Luke Richardson gives new meaning to line changes.

Most hockey coaches swap out their forward trios within a game, but this season the Chicago Blackhawks’ bench boss is routinely making radical changes from game to game.

These are more than just tweaks, sometimes they are major changes. Is it too much and perhaps at the expense of chemistry?

“No, we’re just trying to find a little more consistent offense and we just haven’t found it yet,” Richardson said after Tuesday’s practice at Fifth Third Arena. “As always. We had a few games where it was great in terms of goals and scoring opportunities. We didn’t give up a lot of goals because of it, so it can’t hurt to keep trying until we find something and it either clicks for a while or it stays.”

It’s a bit of a departure from Richardson’s habits from his first two seasons, but it’s a strategy he’s committed to.

“It’s something that can mean longevity,” he said.

Just look at the carousel that has been Connor Bedard’s top line in the running pursuit to get his offense on track.

Bedard began the month with Philipp Kurashev and Ryan Donato as his flanks, but every game or two the Hawks experimented with every forward getting a chance with Bedard, except for fourth-liners Pat Maroon and Craig Smith.

It was Lukas Reichel and Taylor Hall, Reichel and Nick Foligno, Kurashev and Teuvo Teräväinen, then back to Donato and Kurashev.

The Hawks thought they had a solution with Jason Dickinson and Joey Anderson, but then the top line morphed into more of the natural checking line of Dickinson and Anderson.

Now, starting with a game against Dallas on Wednesday, Hall and Kurashev are ready to finally perform as Bedard’s linemates, which seemed to be one of the most logical configurations for the second-year forward since last season, who has stayed in 12 straight Playing without a goal.

“Taylor ran really well and Kurshy believes he missed a few games,” Richardson said. “I just hope they find each other and get off to a good start, are confident and that could lead to something. “That’s the only reason I’m doing it.”

Bedard is just one example. Other than Dickinson and Anderson’s checking line and Reichel’s fourth line with Maroon and Smith, nothing has been a sure bet for a long time.

At the Tribune’s request, NHL Stats and Information broke down the forward lines from the Hawks’ first 21 games this year and last season. This is what the department found:

• The Hawks have used 70 line combinations in five-on-five play so far, compared to 62 at this point last season. There is one caveat: Included are line changes within a game, not just after puck drop, but those lines had at least three minutes of ice time together at any given time. Considering the average shift length in the league is 42.7 seconds, according to NHL Stats, that’s about four shifts.
• The trio of Hall, Kurashev and Tyler Bertuzzi have logged the most ice time so far with 91 minutes. Second is Bedard with Foligno and Teräväinen (90:09) and third is Reichel with Maroon and Smith (89:18).
• Last season’s top team, consisting of Bedard, Foligno and Kurashev, logged the most minutes in the first 21 games (111:10).
• Bedard has played in 29 combinations so far, compared to 20 last season.
• Speaking of staying at home, Maroon had the fewest combinations with nine (with the exception of Andreas Athanasiou, who was a frequent player and now plays for the Rockford IceHogs).

As of Wednesday, the Hawks are tied for 12th in the league with three goals allowed per game (all levels), but are second to last with 2.33 goals per game.

“I’m confident that everyone is playing with someone on defense right now,” Richardson said. “Offensively, we just have to find something that helps us get in the game a little bit more because we get the goaltending, (and) the defensive part of the special teams has really stepped up for us this year.”

“That’s the one area we need to improve without giving up defensively.”

Originally published: November 27, 2024 at 12:54 pm CST