Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno returned to the lineup Sunday against the Penguins for the first time in 20 games, having missed longer than expected after injuring his hand Nov. 15.
Foligno’s return added a little depth to the Hawks’ decimated forward corps, allowing them to sub him in on the fourth line for AHL call-up Dominic Toninato, who hasn’t done much. Foligno immediately made his presence felt by scoring in the second period of the Hawks’ blowout loss.
“I was excited to get back with the group,” Foligno said. “You hate being away, especially with some of the injuries we had, after just wanting to help this group move forward.”
The return of Ilya Mikheyev, who was out Saturday and Sunday because of the birth of his child, on Tuesday against the Islanders will add another piece of depth.
But the Hawks still are operating with little firepower at the top of the lineup. On Sunday, Jason Dickinson centered Tyler Bertuzzi and Landon Slaggert on the top line, even though two of those three guys couldn’t even be described as offensive players.
The veteran trio of Teuvo Teravainen, Ryan Donato and Andre Burakovsky and the rookie trio of Oliver Moore, Ryan Greene and Nick Lardis operated as the second and third lines.
Coach Jeff Blashill finally entrusted the rookies with more ice time Sunday, and they generated several good looks. He said that was the best game they’ve played together.
Foligno, meanwhile, scored his long-awaited first goal of the season during 13:02 of ice time.
“I felt good,” he said. “You just try to come back and make an impact. It stinks being a game like that tonight, to be honest with you. You get amped up to get back, and then it goes south real quick. I’ve been in enough of these [games].”
Said Blashill: “For a guy who missed significant time, I thought he played pretty good. He’s just a really smart, strong player. So he knows how to win pucks, how to defend well, how to go to the net.”
FOLIGNO FINDS THE BACK OF THE NET IN HIS FIRST GAME BACK 🚨 pic.twitter.com/eLS4Z3WvO8
— NHL (@NHL) December 29, 2025
Too many penalties
The Hawks’ discipline has improved somewhat since October, but they’ve still incurred the fourth-most penalty minutes (418) in the league this season.
They also lead the league in bench-minor penalties with nine, including a too-many-men infraction Sunday that led to a rally-killing power-play goal by the Penguins. The same thing happened last week against the Flyers, too.
“Sometimes it’s on the coach for maybe changing guys at the last minute, and sometimes a player just jumps early,” Blashill said Saturday. “Either way, regardless of whose fault it is, they’re ones that are totally preventable. We’ve got to do a better job…eliminating the preventable penalties.”
Toews’ struggles
Former Hawks captain Jonathan Toews’ comeback with the Jets has plateaued after a promising start.
In his last 20 games, Toews has no goals and two assists. For the season, he has a minus-14 rating and even worse analytics. The Jets also have lost 14 of their last 17 games to fall into the basement of the standings.
Toews still is playing consistently, which means he still is hitting the lucrative performance bonuses in his contract based on games played. The Jets find themselves in a tricky situation in terms of how to handle the situation with such a legendary player — which is exactly why the Hawks chose to part ways with him when they did.
Elsewhere in hockey
The Senators have received some of the worst goaltending in the NHL this season, and now veteran starter Linus Ullmark has taken a personal leave of absence. Might they be a potential home for stuck-in-the-minors Hawks goalie Laurent Brossoit? They have enough salary-cap space to make it work.
Many fans probably have forgotten about Boris Katchouk, but the former Hawks forward is still in the league and was back in the news after getting traded Sunday from the Lightning to the Wild. He has played in three NHL games this season.
Someone slightly more memorable among former Hawks forwards — Patrick Kane — returned to action Sunday for the Red Wings after missing six games because of an injury suffered during his Chicago homecoming Dec. 13.
All three Hawks prospects participating in the world junior championships are off to good starts. Anton Frondell was dominant in Sweden’s opening victory. Vaclav Nestrasil has racked up four points in Czechia’s first two games, including some highlight-reel plays. And AJ Spellacy has dished out two assists and several big hits in Team USA’s first two games.