While the Chicago Blackhawks didn’t play as poorly as the final score suggests, the losing streak still reached five games on Thursday night in Tampa Bay, with a 4-1 defeat to the Lightning.

The offense was stymied once again by Tampa’s stout defense and star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, marking the 11th time in 17 games that the Blackhawks have scored two goals or fewer.

The lone bright spot, aside from rookie Roman Kantserov extending his point streak, was Chicago’s noticeably increased physicality, as TNT analyst Paul Bissonnette labeled them a “soft” hockey team just one night earlier.

More in the links for highlights and takeaways from the Blackhawks 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay.

Also in Blackhawks news, Gavin Hayes and Jiri Felcman keep racking up points for the Rockford IceHogs, and a recent first-round pick is in the mix to represent Team USA at the 2027 World Junior Championship.

Around the league, the latest updates on Simon Edvinsson, Logan Cooley’s hat trick wasn’t enough for Utah, and the Anaheim Ducks outscored Connor McDavid and Edmonton in an offensive frenzy.

All that & more in the Daily!

Blackhawks Game Recaps, News & Trade Rumors

Chicago Hockey Now: Make that five consecutive losses. Roman Kantserov scored his rookie and team-leading eighth goal of the season, which extended his point streak to seven games, but that was all the offense the Blackhawks produced in a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hit the link for the highlights.

More CHN: The Blackhawks didn’t test Andrei Vasilevskiy enough on Thursday, recording under 27 shots on goal for the third straight game. The offense remains inconsistent, but at least the physicality was much improved! Chicago out-checked Tampa 31-13, with Dillon Boucher and Cole Smith responsible for 13 of those hits.

More CHN: ICYMI — TNT analyst Paul Bissonnette didn’t hold back his feelings whatsoever on the 2026-27 Blackhawks, calling them “soft”, “Mickey Mouse”, “AHL-level”, and “pathetic” during intermission reports on Wednesday. The worst part? Bissonette was spot on. The Hawks have played like a timid, scared bunch all season, and maybe the public call-out will create much-needed changes.

Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas discussed the Blackhawks gargantuan struggles on the latest episode of 32 Thoughts, saying it’s a reminder of how difficult NHL rebuilds are.

The Athletic: Scott Wheeler wrote up 10 standout NHL prospects so far this season, and Blackhawks 2026 second-round pick Ryan Roobroeck made the list! Roobroeck remains tied for the OHL lead with 14 goals and is tied for seventh with 23 points. Wheeler mentioned how well Roobroeck has fared at 5v5 and has pulled off some splendid power-forward moves.

More Athletic: While the Blackhawks remain a hot mess, Roman Kantserov remains a bright spot, and he’s a fun character. Mark Lazerus wrote up a story about Kantserov’s successful rookie season thus far and how he’s adapting to life in the NHL.

Daily Faceoff: Lastly, Steven Ellis projected Team USA‘s roster for the upcoming 2027 World Junior Championship, and Blackhawks prospect Mason West cracked the team as an extra forward. West has one goal and no assists in his first six NCAA games as a freshman with Michigan State this season.

NHL Game Recaps, Rumors, & National Hockey Now

Detroit Hockey Now: Simon Edvinsson is no longer in Sweden, but he’s not in Detroit, either. Instead, the Detroit Red Wings restricted free-agent defenseman has been spotted skating recently in… Nashville?

NHLtraderumors.me: The Boston Bruins have apparently entered the Dylan Larkin sweepstakes, although they are not part of the forwards’ reported 10-team trade list. The Bruins want in, but Larkin would have to reconsider his options.

Montreal Hockey Now: Logan Cooley scored a hat trick for the second time in three games, but Nick Suzuki stole his thunder with three points (1G, 2A) and the win in his return from injury. The Montreal Canadiens overcame a 3-2 deficit through two periods and won 5-4 in OT against the Utah Mammoth, with Cole Caufield scoring the game-winner.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Connor Hellebuyck and the New Jersey Devils nearly let Thursday’s game get away from them, blowing a three-goal lead in the third period. However, Jesper Bratt saved the day with the overtime-winner, and Hellebuyck remains perfect with New Jersey. The Devils defeated the St. Louis Blues 5-4 in overtime.

NHL.com: Cutter Gauthier remained red-hot for the Anaheim Ducks, scoring his ninth goal in the past four games as part of a three-point performance in a 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Connor McDavid extended his season-opening point streak to 17 games, tallying four points (1G, 3A) in the loss.

Forever Blueshirts: Adam Fox helped rescue the New York Rangers, leading the team to their first comeback win of the season. Fox recorded two assists as the Rangers overcame a 2-1 deficit and defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2.

Philly Hockey Now: From the other side of the matchup, William James details the Philadelphia Flyers‘ third-period collapse against the New York Rangers. The Flyers have now lost five of their last six games.

Boston Hockey Now: The Boston Bruins routed the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-2 on Thursday, but star rookie James Hagens exited the game early with an apparent injury. Jack Studley breaks down the latest update on Hagens and what went right for the Bruins in Pittsburgh.

TSN: Hockey Insider Chris Johnston joins Gino Reda on Early Trading to discuss the pressure on Red Wings interim general manager Shawn Horcoff to get the right deals done for Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson, where things stand between the Lightning and Nikita Kucherov and the Blackhawks and Sharks actively looking for solutions.