Delia and Subban be available in draft. There should be a few pretty solid goalies available from other teams that it’s doubtful either one of them would be who Seattle picks.

    Thanks Tab for this site and another great year of updates here for us to come too, much appreciated.

  • May 10, 2021 at 12:04 am
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    Agree Stillman has been playing well but the 3 youngest D were in over their heads most of the night – and Z with another solid game – I doubt any of Regula Beaudin or Mitchell are regulars in CHI to start next season so will they bring back Z on a reasonable deal? – they could always trade him once they feel one of the young guys is ready

    Enwhistle and Hardman look indeed like they could be on next years team – Enwistle is a very heady player and has really upped his skating – so it is possible to improve your skating – right Dylan Strome?

    Hope Delia ends on an equally strong perfomamce – would like to feel good about that position heading to camp next year

    Assuming Suter will take a reasonable contract I’ll take him over Vinnie – I don’t believe you should have both back – Suter playing well lately and 4 years younger than Hino

    Nice to see some fans back and I’ll echo the gratitude expressed to you Tab for running this blog – well done

  • May 10, 2021 at 12:17 am
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    It looks like the Hawks are pretty much locked into the 12th draft position. I’m not sure but if the Flyers lose their last game in regulation and the Hawks win their last game in regulation – then they tie in points (56) and wins in regulation (16) – in which case I’m not sure of the next tie breaker.

  • May 10, 2021 at 1:04 am
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    Hawks looked great tonight with all fast skating Dmen… Let the kids work out the small kinks… They were a Fast skating team tonight…

  • May 10, 2021 at 5:17 am
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    A goalie win last night. D-Men could not/would not clear any Stars players camped out in the crease. Regula although big looked lost out there, he needs some more seasoning along with Mitchell and Beaudin and if StanBo thinks they are ready next year we will have more of the same: puck hitting the back of the net. Kalynuk possibly you could count on but we’ll see. Stillman I thought was OK but even he couldn’t clear anyone out either. Dallas looked uninspired tonight. Golf season starts early once again.

  • May 10, 2021 at 6:05 am
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    EB regulation wins is 1st tiebreaker, right now Flyers have 16 and Blackhawks 15, if an ot win Flyers win and finish higher. If it’s a regulation win and both would have 16. 2nd tiebreaker is row wins regulation and overtime, in which case the Blackhawks have 22 the Flyers 21, so Blackhawks would win and fonish higher. Calgary with 49pts and 4 games left, have 22 regulation wins could still factor in yet.

  • May 10, 2021 at 6:18 am
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    Tab, thank you very much for all you do to keep this site up and running!

    The amount of negativity in these comments surprises me with each day. It’s a rebuilding year, and ten – TEN – rookies played, and the team won! And yet among these comments there is little joy to be found.

    Well here is some news: The Hawks aren’t going to win the Stanley Cup in the ‘21-22 season either. So if you can’t enjoy watching the team add new talent and the kids have fun as they grow their skills and their team, you are in for more misery next season.

  • May 10, 2021 at 7:12 am
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    Questions: Why are teams that have been more successful than the Blackhawks in recent years ie Rangers, Bluejackets cleaning house front office wise while we somehow are content with Colliton and Bowman?

  • May 10, 2021 at 7:29 am
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    10 dressed players are rookies. So more than half the of the product on the ice are in their first NHL season. We need Regula to have a Doug Wilson slapper to go in after a draw to have 10 rookies score their first goal in only 56 games.

    So what ever anyone sez this was a good year borderline great year for the development of the Chicago Blackhawks!

    Now to pull a Bears like draft and get a stud while also getting a player that we highly covet.

  • May 10, 2021 at 7:32 am
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    Well said Uncle Bill. Congrats to the Cat.
    This team needs to improve but for the most part it’s been fun, and great to see the youthful energy and promise-
    This was a different Dallas team so take the win with a grain of salt. As I said at the start, and end of the year-a middle of the road team, with youth that needs to improve, and find a couple of key pieces of talent and grit to play with the big boys.

  • May 10, 2021 at 8:13 am
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    @John Galt- I think sometimes people make way too much out of Kane’s and Keith’s minutes. Hell, even Gretzky averaged well over 20 a night near the end of his career. Back in the day star forwards would routinely average 25 or more, and top pair dmen would play about half the game.

