CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS NOTES:
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Dec. 30 – Placed Taylor Raddysh on IR and recalled Boris Katchouk from Rockford
TONIGHT’S OPPONENT – DALLAS STARS
The Blackhawks have points in 12 of their last 16 road games against the Stars, including a point in the 5- 4 overtime loss on Friday … With his two goals on Friday, Tyler Johnson has points in his last three straight against the Stars (3G, 1A) and six points over his last six games against them (4G, 2A) … Jason Dickinson registered two points (1G, 1A) in Friday’s game and has six points (2G, 4A) in his last six games against Dallas … Dickinson was originally drafted by Dallas in the first round (29th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft and played there from 2015-21 … Anthony Beauviller registered an assist against the Stars on Friday and has five points (3G, 2A) in his last five against the club … Ryan Donato has five points (4G, 1A) over his last eight games against the Stars.
TEAM NOTES
PLAYING ROOKY:
Connor Bedard was held off the scoresheet on Friday, snapping his five-game point streak (3G, 5A) … He was the fourth 18-year-old in Blackhawks history to log a point in at least five-straight games … Bedard scored two goals, including his first career overtime winner, on Wednesday night against the Jets … At 18 years, 163 days old, he became the third-youngest player in NHL history to score a regular-season overtime goal, trailing Sidney Crosby (18 yrs., 101 days) and Jordan Staal (18 yrs., 153 days) … He comes into Sunday’s tilt having registered points (4G, 7A) in seven of his last nine games … Bedard currently leads NHL rookies and ranks first among all Blackhawks players in goals (15), assists (17) and points (32) … The forward reached the 30-point plateau in just 33 games, tying Artemi Panarin (2015-16) and Ed Litzenberger (1954-55) for the third-fewest games to reach the mark by a rookie in franchise history … Bedard was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for November on Friday after leading all league rookies with six goals and 12 points in 12 games … He is the first Blackhawk to be named rookie of the month since Dominik Kubalik in 2020 and prior to that, Patrick Kane in 2007 … He scored two goals at Florida on Nov. 12 for his second-straight multi-goal game (4G, 2A) … Bedard is just the fourth Blackhawks rookie over the past 40 years to record back-to-back multi-goal games (others: Dominik Kubalik in 2019-20, Artemi Panarin in 2015-16 and Pavel Vorobiev in 2005-06), while he’s the seventh 18-year-old in NHL history to do so … He recorded four points (2G, 2A) on Nov. 9 for his first career multi-point game, becoming the youngest player in franchise history to post a multi-goal game (previous: Kirby Dach (18 yrs., 300 days) on Nov. 17, 2019) … He also became the third-youngest player in NHL history with a four-point game, behind Maple Leafs forward Ted Kennedy (18 yrs., 27 days on Jan. 8, 1944) and Bruins forward Bep Guidolin (18 yrs., 58 days on Feb. 5, 1944) … The North Vancouver, B.C. native posted a three-game goal streak (3G) from Oct. 27 – Nov. 4, becoming the youngest player (18 yrs., 110 days) in franchise history to do so. ROAD WARRIOR: Connor Bedard logged a 10-game road point streak (9G, 5A) from Oct. 27 – Dec. 12 … The streak set a new franchise record for the longest road point streak recorded by a rookie … The club’s previous record of seven games was set by Darryl Sutter during the 1980-81 season … Bedard is one of just 11 rookies in NHL history to earn points in at least 10-straight road contests, while he’s the first to do so since Auston Matthews recorded an 11-game point streak in 2016-17 … The forward is also just the second player in NHL history to log a 10-game road point streak at age 18-or-younger, joining Nathan MacKinnon (COL) who posted a 16-game streak in 2014-15 (5G, 14A) … Bedard is currently tied for fourth in the NHL with 11 road goals in 2023-24, while his 18 points (11G, 7A) rank first on the Blackhawks … The rookie has earned points in 14 of his 18 road games so far this season.
IN THE NICK OF TIME:
Nick Foligno scored two goals against the Blues on Dec. 23, including a power play goal and his first career shorthanded goal … Foligno is the first Blackhawk to record both a power play and shorthanded goal in the same game since Brandon Saad did so on Oct. 23, 2018 vs. Anaheim … Saturday’s game marked his second multi-goal outing in the past four games, and his third of the season … Foligno’s three multi-goal games in 2023-24 are tied for the second-most he’s earned in a single season, having also done so during the 2015-16 campaign with Columbus … The forward enters Sunday’s matchup having earned five points (4G, 1A) over his last five games … Foligno ranks fourth on the team with eight goals and shares first with three power play goals … He also ranks fourth with nine assists and 17 points (8G, 9A) this season … Foligno ranks second on the team with 74 hits and ranks fourth with 28 takeaways this season … He earned two goals on Dec. 17 against Vancouver and Dec. 5 against the Predators when he posted three points (2G, 1A) … He became the first Blackhawks player aged 36-orolder to record a multi-goal game since Marian Hossa did so twice during the 2016-17 season … The Buffalo, N.Y., native skated in his 1100th career NHL game on Nov. 26 against St. Louis … Foligno tied a career high with three assists against the Lightning on Nov. 9, marking his first three-assist outing since Oct. 28, 2016 with Columbus … The Buffalo, N.Y. native made his Blackhawks debut at Pittsburgh on Oct. 10, notching two points (1G, 1A).
