Blackhawks News: Tough loss vs Kings, Lukas Reichel called up, and more

The Chicago Blackhawks had a couple of good games in a row. Connor Bedard had a stretch there that secured the Calder Trophy for him (if he hadn’t already) and they won some games. 

However, they were humbled by one of the best teams in the Western Conference on Friday night. They took on the Los Angeles Kings and it did not go well for them. 

LA beat down the Hawks 5-0. Chicago couldn’t even get a puck past Cam Talbot as he made 28 saves on 28 shots for the shutout victory. The hot goal-scoring stretch came to a cool stop. 

It was a great night for Kings skaters like captain Anze Kopitar, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alex Laferriere, and Quinton Byfield. The team as a whole deserves credit for the way that they played in all three zones as well. 

The Kings are staring down the third-place spot in the Pacific Division or a Wild Card spot. The West is loaded though and they have as good of a chance as anybody. They showed why against the lowly Hawks in this one. 

The Chicago Blackhawks are gearing up for the final stretch of the season

Next up:

Now, the Hawks chase for a good lottery position will continue on Sunday when they take on the San Jose Sharks. These are the two worst teams in the league and the only two already mathematically eliminated from postseason contention. 

The loser of this game will be in dead last place in the NHL. Both of them want the best possible odds of getting Macklin Celebrini at the 2024 NHL Draft. He would help both franchises take big steps toward success in the future. 

Lukas Reichel called up:

After getting beat up by the Los Angeles Kings, the Blackhawks decided to call up Lukas Reichel. He started the season with the NHL club and played 50 games. 

In those 50 games, he only scored three goals and had seven assists for ten points. They need more from him if he is will be a top-six skater. He doesn’t have the tools to be an effective bottom-six player at this point. 

If Reichel wants to stick around this time, he has to change his style or start scoring a lot more. Since being sent down to the Rockford Ice Hogs, he has scored one goal and six assists for seven points in nine games. 

He needs to be better in the NHL, which is the bottom line. If he plays well, he will stick around. If he doesn’t, he’ll be back and forth from the NHL to the AHL for as long as he’s eligible without waivers. 

Landon Slaggert 

When Notre Dame’s season was over, the Blackhawks signed their captain Landon Slaggert. He made his NHL debut on Friday night against the Kings. 

The team didn’t win but it is a night that he will remember forever. Chicago drafted him in the third round (79th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft and he is now ready to become a pro. 

In his final season with the Irish, he scored 20 goals and had 11 assists for 31 points in 36 games. Now, we’ll see what kind of production he brings to Chicago in the future. 

He didn’t have a goal or an assist but he got his debut out of the way. Now, we’ll see him play some hockey without worrying about making his NHL debut. He has the potential to be a good player.

There are more good prospects where that came from in Chicago’s system. The future is going to be bright and is only getting brighter.