Morning Chirps: Blackhawks going international, IceHogs get a big win

The Chicago Blackhawks are back in action with a late-night game against the Vegas Golden Knights. We’ll have a full day of coverage for you, so be sure to check in throughout the day and after the game. Meanwhile, get caught up on a very busy Friday in the world of hockey.

Blackhawks Chirps

• It’s time for me to renew my passport because the Blackhawks are going international next season. They will play the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 18 and 20 in Düsseldorf, Germany, as part of the 2026 NHL Global Series. These will be only the second and third NHL regular-season games played in Germany after the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings played in Berlin in 2011. This is the third time the Blackhawks will play regular-season games in Europe. They opened the 2009-10 season with a pair of games against the Florida Panthers. They lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in Prague, Czechia, to start the 2019-20 season. That trip included an exhibition game against the Berlin Eisbären.

• Some pundits and fans want you to believe that the Blackhawks' rebuild is not going well and that they are years away from contention. Well, Justin Lynch says they are not as far away from contending as those folks feel.

• In case you missed it, The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus tracked down the fan Connor Bedard gave the death stare to on Thursday night, and got the full story behind the exchange.

• The Rockford IceHogs were busy Friday morning, adding to their roster for the playoff push. First, they acquired forward Ryland Mosley from the Cleveland Monsters for future considerations. He has one goal in eight AHL games this season. Later, they signed forward Chase Dafoe to a two-year AHL contract. The 24-year-old just finished his college career at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, where he served as captain this past season. He scored 31 goals and 52 points in his 96 games for the Nanooks.

• Once they took the ice at the BMO Center, the IceHogs beat the Chicago Wolves 4-1. Martin Misiak and Taige Harding had a goal and an assist to lead the offense. Gavin Hayes and Jake Furlong also chipped in with helpers, as veterans Joey Anderson and Rem Pitlick had the other two goals. Drew Commesso made 29 saves in his return to Rockford. In typical fashion when these two teams meet, 94 penalty minutes were dished out, including four misconducts and six fighting majors. With the Milwaukee Admirals game against the Grand Rapids Griffins postponed due to unsafe ice conditions, the IceHogs have pulled to within six points of the final playoff spot with 14 games to play. They host the Iowa Wild later tonight.

• Mike McMahon of College Hockey Insider got the full details on why Sacha Bosivert didn’t play on Wednesday. He reports that Bosivert was late for a team workout earlier in the week, and since it wasn’t his first infraction, he was scratched. I expect him to play this afternoon against UConn.

• Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson was taking in some college action last night, as he was spotted at the Hockey East quarterfinal between Boston College and Maine. It’s a safe bet that he will be at Boisvert’s game today.

• The Brantford Bulldogs rolled over the Sudbury Wolves 4-0 last night, with Marek Vanacker scoring his OHL-leading 44th goal of the season. They have just four games left before the postseason as the regular season wraps up a week from Sunday.

• On this date in 1933, the Blackhawks forfeited their game against the Boston Bruins after refusing to return to the ice following head coach Tom Gorman's ejection.

• In 1991, Ed Belfour and Steve Larmer made history in the Blackhawks’ 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Goaltender Ed Belfour broke the team’s single-season record for wins with his 39th. Larmer’s two goals gave him 94 points, the most scored in a season by a right wing in franchise history.

• Two years later, Belfour became the sixth netminder in Blackhawks history to win 100 games by beating the Edmonton Oilers 5-4.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, March 14: Erik Gustafsson.

NHL Chirps

• The Oilers placed Colton Dach on long-term injured reserve on Friday. The former Blackhawk suffered an undisclosed injury on Tuesday in just his third game with the team. There is no word on how much time he will miss, but any player on LTIR will miss at least 10 games and 24 days.

• In more significant injury news, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is out for the rest of the season. He suffered a Grade Three MCL tear from a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas on Thursday.

• Meanwhile, Gudas received a five-game suspension for his actions. He had been suspended four previous times in his career for 21 total games, which made one think he’d get a more severe punishment. Matthews’ agent, Judd Moldaver, called the suspension “reckless and ridiculous,” and added that the “Player Safety Department should be suspended.” It’s hard to argue with that.

• The San Jose Sharks recalled Blackhawks goaltending legend Laurent Brossoit, with Yaroslav Askarov dealing with a lower-body injury. Sheng Peng reported that the injury is not serious. If Brossoit gets a start, it will be his first in the NHL since 2024. He’s 11-2-1 with a .915 save percentage (SV%) for the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, March 14: Vaclav Nedomansky, Patrick Traverse, J.T. Miller, Frank Vatrano, Anton Blidh, Tyson Jost, and Mattias Samuelsson.