PHIL ME UP:
Forward Philipp Kurashev notched an assist at Dallas on Friday to extend his current assist streak to three games (4A) … Kurashev has now recorded helpers in four of his last five games (5A), and has seven points (1G, 6A) over his last eight games … The forward is tied for the team lead Blackhawks with two game-winning goals on the season … He also ranks second on the team with 15 assists and 21 points (6G, 15A) in 28 games in 2023-24 … This marks the third-straight season Kurashev has reached the 20-point mark, while it’s the fastest he’s done so in his career … The forward is tied for fifth on Chicago with six goals this season … Kurashev logged a career-long five-game point streak (2G, 4A) from Nov. 16 – 24 … He had previously logged a three-game point streak twice in his career, from Nov. 16 – 20, 2022 and Jan. 31 – Feb. 4, 2021 … Kurashev earned two points (1G, 1A) on Nov. 19 for his third multi-point effort of the season … The 24-year-old skated in his 200th career NHL regular-season contest on Nov. 18 at Nashville, adding a goal in the contest … He matched a career high with three points (1G, 2A) against the Panthers on Nov. 4 … It marked the second time in his career that Kurashev had registered three points in a game, having also done so on Jan. 17, 2023 vs. Buffalo (1G, 2A).
ALEXANDER THE GREAT:
Blueliner Alex Vlasic recorded an assist and a career-high 25:34 of ice time against the Stars on Friday … Vlasic has now tallied assists in each of his last two (2A), and three of his last four games (3A) … The Wilmette, Ill., native is ranks second among Chicago defensemen with seven assists this season and is tied for second with eight points in 29 games … Of his eight points this season, five (1G, 4A) have come over his last eight games … Vlasic also leads all Blackhawks with a +10 rating, while he ranks third with 58 blocked shots … He scored his first career game-winning goal on Dec. 9 against St. Louis.
DON’T GO JASON WATERFALLS:
Forward Jason Dickinson earned two points (1G, 1A) on Friday against the Stars and now has points in three of his last four games (3G, 1A) after scoring goals in consecutive games from Dec. 22 – 23 … It marked the second time this season Dickinson had lit the lamp in consecutive games … He also scored goals in back-to-back games from Nov. 22 – Nov. 24 (4G), including his first career hat trick … Dickinson ranks second on the Blackhawks with 12 goals this season, a new career high … He had previously scored nine goals in a season in 2019-20 with Dallas and in 2022-23 … 10 of Dickinson’s 12 goals this season have come over his last 19 games … The Georgetown, Ont. native also ranks third on the team with 18 points (12G, 6A) on the season … He leads team forwards and ranks fifth among all Blackhawks skaters with 35 blocked shots so far this season, while he ranks third on the team with 51 hits … He scored three goals on Nov. 24 against the Maple Leafs for his first career hat trick … Dickinson’s previous high was two goals, which he recorded on Oct. 25, 2018 with Dallas … The forward logged two points (1G, 1A) against the Penguins on Oct. 10, including scoring the game-winning goal. BEAU TIE: Anthony Beauvillier registered an assist in Friday’s contest, extending his current point streak to three games (1G, 2A) … It marks his second three-game point streak of the season, having also logged points in three-straight from Oct. 28 – Nov. 2 with Vancouver (2G, 3A) … Beauvillier comes into Sunday’s matchup having earned five points (1G, 4A) in his last seven games … The forward has six points (2G, 4A) in 14 games with the Blackhawks this season … He was acquired by Chicago on Nov. 28 via trade with Vancouver in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft … The 26-year-old had recorded eight points (2G, 6A) in 22 games with the Canucks this season before being acquired by Chicago … Originally selected by the New York Islanders in the first round (28th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Beauvillier has registered 243 points (115G, 128A) in 525 career regular-season games played with New York, Vancouver and Chicago.
DON OF THE DEAD:
Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato opened the scoring on Friday night and now has three points in his last four games (2G, 1A) … Donato earned two points (1G, 1A) against the Avalanche on Dec. 19 night for his second multi-point effort of the campaign … The forward currently shares fifth on Chicago with six goals this season, while he ranks fifth with seven assists and 13 points … He logged two points (1G, 1A) against the Blues on Nov. 26, marking his first multi-point outing in a Blackhawks sweater, and his first since recording two points (1G, 1A) on April 3, 2023 while with Seattle … Donato posted a season-long three-game point streak (1G, 2A) from Nov. 4 – 9.
