Blackhawks Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Searching for Answers & Bedard’s Injury Update

The Chicago Blackhawks started their seven-game home stand with a 5-2 loss to the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes. While it’s still October, there’s some worry surrounding this young Hawks team.

Here’s what to look out for this week in Chicago.

Chicago Needs Answers Sooner Rather than Later

Chicago played their best road game against the New York Islanders, despite a 4-1 loss. The team welcomed back Chicagoland native and TNT analyst Eddie Olczyk as Blackhawks ambassador, and during the second intermission on Saturday night’s game, he and Tony Granato gave great analysis on what the team needs right now.

Olczyk said that “some guys are playing too high in the lineup” and that you can’t evaluate the team until you get the “big guy” back, meaning Connor Bedard.

Bedard’s absence has been felt since he went down with an injury, and with Frank Nazar out for one more game with his suspension, Chicago needs answers, and they need them now.

One positive out of Saturday’s game was Roman Kantserov scoring his first goal in the NHL, an unassisted breakaway goal five minutes into the second period.

But two goals aren’t enough to beat a team like Carolina. “Do I think frustration builds when you haven’t won, and you’re not having enough success? Of course it does,” head coach Jeff Blashill said postgame. “I’m going to tell you right now, I have absolute 100% belief in this group. This group is going to win. I can’t tell if we’re going to start winning Tuesday, next week, a year from now — I have no idea when it’s going to be, but this group is going to win, 100%.”

Last season, the San Jose Sharks started their season similar to the Hawks this season. By the end of the season, they had improved in a lot of situations and nearly made the playoffs, finishing fifth in the Pacific Division.

Chicago can either repeat what the Sharks did last season, which is take an early-season struggle before making changes on the ice and show competitiveness, or a deja vu season from 2021-22, where they fired then-coach Jeremy Colliton on Nov. 6. The “41.0% expected-goals ratio and 43.3% scoring-chance ratio” that season is better than this season’s ratios (from ‘Blackhawks’ season could follow one of two paths: 2025-26 Sharks or 2021-22 Hawks,’ Chicago Sun-Times, Oct. 9, 2026).

Answers on Special Teams

Losing key players on special teams isn’t easy to deal with, especially for the Hawks. Blashill is keeping things unique with the penalty kill, with guys like Frank Nazar and Anton Frondell getting reps, along with Cole Smith and Jordan Greenway.

“We’re doing a good job of being able to contain the rush, the break-ins,” Greenway said. “Maybe in-zone, we can find ways to do the job a little bit better” (from ‘Anton Frondell, Frank Nazar handling surprisingly big roles on Blackhawks’ penalty kill,’ Chicago Sun-Times, Oct. 11, 2026).

A young player like Frondell, in his first full season, is getting reps in every situation. “[I] go in, try to win the battle, win the puck, block shots and get it out of the zone,” he said.

Update on Bedard

Bedard is showing more signs of returning when he started taking faceoffs during practice. Since the start of the season, he’s been taking shots in a non-contact jersey. He received a good ovation in the home opener when the inactive players were announced, and it’s safe to say that the spark around the team needed that as they beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2.

Until his return, the Hawks need to find answers offensively and defensively. Playing the defending Cup champions is never easy for a team like this, but they can’t use that as an excuse anymore.

Schedule This Week

Chicago continues their home stand with three tough matchups between the Pittsburgh Penguins, Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars. With Nazar out for one more game, the next two games are going to be huge if the Hawks want a chance at playing the Stars to their limit.

These games aren’t just tests, but must-win games if they want to rebound from their slow start to the season before Bedard returns.