Patrick Kane netted his 300th career goal, but that was all Chicago produced offensively en route to an ugly 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Devils.
The schedule makers graciously gave the Blackhawks and the rest of the NHL Christmas off, so we won’t see coach Quenneville’s squad don their red sweaters again until Thursday. Then, they will embark on a three-game road trip in western Canada to conclude 2017.
BLACKHAWKS
**RECAP: Hawks flail in 4-1 loss to Devils (Chicago Sun-Times)
** Five takeaways from last night’s loss (CSN Chicago)
**Watch Patrick Kane score his 300th career goal against the Devils (SCH)
**Hawks 2014 draft choice Ivan Nalimov released by KHL team (Committed Indians)
**Family, friends helping are Eddie Olczyk in his fight against cancer (Daily Herald)
**Corey Crawford easily among Vezina Trophy leaders so far (The Athletic)
CENTRAL DIVISION
**RECAP: Blues beat Canucks 3-1, snap losing streak (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
**Avalanche win, but lose Tyson Barrie in process to broken hand (Mile High Hockey)
**Nathan MacKinnon’s line has great potential in future for Avalanche (Denver Post)
**RECAP: Wild blanked in 3-0 loss to Lightning (Hockey Wilderness)
**Wild head coach Boudreau keeping track of lost ground (Star Tribune)
**RECAP: Stars comeback to edge Predators 4-3 in shootout (On The Forecheck)
NHL
**Remember when the NHL played games on Christmas Day? (SBN)
**Predators coaches wear festive Christmas suits in-game after losing a bet (SBN)
**Are the Edmonton Oilers finally coming around? (PHT)
**RECAP: Golden Knights keep rolling, win fourth straight over Capitals (Jaspers’ Rink)
**RECAP: Gibson, Ducks shutout Penguins 4-0 (Pensburgh)
**RECAP: Auston Matthews returns in a big way, helps Leafs beat Rangers 3-2 (PPP)
**RECAP: Oilers overpower Canadiens 4-1 (Eyes On The Prize)
**An oral history of the inaugural Winter Classic in Buffalo (NHL.com)
**Best and worst of the week in hockey (Puck Daddy)
**Pro Hockey Talk’s year in review (PHT)
HOCKEY WORLD
**USA Hockey names 19 NCAA players to 2018 World Junior team (USCHO)
**U.S. World Juniors roster scouting reports (SBNCH)
**Dillon Dube makes immediate impact on Canada’s WJC lineup (Sportsnet)