Wednesday marks the start of a devilish three-game road trip for the Chicago Blackhawks, where they’ll face a trio of Stanley Cup contenders in their own building. The Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Carolina Hurricanes are next in line.

To make matters worse, the Blackhawks will be even more shorthanded than they’ve been recently, with Bowen Byram now placed on injured reserve, and Patrick Kane expected to miss some time with an upper-body injury of his own.

Winning games has already been challenging enough for the Blackhawks this season. Without Byram and Kane, it’s hard to imagine the next three games going well.

More in the links for the Blackhawks latest injury updates, plus the team’s roster transaction before boarding the plane to Florida.

Around the league, Connor Hellebuyck remains perfect with New Jersey, Cutter Gauthier and Jason Robertson recorded hat tricks, and the apparent rift between Russian teammates Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman.

All that & more in the Daily!

Blackhawks Game Recaps, News & Trade Rumors

Chicago Hockey Now: ICYMI — Patrick Kane exited in the second period of Monday’s 5-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche and did not return. Head coach Jeff Blashill said postgame that “Showtime” will miss the next couple of games with an upper-body injury.

More CHN: Without Kane for at least the start of the road trip, the Blackhawks recalled minor-league grinder Dillon Boucher from the Rockford IceHogs on Tuesday. To make room for Boucher on the NHL roster, the Hawks placed Bowen Byram on injured reserve, retroactive to Oct. 15. Byram can be activated at any time, but when that could occur remains unclear.

More CHN: Without Kane, the Blackhawks could have looked to recall Nick Lardis from Rockford, as he’d be a natural, offensive-minded replacement on the wing. However, Lardis wasn’t an option to be recalled, as he suffered a lower-body injury in Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Texas Stars. The injury woes have trickled from Chicago to Rockford, with Lardis expected to miss 1-2 weeks.

Chicago Sun-Times: Once the three-game road trip concludes on Saturday in Carolina, the Blackhawks have four days off and could face reckoning next week, writes Ben Pope. The break would be a logical time for GM Kyle Davidson to make a move. Whether that means a change to Jeff Blashill’s coaching staff or a trade… only time will tell.

NHL Game Recaps, Rumors, & National Hockey Now

NHLtraderumors.me: Another day, another Dylan Larkin update. The Detroit Red Wings have had their hands tied with only 10 teams to work with, but they’ve approached Larkin about expanding his trade list again. The Red Wings are believed to be fielding better offers from teams that aren’t currently on Larkin’s 10-team list. Will Larkin budge or remain suspended?

Montreal 98.5: Montreal Canadiens play-by-play Martin McGuire discusses an apparent rift between Tampa Bay Lightning teammates Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov. Interesting. It’s not a reason for the trade request, but it doesn’t help matters, either, when the star and the captain do not like each other.

Montreal Hockey Now: The Montreal Canadiens were on cruise control en route to their sixth consecutive win, and the Winnipeg Jets looked well on their way to a tenth straight loss. But then, a comeback of epic proportions, with the Jets scoring four goals in the final three minutes of regulation, then capturing the overtime winner to steal a 5-4 win over the Habs.

TSN: Darren Dreger shared the latest trade rumors surrounding Dylan Larkin and Nikita Kucherov, while noting the Winnipeg Jets are not considering a coaching chance at this point.

NHL.com: The Dallas Stars and Washington Capitals were involved in a high-scoring affair on Tuesday, with the teams combining for 11 goals. Stars winger Jason Robertson was responsible for three of them, scoring a hat trick in a 6-5 win over Washington.

Sportsnet: Speaking of hat tricks, Cutter Gauthier recorded his second in as many games, lifting the Anaheim Ducks to a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Gauthier is now tied for sixth in the NHL in goals this season.

Colorado Hockey Now: Not a great look for the Blackhawks. The Colorado Avalanche fell behind 2-0 for the second game in a row, but this time, they couldn’t claw back against… the Columbus Blue Jackets. Charlie Coyle (2G, 2A) and Mathieu Olivier (1G, 2A) combined for seven points in Columbus’ 7-2 statement win over Colorado.

Boston Hockey Now: The Boston Bruins have seen more from James Hagens than they expected early in his NHL career, but head coach Marco Sturm is still preaching patience, writes Jack Studley from BHN. Hagens currently leads all NHL rookies with 12 points through 16 games.

New Jersey Hockey Now: The New Jersey Devils handed the Edmonton Oilers their first road loss of the season, while Connor Hellebuyck moved to 3-0-0 with his new club. James Nichols from NJHN details the Devils’ 3-2 win over Connor McDavid and the Oilers.