  • May 10, 2021 at 9:20 am
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    10 dressed rookies playing shows how devoid of talent this roster really has. Its just embarrassing on how far this franchise has fallen off a cliff all created by our current GM. By the time this possibly gets rectified, Kane will be retired. But somehow people think this is “fun” and “entertaining”.

  • May 10, 2021 at 9:46 am
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    Just a big thank you to Tab. I enjoy your work and looking forward to next year.

  • May 10, 2021 at 9:57 am
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    The game last night reminded me of the early part of the season with the Hawks being losing the fancy stats but winning the game outstanding goaltending, a power play goal and the young players playing inspired high energy hockey. That was fun to watch – not without many flaws and object lessons of needed improvement – but fun to watch nonetheless.

    With the abnormal intra-divisional schedule, it’s difficult to extrapolate a true sense of how well the young player laden Hawks played this season. I would argue the Hawks division is the most difficult division to play against from a forechecking “in your face and space” perspective with 3 teams being upper echelon in that category (FLA/NSH/CLB) and another 2 teams being pretty effective there too (TB/CAR). That’s 5 teams that can overwhelm inexperienced and/or slow players of which the Hawks have many. On the one hand, it provides the kind of opposition the inexperienced players need to experience but on the other hand it doesn’t provide the “normal measuring stick” a normal schedule would provide. The Hawks’ division with 5 of 7 teams being above average in the size/speed with aggressively effective forecheck is a higher ratio than across the league as a whole so hopefully this season has ramped up the learning curve for the young Hawks.

  • May 10, 2021 at 10:14 am
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    Huge long contracts Always bury a team at the end when the player can’t skate anymore or are hurt (not playing) and they can’t be moved.. Hawks have a few… They did great despite the “problems”.
    GO HAWKS !!!!!

  • May 10, 2021 at 10:16 am
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    Jr ROMAN,Hammer- I actually was surprised at how well the Stars played last night. I thought they were intense and put a hell of a forecheck on the Hawks all night. If it weren’t for about 7 or 8 10 Bell Saves by Lanks it would have been a Star blowout for sure. I anticipate tonight will be all Hawks. The Stars are playing a pretty veteran lineup and I would imagine they want to get home. They started the road trip looking forward to the playoffs and now its off to the Golf Courses.

  • May 10, 2021 at 10:30 am
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    Agree with positive comments on Stillman. If he can avoid the big mistakes he could last. Along with Hardman and Kurashev he is strong on his skates and hard on the puck (and that’s really noticeable on a team where many of our prospects aren’t).

    Kubalik continues to impress even when he doesn’t have the linemates to help him score. He had great chemistry with Jonny last year. If the captain can get healthy I’d love to see 8-19-38 together.

    86-64-58 could be a difficult fourth line to play against next year.

    I was interested to Regula but he every time he jumped on the ice he looked like a puppy hitting the dog park for the first time. Project.

  • May 10, 2021 at 10:31 am
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    Stillman– yes- he appears to be a solid find/steal for SB

    Hardman- also solid steal/find. I think the Kid plays smart, is better than expected w/ passing/shooting. And size. Hoping Hardman is Poor man’s Ladd.

    I could see Hardman play any line- kinda like Hagel… Both are too good to be sheltered on 4th line.

    I could see a great 2nd/3rd line- capable of Both Great D (checking Best line) and scoring being– Hardman/Toews/Hagel

    Problem is – Hawks Need to find True 1st line Center- Cuz -imo Dach ain’t there and Toews is aging.

    Offensively- Reichel / Borgstrom -could be 1st C- But would need 88 and studdish LW to fill the line – (Dcat- Maybe- but then your stuck w/ weak/ exiting the zone 1st line) which is not ideal. So I could see Hardman/Borgstrom/Kane.

  • May 10, 2021 at 10:36 am
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    Regula- was lumbering and Not as good as I hoped. Still time to blossom
    Hoping Vlasic and other big boy D guys make big improvements- soon.

