Protas finished the game with a career-high six points (1g, 5a), while Cristall notched his first professional hat trick with his own five-point performance (3g, 2a).
Cade Horton will head back to Chicago this weekend to get some imaging done, and this 'will be an IL stint.' Early talk has some optimism....Horton said it started in his wrist, then got tight in forearm, so he wanted to be proactive and not push it.
In Tuesday night's win against the Islanders, Lardis posted his first career multi-point game. He scored once and added two assists. Nazar scored and had an assist. Bertuzzi scored and had an assist. That line was easily the Blackhawks' best.
Sam Reinhart is listed as day-to-day, with more tests scheduled for tomorrow. Brad Marchand's rehabilitation plan will be clearer in the next 10 days, while Anton Lundell is also day-to-day. Nike Mikkola and Uvis Balinskis are expected to be out for 4-6 weeks, and Mackie Samoskevich is sidelined for 7-10 days.
Last week we discussed potentially trading Alexis Lafreniere and Braden Schneider as part of the Rangers' ongoing retool. Much of the recent media focus has centered on who might be leaving New York, but far less attention has been paid to what could come back in return. Today begins a look at potential trade partners, starting with scouting the Detroit Red Wings. The fit in Detroit for Braden Schneider, Vincent Trocheck, and/or Alexis Lafreniere is an interesting one.
We're nearing conference tournament time, which means we're also nearing the time when coaches and players are paying attention to their NPI ranking - and hoping to be part of the NCAA tournament. The good news is it appears the Blackhawks' prospects playing in the college ranks right now are as healthy as they have been in a while.