CHICAGO — In a challenging turn of events for the Chicago Blackhawks, Jason Dickinson left Wednesday night’s matchup against the Edmonton Oilers due to a left leg injury.
During the second period of the game, Dickinson collided with Oilers forward Vasily Podkolzin, resulting in his leg being pinned beneath him. Following the game, he was seen with a boot on his lower left leg, signaling a potentially serious injury.
The 29-year-old forward has contributed significantly to the Blackhawks this season, tallying seven goals and nine assists across 53 games during his third year with the team. Having achieved a personal best of 22 goals last year, Dickinson is also recognized as one of the team’s most effective penalty killers.
Interim head coach Anders Sorensen mentioned that further updates were anticipated the following day, although initial assessments regarding Dickinson’s condition were not optimistic. “He’s valuable for us, right?” Sorensen noted, highlighting Dickinson’s roles in penalty killing and challenging matchups. However, he acknowledged that several players rose to the occasion in Dickinson’s absence during the game.
With this loss, the Blackhawks have now recorded just four wins in their last 20 games, dropping their overall performance to 4-12-4.
On a slightly positive note, Craig Smith made his return to ice time, playing over 11 minutes in his first game since January 8, after recovering from a persistent back injury. The 35-year-old forward, who joined the Blackhawks this season, has scored six goals and provided five assists in 31 matches.
Furthermore, the Blackhawks made roster moves by sending defenseman Artyom Levshunov and forward Colton Dach to the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL). Levshunov, the second overall pick in last year’s NHL draft, was temporarily called up for practice opportunities during the AHL’s All-Star break, having missed the start of the regular season due to a fractured right foot.
“We’ve had two good, spirited practices with a lot of pace and compete, and that was a good learning experience for him to see,” Sorensen explained regarding Levshunov’s practice experience. “Talking to him, he was kind of baffled how quick it was at times, but that’s good. That’s how you realize where you need to be.”
Colton Dach, aged 22, made his NHL debut against Montreal on January 3 and has since recorded one goal and three assists in 13 appearances for the Blackhawks. Dach stands at 6-foot-4 and was selected in the second round of the 2021 draft.