  • May 10, 2021 at 11:01 am
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    Yeah – Regula/lumbering. I suppose he can improve his quickness but otherwise I don’t think he is an NHL d-man, at least not more than a 7/8 guy.

    The more games I see Stillman, the more I’m convinced he can be part of the rebuild. He has the requisite skating and size to be a regular and he’s shown he can jump in and contribute in the o-zone as well. He’s not a top pairing guy but maybe with more experience he could be middle pairing or at least solid bottom pairing.

    Still like Kalynuk too. With him and Stillman the Hawks may have discovered two of their rebuild d-corps … now they just need to discover if they have the other 4 d-men who could comprise a championship level d-corps.

  • May 10, 2021 at 11:15 am
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    @John Galt Young players develop their game by playing not by watching.
    In meaningless games there is no reason to play certain aging veterans over 20 minutes a game just because.

    Every player wants to play 25 minutes a game… how about earning ice time?
    You know like working hard every shift and getting rewarded because you are playing well.

    Reminds me of Corey Crawford telling hawks management that he wants to be the guaranteed starter.

    If Hawks management had any balls they should trade Patrick Kane now and speed up the rebuild instead of holding on to Kane and watching his trade value become zero.
    Yes I realize Kane has a no trade contact and yes I also realize everyone gets old.

  • May 10, 2021 at 11:31 am
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    Chaz Lucias is the Hawks 1st round pick this year at 12. Goal scoring Center. Mock Draft has 2 goalies in the top 10 with the Canucks taking another Hughes brother at Defense.

  • May 10, 2021 at 12:02 pm
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    Kane is not just an aging veteran. He is a future HOF’er who is chasing all time Blackhawks and American born records. He is an exception to whatever rule states you reduce a veteran’s TOI in favor of younger players. I wouldn’t put Keith or Toews in that category because even though they are most likely HOF’ers, they are not in position to become one of the all time greats like Kane is. Honor Kane by facilitating his legacy as best as the team can.

  • May 10, 2021 at 12:09 pm
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    I will say that the Hawks are 3 impact players away from being an elite team in the NHL. I think we need a top offensive power forward, a solid top 4 pairing defenseman, and #1 Goalie has to emerge. So, next year we get Dach, Reichel, and Toews back in the fold, so we will have some parts to move to acquire what we need. These are the forwards that I see coming back: Kane, DeBrincat, Kubalik, Hagel, Suter, Dach, Toews, Entwhistle, Hardman, Gaudette, Nylander, and Connelly.
    We can trade or choose not re-sign: Strome, Kurashev, Hinostroza, Kampf, and Carpenter.
    On defense we have coming back: Stillman, Regula, Kalynuk, Mitchell, Beaudin, Zadarov(??), and Murphy.
    We can choose to move on from: Keith and deHaan. We are so under the cap too, that we can add a couple of impact players, as long as they are winners and not just contract chasers. We should be just fine in 2021/2022…I can’t wait!

  • May 10, 2021 at 12:19 pm
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    Let me start by saying that, for the most part, I really enjoyed the year. A lot of the vets and rookies had their moments and that was fun. Kane and Cat were great, Hagel has arrived and Kurashev and Kubalik can stay. Conner, Stillman, Kalynuk are ok along with Kampf. After that we are either too slow or too small. The eye test proves it. While last night was a win, Dallas beat us to almost every puck. They always had one or two guys open for passes in the OZ. We just cannot stay with NHL regulars. Maybe it’s a case of the boys against the men but most of the rookies will not make it. The kids might get bigger but they won’t get faster. The really good ones pop out right away, Hagel is an example. The others, not so much. We need speed and size to compete and right now we are short of both. Dach is ok but he can’t/won’t stay healthy. We’re still 4-5 NHL players away from success.

    Go Hawks, let’s wrap it up with a win tonight!

  • May 10, 2021 at 12:33 pm
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    If Dach can get back to the level of play he had in the bubble playoffs last season – that would be his starting point to then develop the way we hoped he would this season before the wrist injury. I think that’s very probable although we really don’t if he will ever reach the ceiling we hope he can get to – but at the least he should be a very good player for us.

    Toews is the big unknown. Will he come back and if he does will he be at the same level as when we last saw him? And if the answer is yes – then for how many more seasons? While it would be great to get Toews back – is he a viable player in the rebuild – meaning he has to play at a high level for m0re than 2-3 seasons.

