Blackhawks storylines revisited, 2 ugly losses, the forward lines?! & more

The Blackhawks wrapped up their preseason on Sept. 26, and have since embarked on their first two regular season games of the 2026-27 campaign. It hasn’t exactly unfolded as planned, with Chicago suffering a couple of ugly losses.

So, is it time to throw in the towel on the entire campaign?! Because that seems to be the common consensus from a large portion of the fanbase.

Or, should we try to put things in perspective? It’s been two games against two extremely good teams, with a very young group and lots of new faces.

Can the Blackhawks right the ship, even if it’s later rather than sooner? Well, that’ what makes a hockey season. While we wait to see how things unfold, get caught up below on all the news and happenings from the past week!   

Preseason storylines revisited & Blackhawk’s history

• I put together a series where I followed up on some main preseason storylines. I looked at the projected defensive pairings as well as goaltending battles that really weren’t, due to the shortened training camp. I attempted to tackle the forward lines as well, but since head coach Jeff Blashill has hit the lineblender so many times, we’ll tackle that in a different section.

• Ryan Gagne gave us a few history pieces surrounding Blackhawk’s Opening Nights. He profiled the greatest Opening Night performers, as well as how Chicago has struggled on Opening Night from Patrick Kane’s first stint with the Blackhawks. Spoiler alert: It didn’t change this season.

• Ryan also broke down the Blackhawk’s all-time leading scorers in the month of October.

Blackhawk’s game reactions

• We’ve got plenty of analysis from the Blackhawk’s first two games of the season, starting with Brooke LoFurno outlining three storylines to watch in the season opener.

• I provided in-depth analysis, including lineup notes, game reaction and postgame quotes from the 5-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights and the 6-0 blanking from the Utah Mammoth. I plan to do this for each game this season, so be sure to keep it here for content on every Blackhawk’s game!

• Brooke also broke down three ups and three downs from the Blackhawk’s matchup against the Golden Knights.

Player profiles

• Brooke took a closer look at what top Russian prospect Roman Kantserov brings to the table this season.

• John Bloomer also explored how Teuvo Teravainen and the Blackhawks could benefit from him having a bounce-back campaign after last season was one of the worst in the veteran’s career.

What’s up with the forward lines?!?!

• As referenced above, Blashill has been incessantly changing up the forward lines, allowing no chemistry to be built among the players. I examined what we all thought the top six forwards would be out of camp, and then attempted to explain the last-minute line changes headed into the Blackhawk’s first game of the season.

• Jeremiah Lee argued that the team really needs consistent lines in order to find any semblance of cohesiveness.

• Justin Lynch also discussed who the Blackhawks should deploy at the center position.

• And Brooke went into more depth about the Bertuzzi-Frondell-Kane line. Side note: We think it might be changed back to the Bertuzzi-Nazar-Kane line now. Never a dull moment!

Blackhawks yin & yang

We welcome all different perspectives here at Blackhawk Up. After all, it’s safe to say we all go through a plethora of emotions as we watch our favorite team navigate the highs and lows of what’s now a grueling 84-game season.

• Spencer Lazary took a positive approach. He discussed how the Blackhawks have a lot of young talent and have also added a strong contingent of NHL-experienced players for support. This balance will hopefully help the team find more success.  

• Jeremiah Lee, on the other hand, debated how this brutal start to the season is enough to get Coach Blashill fired.

• Finally, Brooke gave her dueling thoughts on all the positives and negatives from the Blackhawk’s season thus far.

There’s certainly plenty to talk about right now, with a new campaign finally started and the Blackhawks trying to find their way. They’ll be looking for their first win of the season tonight (Oct. 3) when they face the Buffalo Sabres. This will be the third game of their season-opening road trip, all home-openers for the opponent.

But the Blackhawks will finally be back home in Chicago to host the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, Oct. 6. It will be Patrick Kane’s homecoming; his first game back at the United Center wearing a Blackhawk’s sweater since 2023.

Keep it here at Blackhawk Up for all the latest news, notes, analysis and content as the 2026-27 season unfolds!

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