Luke Richardson is giving new meaning to line changes.
Most hockey coaches switch up their forward trios within a game, but this season the Chicago Blackhawks bench boss routinely makes radical changes from game to game.
These are more than just tweaks, sometimes they’re wholesale changes. Is it too much and maybe at the cost of some chemistry?
“No, we’re just trying to find a little bit more consistent offense and we just haven’t found it yet,” Richardson said after Tuesday’s practice at Fifth Third Arena. “Like consistently. We’ve had a few games where it’s been great, goal-wise and scoring chance-wise. We haven’t given up a lot of goals by doing it, so there’s no hurt to keep trying until we find something and it just clicks for a while or it stays.”
It’s a bit of a departure from Richardson’s habits his first two seasons, but it’s a strategy to which he’s committed.
“It’s something that can be longevity,” he said.
Just look at the merry-go-round that has been Connor Bedard’s top line in the ongoing pursuit to get his offense on track.
Bedard started the month with Philipp Kurashev and Ryan Donato as his flanks, but every game or two, the Hawks have experimented with every forward getting a shot with Bedard except 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 turned into more of Dickinson’s and Anderson’s natural checking line.
Now, starting with a game against Dallas Wednesday, Hall and Kurashev are poised to finally get a run as Bedard’s linemates in what has seemed, since last season, to be one of the most logical configurations for the second-year forward, who has been held without a goal in 12 straight games.
“Taylor was skating real well and Kurshy is driven from missing a few games,” Richardson said. “So I’m just hoping they can find each other and get off to a good start, feel confident about it and that could be something. That’s the only reason I’m doing it.”
Bedard is just one example. Outside of Dickinson’s and Anderson’s checking line and Reichel’s fourth line with Maroon and Smith, nothing has been a sure bet for long.
At the request of the Tribune, NHL Stats and Information broke down forward lines from the Hawks’ first 21 games this year and last season. Here’s what the department found:
- The Hawks have used 70 line combinations in five-on-five so far, compared to 62 at this point last season. There’s a caveat: Included are line changes within a game, not just after puck drop, but those lines have had a minimum of three minutes of ice time together at some point. Given the average shift in the league is 42.7 seconds, according to NHL Stats, that equates to about four shifts.
- The trio of Hall, Kurashev and Tyler Bertuzzi have logged the most ice time so far at 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 line of Bedard, Foligno and Kurashev logged the most minutes (111:10) through the first 21 games.
- Bedard has played in 29 combinations so far, compared to 20 last season.
- Talking about staying at home: Maroon has had the fewest combinations at nine (excluding Andreas Athanasiou, who was a common scratch and now plays for the Rockford IceHogs).
Entering Wednesday, the Hawks are tied for 12th in the league with three goals allowed per game (all strengths), but they’re second to last with 2.33 goals-for per game.
“I’m confident (about) anybody playing with anybody defensively right now,” Richardson said. “Offensively we just have to find something to help us get on the board a little bit more because we’re getting the goaltending, (and) the defensive part of the special teams have really risen this year for us.
“That’s the one area that we have to improve on without giving up on the defensive side.”
