Coach Luke Richardson has been looking for the best line combos to get the Blackhawks’ offense going.
The most recent shakeup concerned pairing teen Connor Bedard with veterans Jason Dickinson and Joey Anderson, with Bedard taking part in on the wing.
That change helped Bedard break his three-game pointless streak with nifty assists to Dickinson within the first and second intervals within the Hawks’ 3-2 loss Tuesday to the Geese on the United Heart. Bedard appeared to play extra freely and aggressively on the wing than he was taking part in at middle.
“These two guys are so dependable in our personal finish so we had been in a position to get out of that,” Bedard stated. “They’re good at dealing with pucks and, clearly, [Dickinson] discovering open spots. They each command the puck and go get the puck and that makes it simpler to play.”
Getting Bedard going is of the utmost significance for the Hawks, who fell to 6-12-1. Coming into the sport, he had solely 4 factors and no objectives in November. For a Hawks workforce ravenous for manufacturing, they want their franchise participant to bust out of his stoop.
Bedard downplayed the concept that taking part in on the wing would open up his sport offensively. He stated he doesn’t focus a lot on his stoop, however he famous he wanted to enhance the areas he occupies on the ice.
The Hawks’ offense was extra productive within the first and second intervals earlier than going quiet within the third interval as two objectives by the Geese allowed them to take management.
“We lose that edge after we begin taking part in a little bit bit erratic and a little bit bit jumpy and begin throwing pucks down the ice after we acquired to toughen performs,” Richardson stated.
However Richardson appreciated the best way Bedard performed, even when he envisioned Bedard being extra of a scorer on the brand new line. He felt that Anderson and Dickinson had been studying off of Bedard effectively and that the road clicked as an entire. However he nonetheless desires to see the Hawks have extra capturing alternatives.
“On the finish of the sport, he had a pair pictures, and he tried to shoot it on the fly,” Richardson stated. “We didn’t have a lot time on the facility play, so we’re not going to see it there, as a result of we didn’t have a lot alternative. However I believe that’s nonetheless the factor. A man like [Bedard], that may shoot like that, we are going to nonetheless all the time ask him to shoot extra, though he makes good performs.
Soderblom’s resurgence
When goalie Petr Mrazek wasn’t within the internet for the Hawks final season, it often spelled catastrophe as a result of backup Arvid Soderblom didn’t progress the best way the workforce hoped he would.
Soderblom completed the 2023-24 season with a 3.92 goals-against common and 22 losses. His struggles had been so immense that the Hawks acquired Laurent Brossoit throughout the offseason to compete with Soderblom for the No. 2 job. However Brossoit’s restoration from a knee harm opened the door for Soderblom to show himself once more, and he has risen to the problem.
Coming into the sport in opposition to the Geese, Soderblom had profession bests in goals-against common (2.22) and save proportion (.934).
‘‘He’s actual stable, not simply bodily however mentally, and he’s dealing with all conditions effectively,’’ Richardson stated. ‘‘Very constant, in order that’s been nice.’’
