1 Positive From Every Blackhawks Game in February

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February is not a month the Chicago Blackhawks will want to remember in this 2024-25 season. It was a disjointed month, with the 4 Nations Face-Off break smack dab in the middle. Out of four games played before and four games after (eight contests altogether), the Blackhawks only came out on top in one contest, a 6-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Feb. 7. They did manage two more points with an overtime loss and a shootout loss. But, a loss is a loss. At this point it feels like the Blackhawks are never going to win again.

Related – Chicago Blackhawks’ 3 Stars for January

So, instead of a “3 Stars for February” post, let’s take advantage of this shortened month to put a little different spin on things. Let’s highlight one positive from each game, in an effort to see some sort of progression towards a better future. While the current overall picture for the Blackhawks is pretty grim right now, there are some silver linings. Hopefully these can lead to more positives for the remainder of the season, and especially into the 2025-26 campaign.

Slaggert Scores in 1st Seven Seconds

(Blackhawks @ Florida Panthers, Feb. 1, Loss 5-1)

In the wake of the Taylor Hall trade, the Blackhawks called up forward Landon Slaggert from the Rockford IceHogs. The 22-year-old infused some immediate energy into the lineup, scoring a goal in his very first game on Jan. 30. It also culminated in a 4-1 victory for the Blackhawks over the Tampa Bay Lightning; a hard-fought win on the road. But when the Blackhawks took the ice against the Florida Panthers a few nights later, Slaggert outdid himself with this play on the opening faceoff.

That’s right, it was the fastest goal in franchise history, scored in just seven seconds. Now, we don’t really need to talk about the rest of the game; thank you very much!

Reichel a Bright Spot

(Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Feb. 5, Loss 4-3 (OT))

There’s no doubt about it; Lukas Reichel and the Blackhawks just can’t seem to find any common ground. The 2020 17th overall draft pick has NOT progressed as expected. He had a disappointing 2023-24 season, which has bled over into a questionable 2024-25 campaign as well.

Reichel has speed and talent, but more than one coach just hasn’t seemed to like the 22-year-old’s overall game. He’s been in the doghouse more than he’s been out of it in his time with Chicago. But in the game against the Oilers, it was Reichel that opened up the scoring.

The German native has been deployed mostly on the fourth line for the Blackhawks, which seems like a disservice to his strengths. But because of an unfortunate injury to Jason Dickinson, Reichel found himself with Teuvo Teravainen and Ilya Mikheyev in this sequence. He capitalized, showing his potential when deployed with more talented linemates.

Related – Seth Jones’ Comments Are Too Little, Too Late for the Blackhawks & Their Fans

At the time of this writing, Reichel has been a health scratch for the last two games. It’s unclear whether the Blackhawks have the patience to further work with Reichel, or if its best for both sides if he gets a fresh start with a trade to another team. But this goal was a glimpse into what he can do when he’s playing at his best.

Donato Does It

(Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators, Feb. 7: Win! 6-2)

First off, let’s celebrate the Blackhawks lone win of the month! It was a pretty commanding win at that, with goals by Frank Nazar, Pat Maroon, Connor Bedard, Seth Jones, and Ryan Donato (times two). It was definitely Donato’s day. Not only did he score two goals, but he added two primary assists for a career-high four-point night.

Ryan Donato Chicago Blackhawks
Ryan Donato tallied two goals and two assists against the Nashville Predators on Feb. 7. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The 28-year-old is having a career season; his 19 goals, 21 assists and 40 points have all surpassed previous career-highs. And there’s still 23 games to go.

But will Donato finish the season as a Blackhawk? All this success makes him a top trade candidate for the Blackhawks at the deadline. His work ethic and scrappy style of play makes Donato a player pretty much anyone would want on their team, especially contenders looking to add depth for a playoff run. But all those assets could be valuable to the rebuilding Blackhawks as well. It all depends on what kind of return general manager Kyle Davidson could get for Donato.

I guess we’ll know soon enough whether Donato stays or goes. By the way, if this was a “3 Stars of February” post Donato would be the No. 1 Star, having contributed four goals and 11 points for the month.

Goals & Overtime & a Shootout, Oh My!

(Blackhawks @ St. Louis Blues, Feb. 8: Loss 6-5 (SO))

Who can complain about five goals, overtime hockey and a 10-round shootout?! Well, I guess when you lose that’s a bit of a letdown. But the Blackhawks were embarrassed by the St. Louis Blues at the Winter Classic on New Year’s by a score of 6-2, so this was somewhat of a redemption game.

Related – Blackhawks Winter Classic Fallout: Takeaways & Thoughts on the Future

It was truly a group effort in this one, with goals by Craig Smith, Donato (again!), Alec Martinez, Teravainen, and Mikheyev. Only Teravainen was able to capitalize in the shootout. Nevertheless, it was a fun game to watch, in spite of the outcome.

