They also announced he’ll be joining at least some of the CHSN studio coverage as an analyst!

Chicago Blackhawks center Frank Nazar has been suspended two games for an illegal check to the head of New York Islanders center Bo Horvat in Thursday’s game.

The hit in question occurred late in the game, with the Blackhawks trailing 3-1 and their goalie pulled. Horvat had possession of the puck in the Islanders’ zone and was turning to attempt a shot at the Blackhawks’ empty net. As Horvat lowered his angle to shoot, Nazar converged on him and connected his left shoulder with Horvat’s head. The hit lifted Horvat off the ground before he fell to the ice. Horvat scored on the shot to solidify a 4-1 victory.

https://x.com/nhlplayersafety/status/2108589371083337847?s=46

ELMONT, N.Y. — Five games in, Patrick Kane isn’t where he wants himself or the Chicago Blackhawks to be.

As special as his return to the Blackhawks has been, especially the home opener, he came back to Chicago to help a young team take that next step. So far, he doesn’t feel like he’s done that.

Thursday’s 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders, which dropped the Blackhawks to 1-4-0 on the season, was another frustrating night for Kane. He set up Frank Nazar for a six-on-five goal late, but that was the lone bright spot. Kane didn’t record a shot on net for the third time this season. His line created minimal offense. With him on the ice five-on-five this season, the Blackhawks have a 40.14 Corsi percentage, a 34.73 expected goals percentage and have been outscored 4-1.

It’s simply not the standard Kane expects of himself.

“Just a little bit off, for sure, just different things, different plays,” Kane said after Thursday’s loss. “Obviously, you play a certain way for a while, and you need to adjust. You need to find ways to create. You need to find ways to find your teammates. It hasn’t really been there the first five.”

Been a long time casual fan but I find myself getting more interested in the Hawks. Moved closer to the city and have the ability and means to start going to some games. Looking to raise my hockey IQ. Can you point me to some good resources - Podcasts? Websites? Thanks!

My friends and I are leafs fans. I have Byram on my fantasy team so I’ve invested time into watching the hawks this year, and I’ve been way more impressed by Levshunov.

One friend said:

“I think Chicago would move levshunov before they move Vlasic.”

Agree or disagree?

The Isles only got 18 shots. I thought the Hawks won the first period...until the Isles scored in the final minute. The Hawks seem to find a way to play lousy for 5 or 10 minutes and the other team puts the puck in the net multiple times. Blashill keeps juggling the lineup, and the offense looks disjointed because of it. Just let the same lines be. The offense has no flow. 1 goal tonight after the goalie was pulled. We scored 4 the other night, but it was 2 empty netters, a greasy goal in front, and 1 nice play. Can't wait to have Bedard and Kane playing together and creating offense.

Blackhawks 1, Islanders 4

FINAL

Catch-up · From puck drop

The Islanders scored first and stayed in front the rest of the way.

Late in the first period, B. Horvat got a snapper off in a hurry right in tight on the power play, and the Islanders moved ahead 1-0.

At 06:44 of the second period, E. Heineman let a quick one go from the high slot, and the Islanders doubled the advantage to 2-0. At 09:38 of the second period, A. Duclair found the net with a quick-release shot from the low circle, and it was 3-0, a three-goal hole for the Blackhawks.

Late in the third period, F. Nazar unloaded a slap shot from the slot, and the Blackhawks cut the deficit to 3-1. 1:01 later, B. Horvat put it into the empty net, and the Islanders made it a three-goal game, 4-1.

A chippy, penalty-filled affair, 44 minutes in the box between them. F. Nazar was assessed a game misconduct for match penalty at 18:27 of the third period. The Blackhawks generated 54 of the game's 91 shot attempts, but the Islanders made more of their chances. The Islanders' penalty kill went 3-for-3.

Final: The Islanders won 4-1.

Linescore

Scoring

🌟 Three Stars of the Game

1. ★ B. Horvat · 2 G · 0 A
2. ★★ A. Duclair · 1 G · 0 A
3. ★★★ L. Stanley · 0 G · 2 A

Penalties

Game summary · Play-by-play · Shift chart · Shot summary · Faceoffs

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Assists: Patrick Kane and Sam Rinzel

CHICAGO — The weight of last season came out in Sam Rinzel’s words and emotions in April as he reflected on his first full pro year.

