News Blackhawks Team Notes

[Chicago Blackhawks]

A Better Road Loss, Kantserov Talks Future, Nazar’s USA Chances, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

The Blackhawks lost in overtime last night, but it was a much better, closer game than the previous tilt in Winnipeg. The Blackhawks held the Oilers to two goals in regulation — both coming on the power play. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Blackhawks had a 52-49 shot attempt advantage at 5-on-5 in regulation. The Hawks had a 9-5 advantage in high danger chances in regulation as well.

Connor Bedard, André Burakovsky and Ryan Greene were outstanding last night. They combined for 10 shots on net (of the Blackhawks’ 29 total), Bedard won 7 of 14 faceoffs in the game and they combined to score the only 5-on-5 goal of the night. The Blackhawks really might have something in Burakovsky and Bedard together.

NHL GameScore Impact Card for Chicago Blackhawks on 2025-11-01: pic.twitter.com/xffL1DFSLf

— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) November 2, 2025

• Bedard (7 of 14) and Frank Nazar (8 of 16) combined to win 15 of their 30 faceoffs last night. The Blackhawks won 20 of 45 as a team (44 percent). That’s an impressive night at the dot from the Blackhawks’ top two centers.

• Nazar finished tied for the team lead with five shots on net and also led Blackhawks forwards with three blocked shots.

• Michael Russo at The Athletic went in on the Olympic bubble watch for the United States. I’m not going to tell you what he had to say about Nazar’s tremendous start to the season because it’s all positive. But when I think about Nazar’s potential opportunity and how he might fit into the USA roster, what matters most is what the team is looking for when building their roster. Here’s what USA GM Bill Guerin had to say about how he’s building a gold medal roster:

“We need goal scoring. We need power-play guys. We also need penalty killers. We need guys that can check. If we learned anything from the 4 Nations, it was like, I don’t want to say mistake-free hockey, but the checking, there was no room. That’s why you saw the shots weren’t very high. The scoring wasn’t very high. It’s because everybody could check. Everybody was responsible like that.

“So it’s not just goal scoring and offense. We will have plenty of that. You’ve got to be able to do the other stuff, too.”

U.S. Olympic bubble watch: What hot starts for Keller, Cooley, Knies, Caufield, others mean for the roster

My story>>> https://t.co/YHClHS8Hq4

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) October 31, 2025

• Artyom Levshunov led the Blackhawks with four blocked shots last night.

• Spencer Knight bounced back nicely from a rough night in Winnipeg. He stopped 27 of 30 in the game, but faced some tough shots from a few of the better players in the world.

• I can’t believe Mitch Marner somehow blew Game 7 for the Blue Jays last night. Because that’s how this works, right?

• Sergey Demidov at RG Media spoke with Blackhawks prospect Roman Kantserov about his season, his relationship with the Blackhawks and when he might come to North America. Kantserov, 21, leads the KHL with 13 goals and has 21 goals in 21 games to start a terrific season. This might be his final season in the KHL — his contract expires at the end of the league year and he told Demidov that he plans on making an NHL decision once his season with Magnitogorsk ends. Here’s what Kantserov told him about his relationship with the Blackhawks while playing professionally in Russia:

“Of course I follow [Connor] Bedard. They’re a young team in a rebuild, but they’re doing quite well. As for our communication, it’s normal, professional. They know I’m in the last year of my contract, and I can feel they’re showing more interest now. We have calls roughly every 10 games, go over clips, and discuss areas to improve. Still, the systems in our leagues are very different, so we mostly talk about individual skills.”

Chicago’s next breakout star might be skating 5,000 miles away. Roman Kantserov is tearing up the KHL – 13 goals in 21 games – and says his NHL move could come in 2026.

Are the Blackhawks about to land their next scoring weapon? Full story https://t.co/tsYcB4o0D6

— RG (@TheRGMedia) November 1, 2025

• The Seattle Kraken activated Kaapo Kakko off the IL and he made his regular season debut last night. They host the Blackhawks on Monday night.

How about some Blackhawks prospect highlights?​

• In the OHL, AJ Spellacy scored his second goal of the season but Windsor lost 6-3 at Saginaw. He also won 10 of a team-high 17 faceoffs in the game.