Blackhawks Veterans Make a Stand

(Blackhawks @ Columbus Blue Jackets, Feb. 22: Loss 5-1)

This game was a stretch; I’m not gonna lie. I had a hard time finding a positive here. Everyone was so excited the Blackhawks would come out of the 4 Nations break rested and ready to go. Instead, they were rusty and flat.

35-year-old veteran Smith scored a power play goal (his second goal in two games), so that was nice. He tipped in a shot by Alex Vlasic, and Nazar was credited with the secondary assist.  

Oh, and for all you meatheads out there, captain Nick Foligno got in a fight. So there’s that.

Teravainen’s 500th Point & Nazar’s Slick Move

(Blackhawks vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Feb. 23: Loss 5-2)

Ok, if you haven’t noticed I’m cheating a little bit now with two “positives” from the last game and now two positives from this game. I think we can consider that a good thing. In this contest versus the Maple Leafs, Teravainen started out the scoring with a nifty power play goal.

Now there’s some nice puck movement on that power play, yes?! This was Teravainen’s 13th goal of the season and also his 500th career point. It seems like forever ago when the Finnish forward started his career with the Blackhawks way back in the 2013-14 season. It’s appropriate that he tally his 500th point being back with the team that drafted him, and where he helped win a Stanley Cup in 2015.

Teravainen is signed with the Blackhawks through the 2026-27 season, so he will be a part of the next few seasons as the rebuild continues. His success bodes well for the Blackhawk’s success in that span. On another sidenote, with two goals and nine points in February, Teravainen would’ve been my No. 2 Star.

Related – 3 Blackhawks Questions That Need to Be Answered Before the Trade Deadline

But we can’t leave this game without giving kudos to Nazar for his slick move the led to Philipp Kurashev’s goal, the only other Blackhawks’ tally against the Maple Leafs.

Yes, Blackhawks’ admin, we certainly did like that one! Nazar is definitely a bright spot in this slog of a season. His goal and six points would make him the No. 3 Star of February, and he boasts four assists in the last four games. He’s also one of the players that’s noticeable night in and night out for his hustle and effort.

Soderblom’s Solid Play

(Blackhawks @ Utah Hockey Club, Feb. 25: Loss 2-1)

Netminder Arvid Soderblom has emerged as a success story this season. He overcame a tough 2023-24 campaign when he was given the opportunity to be the No. 2 goaltender this season, due to Laurent Brossoit dealing with a knee injury that’s kept him sidelined.

It turns out many pundits would actually consider Soderblom the No. 1 guy in front of Petr Mrazek right now, and the contest against the Utah Hockey Club shows just that. Despite the final score being 2-1, the Blackhawks were dominated in this game, especially during 5-on-5 play. The final shots on goal were 37 to 22 for Utah, and the Hawks committed five penalties.

But Soderblom stood tall, stopping 35-of-37 shots for a .946 save percentage. He gave the Blackhawks a chance to win, even though the team in front of him didn’t do him many favors.

Arvid Söderblom Chicago Blackhawks
Arvid Söderblom has been a pleasant surprise in net for the Chicago Blackhawks this season. (Photo by Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images)

The 25-year-old’s overall .906 SV% and 3.02 goals against average is commendable considering the tough season the Blackhawks have had. Soderblom arguably deserves more than seven wins. He’s also put his name into consideration for a contract extension at the end of the season, despite Mrazek and Brossoit both having one more year on their contracts.

Dach & Del Mastro Score

(Blackhawks vs. Vegas Golden Knights, Feb. 27: Loss 7-5)

I’m going back to double positives for the Blackhawks’ final contest of February. The team was down 5-1 after the first period in a game that started at 9 p.m. in Chicago. Most people had tuned out or gone to bed, but the Hawks actually staged a comeback. The second period featured goals by both forward Colton Dach and defenseman Ethan Del Mastro, two of the young prospects on the rise. Both players have split time this season between Chicago and Rockford. Here’s Dach’s goal.

Dach made a big hit behind the net and then got in front of the net, where Nazar’s shot deflected off him. It was a good example of Dach using his size and strength to do the right things and help make something happen. The 22-year-old has now played in 15 games for the Blackhawks, contributing two goals, five points and 51! hits while averaging 11:21 minutes of ice time.

Then it was Del Mastro’s turn.

The 22-year-old blueline did not hesitate, and delivered quite the snipe for his first NHL goal! Del Mastro has suited up for nine games so far this season, contributing a goal, an assist and 17 hits while averaging 15:33 minutes of ice time. The 2021 fourth round draft pick (105th overall) looks to be another solid piece of the Blackhawks’ future.

Related – Blackhawks Prospect Report: Lardis, Levshunov, Korchinski & More

Well Blackhawks’ fans, February was bleak and the rest of the season hasn’t been much better. But with 23 more games to go, the Hawks can try to build on the above positives. At some point all these positives will culminate into a better hockey team that actually wins some games. But the continued development of these players is all the more reason to tune in for the rest of the season and beyond.

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