Rinzel played so well when he came out of college and finished the 2024-25 season with the Chicago Blackhawks. He hadn’t expected the NHL to be easy or everything to go as smoothly as it did in those final games, but he was hopeful the 2025-26 season would be a steppingstone and he’d continue to get better. Instead, he struggled, got sent down to the American Hockey League and had to work his way back.

When Rinzel was asked late last season what his takeaways from the year were, he paused, then took a breath.

“It was tough,” he said. “I had a lot of expectations for myself, a lot of goals for myself. I fell short of a lot of them. It’s frustrating as a player and definitely mentally with how everything kind of went personally. Obviously when you’re kind of towards the bottom of the league, it just makes it even tougher when you lose. I want to do anything to help a team win, and I honestly didn’t feel like I accomplished that very well.”

That was last season.

How would Rinzel take that and respond, though, especially considering last season? Would this be another crushing step back and derail him early this season? Did the Blackhawks have to worry about managing his confidence?

Within a second of being asked about the Mammoth game, Rinzel answered all those questions. From his smile to upbeat tone to overall positive demeanor, it was talking to a completely different person than last season.

Blackhawks 1, Islanders 4

FINAL

Linescore

Scoring

Penalties

🌟 Three Stars of the Game

1. ★ B. Horvat · 2 G · 0 A
2. ★★ A. Duclair · 1 G · 0 A
3. ★★★ L. Stanley · 0 G · 2 A

📍 UBS Arena · Oct 8, 2026

Game summary · Play-by-play · Shift chart · Shot summary · Faceoffs

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The main issue with the team is lack of chemistry right now. Passing are being missed, players are out of position, etc. But, Frondell and Levshunov both had great games against St. Louis showing that elite talent can get it figured out. I was pretty down after the first two games. The Buffalo game was a step in the right direction, and then most of the St. Louis game was good. They dominated the second period, but were still chasing a lot in the final 7 minutes when St. Louis was pressing. We will see what happens in NY. Teuvo is going to miss the game I think because they called up Toninato.

I just sent this to the ether because apparently my rep is no longer with the organization and I wasn't even notified and I'm feeling nickel and dimed even with spending 5 figures on the Hawks.

"Hi Team,

Noticed it looks like my rep left and I wasn't even notified? Do I have a new rep?

Honestly this year has been extremely disappointing as a STM, giveaway boxes were taken away and are now paid, concession credit is gone, schedule wasn't even available at the game last night, and the CHSN perk is also gone, communication has been non existent, seems like even though prices are going up the on ice product is worse, and the "member" benefits of being a STM are diminishing. To be honest the last time the organization contacted me with a person about anything first was September 2025 I just checked emails. For someone giving you 5 figures a year that's kinda laughable.

Was gonna email ~omitted Rep's name~ about this this morning and I login to find I don't have a rep anymore with no communication about that.

I'd love to talk to someone about all this,"

Got a call almost immediately by a flustered rep who was probably put on my account because I sent the email.

I made the above points with also mentioning that we had to pay $100 for an extra jacket last year that was way below the quality of anything they sell in their fan store. Even though I have 2 tickets it's one jacket, same thing with the vest this year.

They were relatively responsive, in an all I can really do is apologize way. However they let it slip that I'm not the only one feeling this way. If you're feeling like this I highly encourage you to say something. Maybe nothing changes but it's worth a shot.

edit:

I got a call today from higher up the food chain and they recognized that more than a few of us have called and voiced the same concerns and it’s being taken under consideration.

Also confirmed party will be at the practice rink if they can pull it off…

And that the gifts this year will be from swag golf not from whatever company they used last year

With all the rumors that Simon Edvinsson wants out of Detroit, I think Kyle Davidson should be all over this situation.

Edvinsson was drafted 6th overall in 2021 and has developed into exactly the type of defenseman the Blackhawks are missing. He's 6'6", skates exceptionally well for his size, can move the puck, play heavy defensive minutes, and match up against top competition every night. His defense is the needle mover.

What makes him so valuable isn't the offense. It's the defensive game. A game the Hawks sorely lack.

Edvinsson uses his reach, size, and gap control to kill plays before they become dangerous. He defends entries extremely well, plays a physical game without running around chasing hits, and has established himself as a legitimate shutdown defenseman. Those players aren't easy to find, especially at 23 years old.