    Lots of TBD’s.

  • May 10, 2021 at 12:59 pm
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    Ivan,Espo,Ebon… trifectra.. All 3 of you are spot on…I would only entertain keeping Kane of the core.
    Due to the fact he can still skate and play at a high level.
    Hawks getting closer to the Prize thou.
    Lets Go Hawks !

  • May 10, 2021 at 1:00 pm
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    It is a fools game to try and project Dach’s ceiling based on the less than 20 games he played this year after missing months of playing and no training camp (again) and having to jump on the moving train that is the NHL regular season past the midway point and still not 100% from his wrist surgery

    There is no reason to think he won’t come back to the level of his bubble play and improve from there – he’s 20 for crying out loud

    As for Regula – he needs to improve his skating but Entwistle has proven that can be done at his age so although Regula’s not ready yet for the NHL he may be in the next couple of years if he can improve his quickness

    Also very interested to see if/where Nylander fits in next year now that there is tangible competition for his playing time – will he up his game or just wander off into obscurity? – if it’s the former then that’s a huge boost for the Hawks added to other new pieces that we hope to see up front next year at one point or another – Toews, Reichel, Borgstrom, Dach

    I’m excited for training camp already ; )

  • May 10, 2021 at 1:17 pm
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    Keep Hino on a 1 yr deal at 1 mil, get rid of Connolly, he is dead weight, see what training camp brings, some of these players may regress over the summer and some may improve greatly….bit you need to keep Hino, this is where he wants to be and he will WORK hard to stay here. Whether any 9f you like it or not,he is an asset. As for Nylander, offer him a 1 yr deal at 1 mil as well,my guess is he will be just as disinterested in playing as he has in the past, if that the case put him on waivers and send him to Rockford.

  • May 10, 2021 at 1:47 pm
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    Demo didn’t know that the Jackets or Rangers have 3 Stanley Cups with the people they cleaned house with.

  • May 10, 2021 at 2:57 pm
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    Dach last December was coming off a breakout bubble playoff performance, heading to world juniors to be captain of the Canadian team. After that he was poised to follow that up with big year with the Blackhawks. Then the wrist broke and his whole year was turned upside down, came back in March with no training camp or any chance to get in proper game shape and a wrist that was hurting a bit from heaping most likely to play on his mind. Judging his play this year on how good he can be is not fair or an accurate portrayal of his ability.

    Bowman made statement that his job now was to add impact players to compliment the youth development. Be looking for any opportunities to do so but may not happen right away. A top defenseman is the first spot i thought of, imagine they keep playing the youth for most of next year and try to develop a balanced rest of the blueline for when that opportunity arises. My feeling to start the year Stillman and Murphy are one pair. Kalynuk and Boqvist paired up with either Keith and kinda get feeling Zadorov be back for another year. Wonder though if they would keep Dehaan around to tdl where he might bring a couple of mid round picks, one for half his salary retained. Could see a team interested in him as depth help for a playoff push.

    We know Dach will be back, Kampf presents a viable option for 4th C and Borgstrom expected to sign elc, should have a real good chance to make Nhl roster out of camp. His age with time in Nhl and Ahl, plus playing against men in European league last couple of years, he should ready for Blackhawks roster. Questions around Toews and other C options, Toews is an impact player and i think if he comes back it’s at the level he was at last summer, i think he would demand that of himself. Just can’t imagine him playing next year in a lesser role as a shell of himself.

    Lankinen should have no.1 job to lose, not necessarily to keep but his to lose. With all 3 under contract next year do they keep them all around for insurance or move one of them. Looking forward to Reichels development next year too, do they see him developing in Nhl, Ahl, or maybe likely a hybrid of them both.

  • May 10, 2021 at 3:02 pm
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    Should say Dachs wrist hurting most likely from healing.

  • May 10, 2021 at 3:15 pm
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    Dallas played much looser last night than they usually do-believe me the Stars announcers said it many times (over and over)-they had a bit less structure and let the Hawks move more freely.
    When the Hawks have more room , they often win. Now they need to learn to win ‘playoff’ hockey.