• Jack Pridham opened the scoring for the Kitchener Rangers 41 seconds into the second period. That held up as the game-winning goal in a 4-0 win over Brampton. Pridham added an assist for a two-point afternoon.

Pridham turned on the jets

The @NHLBlackhawks prospect took off and put home his 9th of the season for the @OHLRangers @FloHockey | #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/gZUjkCOJQ7

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) November 1, 2025

• Marek Vanacker scored twice and Parker Holmes had an assist as Brantford hammered Flint 7-0. Here are Vanacker’s two goals:

Throw that one on the highlight tape #BFD | #Blackhawks https://t.co/vV8p31HLiL pic.twitter.com/VCcs3Lrzrn

— Brantford Bulldogs (@BulldogsOHL) November 2, 2025

Saturday night two-for from #Blackhawks prospect Marek Vanacker for @BulldogsOHL

pic.twitter.com/4ER1t4Nz6N

— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) November 2, 2025

• In the NCAA, UMass-Lowell upset Providence 5-1. John Mustard had one assist.

• Cornell beat UMass 3-1. Václav Nestrašil had one assist.

• Adam Gajan had his first bad night of the year for Minnesota-Duluth. He allowed five goals on 28 shots and was replaced early in the third period of a 5-1 loss at North Dakota.

• How about a Nick Lardis goal for the IceHogs last night?

If at first you don’t succeed, try again https://t.co/ccYPfd2uOb pic.twitter.com/bbDcdgmhdD

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) November 2, 2025

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• The Bulls are off to their best start in almost three decades.

• This graphic should put Charles Tillman in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...ars-usa-chances-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks at Oilers — Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

Bedard and McDavid. Nazar and Draisaitl. Oilers vs. Blackhawks. The back-to-back Western Conference champions are struggling to start the new season, while the Blackhawks have mostly exceeded expectations. But the Blackhawks are coming off their first really ugly performance of the season.

After the morning skate, Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill said he expects Ilya Mikheyev to play, which is big. Jason Dickinson was still missing from action, however. Get the coffee/other beverages ready for a late one on a Saturday night!

Broadcast Info​

Puck Drop: 9:00 PM CT
TV / Streaming: CHSN
Radio: WGN 720 AM

Expected Lineups​

Chicago Blackhawks

Ryan Greene — Connor Bedard — André Burakovsky
Teuvo Teräväinen — Frank Nazar — Tyler Bertuzzi
Ryan Donato — Colton Dach — Ilya Mikheyev
Landon Slaggert — Nick Foligno

Alex Vlasic — Sam Rinzel
Wyatt Kaiser — Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk — Connor Murphy
Louis Crevier

Spencer Knight

Edmonton Oilers

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Connor McDavid – Andrew Mangiapane
Vasily Podkolzin – Leon Draisaitl – Jack Roslovic
Matthew Savoie – Adam Henrique – Trent Frederic
Isaac Howard – Noah Philp – Curtis Lazar

Mattias Ekholm – Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse – Jake Walman
Brett Kulak – Ty Emberson

Stuart Skinner

Injury Report​

Chicago Blackhawks​

• Jason Dickinson is day-to-day. Laurent Brossoit (hip) and Shea Weber (retired) are out long term.

Edmonton Oilers

• Zach Hyman, Kasperi Kapanen and Mattias Janmark are on IR.

What to Watch For​

• Bedard is coming off the best month of his NHL career. Can he turn thing up to start November?

• After an ugly performance with “big mistakes” in Winnipeg, We’ll see if they’re tighter tonight.

• Edmonton has their share of defensive issues. Maybe a good night to bet the over.

Get Caught Up​

Connor Bedard Just Had His Best Month in the NHL #blackhawkshttps://t.co/8RIo0Arq84

— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) October 31, 2025

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...-oilers-lineups-broadcast-info-game-thread-4/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Bedard, McDavid, Foligno/Sirianni, Who’s Healthy? Prospect Updates, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Yesterday I wrote a couple pieces about Connor Bedard. One was about his contract situation. The other was about Bedard having the best calendar month of his NHL career (so far). The two play hand-in-hand. Bedard waiting to sign a deal was betting he was going to have a big year. So far, he is.

The Blackhawks face the Oilers tonight in Edmonton. Bedard has as many points as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl entering November.