TYLER, THE CREATOR:
Forward Tyler Johnson scored two goals, including a power play goal, on Friday night at Dallas … Friday’s outing marked Johnson’s second multi-goal game of the season, having also scored two goals on Oc. 14 at Montreal … The forward has now scored three goals over his last four games, including scoring the game-winning goal on Dec. 19 against Colorado … Johnson currently ranks third on the Blackhawks with nine goals so far in 2023-24 and is tied for the team lead with three power play goals … He is also tied for fifth on the team with 13 points (9G, 4A) on the season … The native of Spokane, Wash., skated in his 700th career NHL game on Dec. 14 at Seattle … Johnson scored a power play goal against the Maple Leafs on Oct. 16 … The forward scored two goals on Oct. 14 against the Canadiens, marking his 24th career multi-goal game and his first since Oct. 23, 2022 vs. Seattle.
BLACKHAWKS RECORD ON…
One-Day Rest: 5-5-2
Two-Days Rest: 1-7-0
Three+ Days Rest: 2-1-0
First Game of a B2B: 3-3-0
Second Game of a B2B: 0-6-0
BLACKHAWKS RECORD BY DAY
Monday: 1-1-0
Tuesday: 3-2-1
Wednesday: 1-2-0
Thursday: 2-4-0
Friday: 2-1-1
Saturday: 2-5-0
Sunday: 0-7-0
DALLAS STARS NOTES:
INJURIES
Man-games lost, 2023-24: 18
NAME INJURY # OF GAMES DATES
C Roope Hintz Upper body 1 Oct. 12
C Radek Faksa Upper body 4 Nov. 1-6
C Matt Duchene Upper body 1 Nov. 6
D Thomas Harley Upper body 3 Nov. 14-20
C Craig Smith Illness 2 Nov. 22-24
C Roope Hintz Illness 1 Dec. 9
G Jake Oettinger Lower body 6 Dec. 16-pres.
TONIGHT’S GAME:
The Stars close out 2023 with a matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight at American Airlines Center. (7 p.m. CT, Bally Sports Southwest, The Ticket 96.7-FM/1310-AM). The second game of a five-game homestand for the Stars, it’s also the second consecutive meeting against the Blackhawks at AAC. Following a day off on New Year’s Day, the Stars will return to action Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024 against the Montreal Canadiens.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Stars are 20-7-3 all-time in New Year’s Eve games and have points in each of the last four (3-0-1).
LIKE NEW BUFFALO AND OAK STREET
– The Stars are 1-0-0 against the Blackhawks this season, winning 5-4 in overtime at American Airlines Center on Dec. 29. – Forward Roope Hintz (3-0—3) leads all skaters with three goals thus far against Chicago in 2023-24. – Captain Jamie Benn (1-1—2) and forwards Joe Pavelski (1-1—2) and Jason Robertson (0-2—2) each have two points vs. the Blackhawks this season. – Dallas is 122-136-42 all-time vs. Chicago, including a 72-58-22 mark at home. – Defenseman Ryan Suter leads active NHL defensemen in assists (42), points (7-42—49) and games played (85) vs. Chicago. He also shares the lead in power-play points (16) against the Hawks. – Among active Stars, captain Jamie Benn ranks second in assists (33), third in points (14-33—47) and fourth in goals (14) in 58 career games against the Blackhawks. Benn also shares first in game-winning goals (3). – Forward Roope Hintz enters tonight’s matchup with 12 goals and 22 points (12-10—22) in 20 career games vs. Chicago. – Forward Jason Robertson is averaging better than a point a game in his career against the Hawks with 19 points (9-10—19) in 16 career games against them. – Forward Joe Pavelski paces active Stars in goals (25) and points (25-27—52) and ranks third in assists (27) in 59 career contests vs. Chicago. – Forward Matt Duchene ranks second among active Stars in goals (17) and fourth in assists (25) and points (17-25—42) in 52 career matchups vs. the Hawks. – Forward Tyler Seguin ranks third among active Stars in goals (16) and fifth in points (16-14—30) in 39 career games against them. – Forward Radek Faksa has seven goals and 13 points (7-6—13) in 35 games vs. Chicago. – Forward Craig Smith has lit the lamp 10 times (10-8—18) in 44 career games against the Blackhawks. – Forward Sam Steel has seven points (all assists) in 11 career games vs. Chicago. – Defenseman Miro Heiskanen enters tonight’s game with 11 points (2-9—11) in 23 career games vs. Chicago. – Goaltender Jake Oettinger is 6-2-2 with a 2.58 goals-against average and .907 save percentage in 11 career appearances against the Blackhawks. – Netminder Scott Wedgewood 1-2-0 with a 2.97 GAA and .905 SV% in three career appearances against the Blackhawks. – Goalie Matt Murray made his NHL debut on March 2 at Chicago, stopping 19 of 21 shots in a 5-2 Stars victory to become the first Stars rookie netminder to win in his NHL debut on the road since Mike Smith on Oct. 21, 2006.
