The Chicago Blackhawks wrap up a gauntlet three-game road trip in Carolina on Saturday, facing the defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes, who are also the NHL’s best team early in 2026-27.

Since these two teams met on Oct. 10, with Carolina winning 5-3 at the United Center, the Hurricanes have lost only three games, including just two in regulation. Rod Brind’Amour’s bunch enters Saturday ranked third in goals for per game and third in goals against. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have lost five straight games and rank 31st in the NHL in both goals scored and goals allowed this year.

It will be a tale of two teams going in different directions at the Lenovo Center. Be on the lookout for Chicago Hockey Now’s Game Day Preview column once Chicago and Carolina finish their morning skates.

Also in Blackhawks news, prospect Nathan Behm now leads Arizona State in goals this season, while Xavier Villeneuve’s hot run with Boston University continues.

Around the league, drama involving Matvei Michkov in Philadelphia, the San Jose Sharks’ losing skid reached four games, and four potential landing spots for Nikita Kucherov.

All that & more in the Daily!

Blackhawks Game Recaps, News & Trade Rumors

Chicago Hockey Now: From Thursday’s 4-1 loss in Tampa Bay. The Blackhawks offense was stymied again, scoring two goals or fewer for the 11th time in 17 games. However, there were a couple of silver linings. One was standout rookie Roman Kantserov extended his point streak. Another was the team’s increased physicality, leading 31-13 in hits, mostly thanks to Dillon Boucher and Cole Smith.

The Athletic: Scott Powers wrote up eight potential changes for Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson to consider to help salvage the 2026-27 season before it’s too late. What will Davidson do when Chicago returns home?

NHL Game Recaps, Rumors, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: The Friday Four. Michael Amato discusses the four most interesting trade destinations for Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov. Amato believes the defending Stanley Cup champions could get involved, while the Montreal Canadiens perhaps make the most sense.

Philly Hockey Now: The drama with the Philadelphia Flyers continues to build amid their devastating start to the 2026-27 season. Former first-round pick Matvei Michkov leads the team with 10 goals, but he ranks sixth among Flyers’ forwards in ice time this season. Recently, an Instagram post surfaced referencing Michkov’s low ice time, and the Russian winger liked the post. He doesn’t seem pleased with his current role.

NHLtraderumors.me: The Detroit Red Wings apparently have an appetite to trade Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson at the same time. According to Darren Dreger, the Red Wings aren’t necessarily looking to trade Larkin and Edvinsson to the same team, but they want both deals done sooner rather than later.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: With a 5-9-2 record, Elliotte Friedman reports that the Pittsburgh Penguins and GM Kyle Dubas are ready to sell. The trades could happen “pretty quickly”. Dan Kingerski has the details for the Penguins.

New Jersey Hockey Now: New Jersey Devils forward Timo Meier defended captain Nico Hischier in Thursday’s 5-4 overtime win against the St. Louis Blues. However, Meier received 17 penalty minutes for the exchange, including two for instigating. Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe questioned the NHL’s enforcement of instigator calls.

NHL.com: Kirill Kaprizov scored his league-leading 16th goal of the season and added three assists in the Minnesota Wild’s 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Friday. Quinn Hughes also found the back of the net and tallied two helpers for a three-point outing. San Jose has now lost four straight games and six of their last seven.

San Jose Hockey Now: Speaking of San Jose, Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky is trying to ignore the outside noise amidst his club’s disappointing 7-10-1 start to the 2026-27 campaign.

ESPN: The Anaheim Ducks rallied from an early 3-1 deficit, with Cutter Gauthier extending his goal streak to five games with the GWG in the third period. Anaheim defeated the Calgary Flames 5-3 for their fourth straight win. Beckett Sennecke (2A) and Leo Carlsson (1G, 1A) each had two points.