Connor Bedard Just Had His Best Month in the NHL #blackhawkshttps://t.co/8RIo0Arq84

— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) October 31, 2025

• Ben Pope shared the forward lines from practice on Friday afternoon in Edmonton. No sign of Jason Dickinson, but Ilya Mikheyev was present again. Hopefully Mikheyev can go tonight against the Oilers.

Blackhawks are practicing now in Edmonton.

I don’t see Dickinson on the ice. I do see Mikheyev. Here are the forward lines:

Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky
Teravainen-Nazar-Bertuzzi
Donato-Dach-Mikheyev
Slaggert-Foligno-Lafferty pic.twitter.com/GDTGE4PIUc

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) October 31, 2025

• This came from the NHL in their October recap from across the league in a section discussing the impact of young players:

The Blackhawks rank among the top three in the NHL for goals (t-1st; 13), assists (1st; 20) and points (1st; 33) by players age 21 or younger, with Connor Bedard (6-8—14), 20, and Frank Nazar (5-6—11), 21, spotting Chicago a five-point improvement over their 11-game start last season.

• With the Blackhawks in Edmonton tonight, a little intel on the opposition. Evan Bouchard got the bag this offseason, but things haven’t been great on the ice to start the new season.

Evan Bouchard's turnovers are the elephant in the Oilers' room but so far his ice time hasn't dipped. It's time for that to change, writes @sportsnetspec. https://t.co/lEjRquJ8PM

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 31, 2025

The doppelgänger game is real, folks. Nick Foligno was Philadelpia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni for Halloween. So… Sirianni was Foligno at their team Halloween party. Love to see it.

• Some interesting comments from Jonathan Toews after facing his former team on Thursday night.

"A lot of years in Chicago felt like Groundhog’s Day… You start to think that things are never going to change, or at least you just assume that’s the way things are with every organization. But then things change really fast."

Jonathan Toews reflects: https://t.co/PxG9ZOn6dP

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) October 31, 2025

• With today being the first of November, a reminder that the Blackhawks are giving something away at most of their home games this month.

• Last night, Andy Slaggert coached his final game at Notre Dame after three decades behind the bench. Blackhawks forward Landon Slaggert‘s dad has been a marvelous coach in South Bend, teaching the game the right way. Ironically, today he begins his new role — with the Edmonton Oilers.

#NotreDame HC @BrockSheahan explains the impact @AndySlaggert has had on the @NDHockey program. Slags coaches his final game tonight. pic.twitter.com/7G9NgzLiK8

— Pete Byrne WSBT (@PeteByrneSports) October 31, 2025

How about some Blackhawks prospect highlights? ​

• In the OHL, Jack Pridham scored his eighth goal of the season into an empty net as Kitchener beat Sudbury 3-0.

• In the college ranks, Václav Nestrašil scored the game-winning power play goal with 99 seconds left in regulation as No. 13 UMass beat No. 20 Cornell 2-1.

Václav Nestrašil stayed hot, tipping one in with 99 seconds remaining to decide the game.

That makes it 7 goals in 8 games and he’s now well on pace to break the record for most goals scored by a Czech player in a single season, which is 15 goals from the 1950/51 campaign.
:… pic.twitter.com/lNXk6dCyxE

— Honza Zoufal (@HZoufal) November 1, 2025

• Sacha Boisvert picked up an assist… and 12 PIM for Unsportsmanlikeconduct/Misconduct penalties after the overtime game-winner as No. 5 Boston University lost 5-4 to No. 12 Maine.

• Adam Gajan stopped 25 of 28 as North Dakota stormed back to tie the game late and force overtime. No. 10 Minnesota-Duluth got the 4-3 win in OT.

• John Mustard scored his fifth goal of the season to help No. 16 Providence beat UMass-Lowell 5-2.

Team-high fifth of the season for John Mustard gives us the early lead!https://t.co/0GZLDbP5mw x @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/rBdHkr1PBC

— PC Men's Hockey (@FriarsHockey) October 31, 2025

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• We’e about to find out if the Bulls are really THIS good …

• D’Andre Swift is one of four Bears who were ruled out for tomorrow’s game.

• Brett unpacked all of the important dates for the Cubs’ offseason.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...pect-highlights-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/