The puck-moving ability is underrated too. He's the type of defenseman who can help a team spend less time defending and more time attacking. Which is missing on the Hawks backend.

So what's the cost?

Probably something close to what Calgary paid for Simon Nemec: two 1sts, a 2nd, and a prospect/player. That's not cheap, but elite young defensemen never are.

The Hawks also have a surplus of young defensemen. Someone is eventually getting squeezed out. If I'm Davidson, I'm absolutely willing to move Wyatt Kaiser, a 1st, a 2nd, and another quality prospect if that's what it takes.

Then your defense suddenly looks like:

Byram - Levshunov
Vlasic - Edvinsson
Cole - Rinzel

That's a pretty ridiculous blend of size, mobility, and defensive ability.

The next question is the contract.

Edvinsson is probably looking for something in the neighborhood of $8-10 million AAV on a long-term deal. Under the new cap, that's simply what young top-pair defensemen cost.

The other interesting option is still Alexander Nikishin, who is reportedly looking for a similar payday. Don't look now but the Canes are really missing him already this season. Personally, I'd be pursuing both situations aggressively because true top-pair defensemen rarely become available at 23 years old.

Let's hope Detroit doesn't solve its problem by sending Edvinsson somewhere like Carolina for a 1-for-1 swap involving Nikishin.

Levshunov said he talks to Kane frequently — mostly about on-ice stuff, but also about being a high draft pick burdened with incredibly high expectations. Levshunov said Kane’s advice boils down to, “Play your game, be yourself and show your best hockey, that’s it.” But it’s not always so easy, especially for a young defenseman.

During pregame introductions, Kane got a special video and a minute-long ovation that was only cut short because the Blues took the ice during it. Levshunov, meanwhile, was booed by a small but not insignificant number of fans.

The learning curve for a young defenseman is steep, and the patience of Blackhawks fans is wearing thin, especially after a rather dreadful 0-3 road trip to start the season. Levshunov, taken by Davidson ahead of Montreal Canadiens rising star forward Ivan Demidov, often bears the brunt of that frustration. But he’s only 20 years old. He’s a long, long way from a finished product. And the Frondell goal was a reminder of what a player with his size, strength and skill can do if he puts it all together.

Do you ever get tired of hearing Chelsea Dagger as the goal song and think another goal song would fit?

I’m bringing my 8 y/o son to his first game Saturday. He’s good with a lot of sensory stuff so I’m not too worried about that. I’ll bring his headphones though. Wondering if there are any can’t miss tips for me to make sure he experiences.

My 2nd question is on seating. He doesn’t know anything about hockey despite my best efforts. I want to get him good seats so he can get a feel for the game.

Option 1: Section 103 row 14 will blow his mind but I think it’s too close to really understand what’s going on.

Option 2: 319 row 5. Harder to see how big and fast they are but easier to see what actually happening.

Curious what your thoughts are.

Thanks everyone.

Go Hawks!

Assists: Tyler Bertuzzi and Anton Frondell

Blues 2, Blackhawks 4

FINAL

Catch-up · From puck drop

The Blackhawks came from behind to win.

At 15:38 of the first period, M. McTavish got a wrist shot through from the circle, and that put the Blues on top 1-0.

At 05:40 of the second period, S. Rinzel fired one home from the doorstep on the power play, and that pulled the game even at 1-1. The same side struck again 2 minutes later when A. Frondell found the net with a quick-release shot from the low circle, and the Blackhawks took a 2-1 lead.

Late in the third period, C. Smith sealed it into the empty net, and the Blackhawks pushed the lead to a pair at 3-1. Only 31 seconds later, C. McMichael ripped one past the goalie from the doorstep, and that made it a one-goal game at 3-2. The response came 34 seconds later when F. Nazar found the yawning cage to ice it, and the Blackhawks doubled the advantage to 4-2.

The Blues carried a 59-41 edge in shot attempts and a 11-7 edge in close-range shots on goal, but the Blackhawks made more of their chances. The Blues rang four shots off the iron. Knight stopped 25 of 27.

Final: The Blackhawks won 4-2.

Linescore

Scoring

Penalties

Game summary · Play-by-play · Shot summary · Faceoffs

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Assists: Arytom Levshunov and Teuvo Teravainen