The Chicago Blackhawks aren’t stocked with superstars, and they don’t even have a wealth of healthy bodies, so one area they can’t afford to be caught lacking is effort.
Sure, the Hawks’ 4-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night is nothing new to a team still deep in a rebuilding mode, but the way they lost bought themselves a battle practice Wednesday when they could’ve had no practice at all.
“Unfortunately, last game, that just brings everybody down, and I think that’s the time to drop the hammer … and get their attention,” Luke Richardson said after practice Wednesday at Fifth Third Arena. “We were all almost thinking of having a day off today.
“And so that wasn’t me, taking that away from them, that was our effort as a team that took that away (from them) last night.”
Call it some tough love on Valentine’s Day.
“We’re not trying to be like martyrs and make it miserable for them,” Richardson said. “But we’ve just got to make sure that they get the message that that can’t happen. We were not that team. We’ve worked hard over the last month to gain that reputation that we’re going to start games quicker, we’re going to be in their face, we’re going to play all game.”
He said the players responded well and he was pleased with a competitive practice.
"That's the time to drop the hammer … and get their attention. We were all almost thinking of having a day off today. So that wasn't me taking that away from them, that was our effort as a team that took that away last night."
–Luke Richardson on Blackhawks players pic.twitter.com/ETTE7cCpQY
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) February 14, 2024
“Nobody was grumbling and complaining,” Richardson said. “They just did their job. They executed in practice pretty well.
“We want to make sure we just take that into tomorrow’s game” against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Here are three things we learned Wednesday.
1. The Hawks have been letting the rooks cook.
Kevin Korchinski’s third-period goal Tuesday helped the Hawks edge the Minnesota Wild in rookie scoring, 64 points to 63.
“Yeah, it’s opportunity, but we’re a really young team, and I think that contributes to it,” Korchinski said. “Points for us don’t matter. It’s more about the standings and those points, the points in winning games.
“We have a lot of young guys learning the ropes, but we’ve got to contribute more on the scoreboard and play harder and play more defensively.”
Hawks rookies also lead the NHL with a 20% share of their team’s goals.
Here’s how the top three breaks down (the Hawks have played one more game with 53):
Blackhawks: 22 goals, 42 assists, 64 points, 20% goals percentage
Wild: 18 goals, 45 assists, 63 points, 11.5%
Columbus Blue Jackets: 26 goals, 36 assists, 62 points, 17.2%
This is all with Connor Bedard (broken jaw) on the mend for the last month and counting.
“I guess it’s surprising and not surprising because we haven’t had a lot of goals lately,” Richardson said. “But I guess the ones that we have, they’ve gotten enough points. And we have probably more rookies in the lineup this year because of the injuries.
“And games played might be something to look at too.”
Bedard takes up a whopping chunk of the Hawks’ production with 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists).
“Connor is a big jolt in that number, even though he hasn’t played in a while,” Richardson said.
Korchinski (10) has three goals and seven assists, and Cole Guttman is third with eight points (four goals and four assists).
Perhaps the stat that is surprising is defenseman Isaak Phillips’ six assists.
2. Lukas Reichel’s struggles are becoming a broken record.
The Hawks were lackluster overall against the Canucks, but Reichel’s line with MacKenzie Entwistle and Taylor Raddysh — who also has struggled — was particularly ineffective.
That was the line that endured a marathon defensive shift in the first period, so the following puck-possession stat shouldn’t come as a surprise: a 6.25% Corsi-for percentage in five-on-five, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
They were outshot 8-0 as a line, and Reichel had no shots on goal for a second straight game.
“Right now he’s probably a ‘maybe’ for tomorrow (Thursday),” Richardson said. “He kind of had a tough game. He didn’t get much going offensively until the end.”
Richardson said the lack of healthy forwards has played a role in him continuing to play — and that’s not a ringing endorsement of Reichel.
“Right now we need him here,” Richardson said. “We’ve had a lot of injuries this year that’s probably forced the hand a little bit.”
But that doesn’t mean Reichel can’t be a healthy scratch like he has been recently when the Hawks were healthy enough to make that move. When Richardson was asked about the fragility of Reichel’s confidence, you understand the tightrope he’s trying to walk.
“We realize when players are down on themselves, and we don’t want to pile on, but it’s the NHL,” Richardson said. “We have to somehow push them to get over that, and a lot of that’s internally with the player.”
3. Are the young Hawks burning out?
Jason Dickinson said the rookies and other young players are getting experience at 23 years old that they normally wouldn’t get until 26 or 27.
“It’s a big investment in the future,” he said.
But “there are two sides to that,” Dickinson said. “You can burn players out and things cannot go well, and they could need a change of scenery. You see it all the time around the league.”
With the Hawks on a seven-game winless streak — and it’s not their first prolonged skid this season — are the rookies not only at risk of burning out but becoming accustomed to losing?
Dickinson said veterans prevent that by taking it upon themselves to change their focus.
“I think hammering home details of the game, not so much results,” he said. “It’s easy to get caught up in the results; personal results, I mean. Wins and losses are important, but I mean more so in terms of goals, assists, plus-minus.
“Guys are even looking at Corsi, all that stuff. That’s results-based-like thinking, but if we focus on the process for them, if we focus on details, making sure they work on the little things, burnout is not likely to happen because they have this great base built into them that they can rely on at all times.
“If they’re confident in their abilities, in these details, then they’ll start getting the results when they start feeling the confidence.”
Korchinski said the locker room is full of mentors.
“That’s been a huge contribution to the young guys’ success, coming into a room where they accept you, they show you the ropes, they want the best for you, and they’re teaching you every step of the way,” Korchinski said.
Richardson said veterans can help keep young players level by keeping a positive attitude and giving them direction.
“Everybody’s been engaged, and that’s a good sign from the leadership of the group that keeps everybody engaged and listening and not glossing over in the eyes, watching the same thing over every day,” Richardson said. “We’re trying to give them something constructive.”
