Ryan Greene dusted off his best Chris Robinson impression last night after scoring the Blackhawks’ only goal before the skills competition decided a 2-1 loss to the Lightning.
“I think we’re a tough team to handle, and we’re just trying to keep that going moving forward.”
He’s right — to an extent. What we’ve seen at time this season is the Blackhawks can be a really hard to to play against. They’re fast. They’re smart. And they’re developing chemistry. But they’re also still young, and the last two games are good benchmarks for the progress we’re watching this season.
Carolina and Tampa are the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. They’re both exceptionally well coached and have great veterans lineups. And, frankly, they both play the game the way the Blackhawks envision themselves playing it. And the Blackhawks took three of four points — even if the analytics might not be pretty for the two games.
Here’s what Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill said about the Blackhawks’ last two games being valuable learning experiences this season:
“I think there’s value in continuing to measure yourself against these teams. But I think it’s interesting, I talked to a young player today and [he] said it was the first time he ever played in Carolina. I hadn’t really thought of that. That’s a different experience. Then to see where Tampa’s at, because they’re similar to us structurally in a lot of ways, obviously systematically we have a lot of similarities, what we’ll take from tonight is just a lesson on how hard you have to be on your stick, how crisp you have to be with your passes. I thought they were harder and a little more crisp, so that’s the level we have to get to. That said, we were able to get a point and obviously had chances to win it in overtime, so we just have to continue to get better.”
Let’s watch Louis Crevier‘s shootout goal again.Louis Crevier with a beautiful shootout goal. Unbelievable. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/TNCe2jzjSj
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 24, 2026 If you’re one of the people on social media last night or today saying “get Arvid Söderblom off the roster” please log off for the rest of the weekend. Söderblom was the biggest reason the Blackhawks got a point last night. There have been times recently to complain about his performances. Last night/this morning is not one of them. Sorry. I’ve written about the amount of genuine camaraderie that’s developed among Blackhawks prospects over the past few years as a good thing for the organization. As I was leaving the United Center last night I caught a glimpse of the three rookie Blackhawks who had a point in the game chatting with Dominic James, who won the game in the shootout. I was a big fan of James’ while he was at Minnesota-Duluth and really wanted/expected the Blackhawks to sign James after his college career ended, but I can’t fault him for looking for what he believed was a better opportunity to see NHL ice time. It appears he’s still friends with some of the guys he spent time with at development camps the past few years. Which is good to see.Davidson says the Blackhawks offered Dominic James a “pretty damn good opportunity,” but it currently seems like he’s going to free agency in August. “No ill will.”
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 17, 2025 James having a nice rookie season in Tampa is our first reminder that not every player drafted by the Blackhawks is going to get a full shot in Chicago. The numbers just don’t line up for that to be possible. And I formally apologize for the jinx once again. I wondered if last night would be a Dominic James Revenge Game in our pregame notes. Whelp… my bad. Another reminder: the NHL’s pre-Olympic trade freeze goes into effect in the afternoon on February 4. I’ve written a few times recently about the Blackhawks’ looming roster decisions as the roster gets closer to fully healthy. Based on the crowd in the press box for last night’s game, something might be brewing to open roster space for young players to stay in Chicago. Vegas and Anaheim had two representatives enjoying the popcorn and warm beverages with us. Detroit, Toronto (again), Washington, Edmonton and Buffalo also had folks visiting. And I don’t think it was to wish Oliver Moore a happy birthday. I will add that there were two assistant general managers and three directors of pro scouting among the names on the list. The Leafs have been frequent guests in January, as have the Ducks and Golden Knights. Stay tuned… I noted in my bullets yesterday that the Blackhawks did a great job killing penalties in Carolina without Jason Dickinson dressed and without using Nick Foligno on the PK at all. I asked Blashill about the contributions of Moore, Ryan Greene and Landon Slaggert on the league’s No. 1 penalty kill before the game last night.“Greener’s done it all year, Slaggs has gotten more and more time here lately, and Mooresy last night got more time because of the absence of Dickinson. They did a good job,” Blashill said. “Slaggs is a guy who is going to be a real penalty killer in this league and I think Mooresy can, too. It’s just a matter of learning. And, again, Greener’s done a real good job. The thing Greener does that makes him important on the penalty killer is the way he wins faceoffs. It’s a huge thing to have a successful kill.”
And now this fun graphic from the NHL last night after Moore and Nick Lardis set up Greene for the Blackhawks’ first goal: In the NCAA last night, Providence scored twice in the first period against Boston University — who didn’t have Sacha Boisvert in their lineup because of his suspension. Blackhawks prospects John Mustard had an assist on the Friar’s first goal and Julius Sumpf had an assist on the second. In the WHL, Nathan Behm had one assist as Kamloops blew out Wenatchee. In the OHL, Marek Vanacker scored his OHL-leading 32nd goal of the year in the first period for Brantford. Then he scored his OHL-leading 33rd of the season in the second period.Friday night from #Blackhawks prospect Marek Vanacker for @BulldogsOHL pic.twitter.com/hhP363MoJN
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 24, 2026That’s two for Vanacker! #BFD pic.twitter.com/LbCjbrNcpd
— Brantford Bulldogs (@BulldogsOHL) January 24, 2026 Jack Pridham had a power play assist in the first period for Kitchener. And then he became the second player in the OHL to reach 30 goals on the year in the third period. Pridham’s goal was the game-winner. He added a second assist in the third period for a three-point night.PRIDS WITH THE FADE AWAY WRISTER #RTown | #BattleBuilt | #Blackhawks t.co/X8l69zylqY pic.twitter.com/BepSOGEqUk
— Kitchener Rangers (@OHLRangers) January 24, 2026BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
The Bulls will retire Derrick Rose’s number tonight. Here’s a DRose career retrospective. The Cubs signed outfielder Chas McCormick to a minor league deal. Bears tight end Colston Loveland set an NFL rookie playoff record!Hence then, the article about hard to handle james revenge rookie impact scouting chicago and other blackhawks bullets was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Hard to Handle, James’ Revenge, Rookie Impact, Scouting Chicago, and Other Blackhawks Bullets )
Also on site :
- Giannis Antetokounmpo believes he’ll be out 4-6 weeks with injury in Bucks crusher: ‘It’s concerning’
- Texas QB Arch Manning undergoes foot surgery as a ‘preventative measure’
- Extreme heat hits Australian Open as crowd numbers dwindle