Morning Chirps: Top insider comments on Bedard's Olympic chances, Ovechkin breaks another record

It’s gameday!! The Chicago Blackhawks will host the Calgary Flames later tonight, as they look to extend their point streak to six games. Be on the lookout for a game preview after morning skate, and check back in for some late-night postgame analysis. Until then, get your hockey fix with your daily trip around the hockey world.

Blackhawks Chirps

• In case you missed it yesterday, the Blackhawks placed captain Nick Foligno on injured reserve. He is expected to miss at least four weeks with an arm/hand injury after getting hit with a slap shot on Saturday.

• Speaking of Foligno, the Blackhawks had their first practice without him yesterday. Jason Dickinson spoke about how this is an excellent opportunity for the young core to step into leadership roles while the captain is out.

• On the latest episode of 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman mentioned the roster decisions for Team Canada. He said that the young trio of Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, and Matthew Schaeffer is still a long shot because of their lack of experience. They will likely choose veterans who have played and won big games at the highest level over the exciting young players who have yet to play in meaningful games in the NHL. Kyle Bukauskas did mention that Bedard playing in two World Junior Championship gold medal games in Canada should count for something.

• On this date in 1987, Doug Wilson became the first defenseman in Blackhawks history to score 600 career points during a 5-2 win over the Minnesota North Stars. Recent Hall of Fame inductee Duncan Keith became the second defenseman to join the 600-point club during the 2019-20 season.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, Nov. 18: Roger Jenkins and Jocelyn Lemiuex.

NHL Chirps

• The Los Angeles Kings have turned things around after a slow start. However, they will be without the services of veteran Drew Doughty for the foreseeable future. The team announced he is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. While no details were given, they did clarify that it’s not related to the ankle injury he suffered last season.

• The Florida Panthers beat the Vancouver Canucks 8-5 last night in a crazy game. Sergei Bobrovsky picked up his 438th career victory to put him in ninth place on the all-time wins list, one ahead of Jacques Plante. He’ll likely pass up some more Hall of Famers this season as he’s seven wins behind Terry Sawchuk, 16 behind Curtis Joseph, and 21 behind Henrik Lundqvist.

• Alex Ovechkin broke another NHL record with a goal in the Washington Capitals’ 2-1 win over the Kings. His tally was his 442nd goal at Capital One Arena, which is the most regular-season goals ever scored at a single venue. Gordie Howe held the record for decades with his 441 goals at the Detroit Olympia.

• Ovechkin and Anze Kopitar exchanged jerseys after the two future Hall of Famers played their final game against each other.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, Nov. 18: Ed Slowinski, Rudy Migay, Bill Hajt, Lane Lambert, Cal Clutterbuck, and Jacob Bryson.