5 Takeaways from Blackhawks’ Mother’s Trip

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The Chicago Blackhawks just wrapped up this season’s mother’s trip, hosting their moms for some fun and entertainment in sunny Florida. They played two games along the way, one a feel-good 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning (Oct. 9), and the other a hard-fought 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers (Oct. 12). It would have been nice to come out with two wins, or at least three points. But alas, the Blackhawks couldn’t find the equalizer to force overtime in Sunrise. All in all however, the mom’s trip was a success. Let’s discuss some takeaways from these two games.

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How About That Bedard?!

I guess we should begin with the obvious. Connor Bedard is starting to heat up in a big way! In these last two tilts, he’s scored two goals in each game, and added two helpers in Tampa for a six-point effort. In 13 NHL games so far, he’s now up to nine goals and four assists for 13 points, putting him in some pretty good company.

After the Tampa game when head coach Luke Richardson was asked about Bedard’s four-point effort, he said, “He’s been here for a dozen games now, he’s starting to really figure it out.”

Indeed he is. With all these goals you can really see the skill and creativity. There’s the goal that tied the game 1-1 versus the Lightning, with Bedard in the perfect place to capitalize on a sweet set up from Philipp Kurashev. Or Bedard’s second goal of the game, the one to made it 4-2 that same night. Then there’s the tally that tied it 3-3 against the Panthers. But his first goal of this game was my favorite.

Bedard strips the puck from Kevin Stenlund and promptly roofs it for a goal, barely even looking at the net. This young man’s career has only just begun, but he’s already showing he’s the real deal. It’s been an absolute treat to watch him through 13 games, and there will be many more highlight reel goals to come.

Korchinski’s First NHL Goal

Bedard isn’t the only young player that’s impressing on this team. Defensemen Alex Vlasic, Wyatt Kaiser and Kevin Korchinski are all essentially rookies for the Blackhawks. They’ve been thrown right into the fire, but they’re faring very well. 19-year-old Korchinski was rewarded with his first NHL goal against the Lightning. It was only the second goal by a Blackhawks’ defenseman so far this season.

After the game, TV broadcasters Pat Boyle and John Scott were discussing how emotional it must have been for Korchinski’s mom, Stacey, to be in attendance for her son’s first NHL tally. Immediately Boyle exclaimed, “Stacey’s son has got it going on!”. As you may know this is a take on the famous Fountains of Wayne song with the lyrics, “Stacey’s mom has got it going on.” It’s quite ironic because former Blackhawk Brandon Hagel, (who was on the other side of this matchup since he now plays for the Lightning) had all the Blackhawks singing to this song at Alex DeBrincat’s wedding in August of 2021 (DeBrincat is now with the Detroit Red Wings). Yeah, those were the days. But now another new and exciting group has emerged.

Related – Blackhawks’ Korchinski Is Already Team’s Best Offensive D-Man

I don’t know about you, but from now on whenever Korchinski does well, he’s going to be dubbed as “Stacey’s son who’s got it going on.”

Blackhawks Hit with the Injury Bug

While some great things came out of the Blackhawks’ win against the Lightning, they did get hit by the injury bug in this contest. Defenseman Jarred Tinordi left after the first period, and he only played 5:50 minutes. He was later placed on injured reserve retroactive to Nov. 9th, meaning he’ll have to miss at least seven days.

Jarred Tinordi Chicago Blackhawks
Defenseman Jarred Tinordi was recently placed on injured reserve by the Chicago Blackhawks. (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images)

Forward Andreas Athanasiou also left the game after the second period. But the biggest scare was when Taylor Hall’s right knee got twisted the wrong way in a collision with the Lightnings’ Michael Eyssimont. 

It turns out Hall was walking around fine after the game, so perhaps it looked worse than it actually was. Both Athanasiou and Hall didn’t play in the next contest against the Panthers, but they were NOT put on injured reserve like Tinordi. Hopefully they will both be available for the Blackhawks’ next contest, a rematch against the Lightning this coming Thursday (Nov. 16).

With Athanasiou and Hall out, forwards depth Boris Katchouk and Reese Johnson cracked the lineup for the Panthers’ game. Katchouk hadn’t played since Oct. 27 (versus the Vegas Golden Knights), and Johnson hadn’t played since Oct. 30 (Arizona Coyotes).

Related – Blackhawks Can Focus on Bigger Picture Amid Inconsistencies

Furthermore, defenseman Isaak Phillips was called up from the Rockford IceHogs on Saturday (Oct. 11) in Tinordi’s stead. He did not suit up for the Panther’s game, but I would expect him to play against the Lightning. If so, that will be Phillips’ second contest with Blackhawks this season. He replaced Vlasic on the second defensive pairing for the Coyotes’ game, when Vlasic was out due to concussion protocol.

Players-Only Meeting Pays Off

The Blackhawks held a somewhat surprising players-only meeting after what seemed like a rather routine loss to the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 5. After all, they were pretty much expected to lose the game against a more talented Devils’ roster. They were also only 11 games into the season, with a respectable 4-7-0 record considering their rebuilding status and tough October schedule.

But the leadership group of Seth Jones, Corey Perry and Nick Foligno wanted to set a tone early that they must all hold each other accountable. That they should be a brotherhood that supports each other, and anything less is unacceptable.

 

Nick Foligno Chicago Blackhawks
Nick Foligno is one of the veterans that has emerged as a leader for the Chicago Blackhawks. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)

The teams’ response against the Lightning was great. They dominated most of the game, against a very good team mind you, and came away with a 5-3 win. The results weren’t exactly the same against the Panthers. They played a sloppy game, but they did rally in the third period and almost forced overtime. Jones, especially, led the charge in their game-ending push. He was leading by example, and the rest of the team followed suit. While we were all commending them afterwards for their effort, Foligno had a very different message.

Again, Foligno is setting the tone to not become complacent, and to constantly push for more. That players-only meeting was just the beginning of what should be an entire season of excellent leadership.

Thank You, Moms!

Finally, let’s give some love to the moms! These are the ladies that supported their sons through thick and thin, getting up at the crack of dawn to drive them to practices and games. The women that gave up their personal time to help their children fulfill their dreams of playing in the NHL. They deserve to be treated special, and it looks like they had a wonderful time on the mother’s trip.

It appears the mothers are still giving back, even when they’re the ones being honored. Said Richardson, “I don’t know who thought of this initially, but it’s a great trip. It goes a long way, especially at the beginning of the year. We have new players here and they’re still getting to know each other. This just makes people talk and mingle more at dinners and on the buses. I think it’s helping our team create a little bit more of a closer bond.”

The moms were appreciated, and the Blackhawks earned two points along with more valuable lessons to employ moving forward. Everyone wins!

Related – Blackhawks vs. Lightning: Hagel, Raddysh, Predictions & More

The Blackhawks have three days off before hosting the Lightning at the United Center on Thursday (Nov. 16). They’ll then head to Nashville to take on the Predators on Saturday (Nov. 18), and have a quick turnaround to face the Buffalo Sabres in Chicago on Sunday (Nov. 19). We’ll see if Bedard continues to “figure it out”, whether some injured players can return, and how the youngsters and the veterans can continue to build a winning culture. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. It’s a fun time to be a Blackhawks’ fan!