  • May 10, 2021 at 3:35 pm
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    My girls & I were part of the 3000ish in attendance and I can tell you it felt incredible to be back in there; the staff was happy, the energy was palpable–and the boys definitely fed off of it, especially Lankinen. I told my girls “this is about how many people were in the building when Duncan & Seabs were rookies” :)
    …and they looked at me like I had three eyeballs. (lol lucky kids who have no clue about life before Cups).
    Face masks were mandatory unless you were eating, and we were confined to a certain part of the building, depending on your section. Each ticket had the gate marked on it and you HAD to enter at that gate. We were in 320, so as soon as we entered Gate 7, we were directed straight to 300 level. We had to stay on 300 the entire game, and the same went for the 100 & 200 levels. It was a fantastic night to see our guys and our UC family, honestly. Nobody there seemed to mind the restrictions, and anyone that made a ruckus was quickly ushered out (some inebriated youths were escorted out near us).
    300 level Bars and about every other concession stand were open. And the UC was as clean as I’d ever seen it :)

  • May 10, 2021 at 3:40 pm
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    To Tommy Ivan: Only reason we are “looking good” right now with the salary cap is because Toews is out. But the next two years a lot of decisions need to be made with the up and coming rookies and if Toews comes back we will be right back in Cap Hell. This year coming up you have: Zadorov, Nylander, Kampf, Vinny, Gaudette, Suter and Hagel’s contracts coming due. Some will stay, some will go. The year after that: Boqvist, Kalynuk, Dach, Murphy, Kubalik, Entwistle and all 3 goalies. Unless StanBo does something major(We are trusting StanBo mind you) there will be no cap to sign those 3 impact players that this team would need to even scratch the surface of getting back into the playoffs. That’s why for me, I see the handwriting on the wall and its not pretty. Once again StanBo will have to trade some of these kids before they become FA’s because he can’t afford them.

  • May 10, 2021 at 3:45 pm
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    To Tim W: I agree with your assessment for tonight about Dallas. They have tee times for Thursday.

  • May 10, 2021 at 4:28 pm
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    This.

    We had a chance to go to -5 or stay at -3 but with DAL being eliminated from stanley cup tghey are not ‘playing’

    Still like the two players we could be in line for that are centers and 200 and Lobos guy is now around 19th he could be top Defensemen maybe. Take better player and we ll have to buy top pair Defeensemn ufa wise. We have the cap space to out bid any team now.

    TIM W.
    May 9, 2021 at 12:46 pm
    The Stars don’t play real motivated hockey when there is nothing on the line. With them being eliminated and coming off a couple of games with the Bolts,I could see them mailing it in tonight and maybe Monday night too.

  • May 10, 2021 at 5:07 pm
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    Thanks for the update on the UC Stephanie – sounds like it was a blast!

  • May 10, 2021 at 5:10 pm
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    Ian, doesnt ARI have a blackball for draft so were ahead of them anyways.

    Think were going to get our choice of those three players craig/roamn listed a few days ago. The two 200 centers or the Lambos Defenzemen.

  • May 10, 2021 at 5:35 pm
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    Mo just their 1st pick this year is all they lose, they pick the rest of theor picks unless they traded them.

    Brandon Hagel falls into special category rfa this year because of not enough Nhl games at end of his elc. Good for Blackhawks in that he is not arbitration eligible and he isn’t allowed to accept an offer sheet from another team. Not good for him for negotiations of a contract but means he re-signs again pretty well.

  • May 10, 2021 at 8:34 pm
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    Philly wins, worst Blackhawks can do is 11th overall pick. A1

  • May 11, 2021 at 2:18 am
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    9 worst teams
    10th CAL -3
    11th ARI -2
    12th CHI -1
    PHI 2
    MTL 3
    NYR 4
    DAL 4
    WIN 5

    With ARI cheating and it getting called and exspansion team were 12th?

    So mocks has us in for the same three players that someone listed recently and they are good players. Center that are 200 in soze and Lobos the 5th highest Defensemen in draft/is he good enough to be top pair or do we get that from ufa and add a large center.

    Large center gives us 77 Reichel this top 10 skill draft player for 3 really good centers to along with 19.

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