After the game last night it appeared the Blackhawks held another players chit chat about doing their jobs and what it means to work hard enough to win games. You know, the whole idea of committing to the cause. And guess who stood up in front of the cameras to talk to his teammates through the media again? Nick Foligno, who has clearly become the de facto captain of this group. Here’s part of what he said after the game:
“It’s making everyone realize collectively, how are we going to become the Chicago Black♉hawks?” Foligno said. “How are we going to become that team (that) teams fear playing? It’s by that first commitment to competing and understanding what that looks like and how every night it’s not tic-tac-toe in the back of the net. It’s grinding teams out. Talk about a heavy team in St. Louis. Did they really d𝕴o anything pretty tonight? No. Their goals end up looking pretty because they’re ready to work. They’re ready to make the right plays. They’re ready to pinch when they need to. They’re ready to hold pucks in when they need to and get pucks out.”
Are losses last night and the sub-par effort just something we should chalk up to the youngsters learning? Nope. Foligno wasn’t accepting any excuses last night. He noted there are veterans who need to get on the program as much as there are young players learning the right work ethic and breaking some bad habits to learn how to win in the league.
You know what this moment in time reminds me of? Luke Richardson is too calm to drop bombs like this in a post game presser, but the organization was in an incredibly similar place when this all-time rant came after a game from Hall of Famer Denis Savard.
You know which line showed up to play last night? The “fourth line” of Reese Johnson – Ryan Donato – Boris Katchouk, which Richardson went as far as to question if they were really a “fourth” line because of their effort last night. He complimented Reese and Katchouk for their consistent work ethic since they were inserted back into the lineup; they’ve both been valuable penalty killers and have worked hard on every shift. Donato’s speed has been noticeable and he finally got on the score sheet again last night.
Looking back at the numbers this morning on , those three were the best forwards in the game. At even strength, Reese was on the ice for 15 Blackhawks’ shots and 3 against. Donato was on the ice for 15 Blackhawks’ shots and 5 against. And Katchouk was on the ice for 11 Blackhawks’ shots and just 1 against. Donato was the only skater on the ice for both Blackhawks’ goals last night.
I need to shout out Wyatt Kaiser for a moment. He’s had some ups and downs early this season; we’re watching his learning curve in real time. He had his first career multi-point game last night with two assists. He was also the only defenseman on the roster to be plus-two last night; only Donato was also plus-two. In 16:49 at even strength, Kaiser was on the ice for 16 Blackhawks’ shot attempts to only 5 for the Blues. Only Isaak Phillips, his partner, had a better ratio (17-5) last night on the entire roster.
Speaking of feisty, head coach Luke Richardson was asked before the game about seeing Connor Bedard get a little rough on the ice. He’s been noticeably more physical in games as the Blackhawks are trying to come back. It’s obvious he hates losing.
“I've noticed him getting in there in the skirmishes, and I told him just get in there and have your stick up, then people will stop coming around you and (you’ll) protect yourself.”
—Luke Richardson on Connor Bedard’s feistiness — Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson)
Hey, you know who’s hot right now? Paul Ludwinski, who starts the new week riding the longest point streak in the OHL at 13 games. And it isn’t like he’s throwing in a late assist every night to keep the streak going; he has 19 points in the 13 games. It’s great to see him healthy and doing damage in his second season post-draft. This is the guy the Blackhawks drafted in the second round in 2022. I’m excited for his future.
longest active point streaks 🔥
Paul Ludwinski () – 19 PTS/13 GP Simon Slavicek – 17 PTS/12 GP Bryce McConnell-Barker () – 13 PTS/11 GP Kasper Halttunen () – 16 PTS/10 GP — Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey)
The holiday weekend meant college games stretched all the way from Wednesday to Sunday. Blackhawks prospects were making an impact all over the country again. We dropped our weekly three stars this morning.
Another strong weekend from the prospects in the college ranks. Who made our Three Stars from a long holiday weekend? — Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks)
Finally, we’re getting closer to MLB’s Winter Meetings. Can the Cubs land the biggest free agent in baseball history??
Obsessive Shohei Ohtani Watch: Cubs Willing to Offer an E𒊎arly Opt🎉-Out?
Tab Bamford has been writing about the Chicago Blackhawks for almost two decades. He joined Bleacher Nation as the lead Blackhawks writer in May 2022. Tab is a member of the and is the author of three books about the Blackhawks: (Triumph Books),🐻"100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know & Do Befo𒅌re They Die" (Triumph Books) and "Chicago Blackhawks: An Illustrated Timeline" (Reedy Press, 2021). Find♔ him on Twitter/X/Instagram/Threads at @The1Tab
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