chicago_suntimes
The Chicago Blackhawks appeared revitalized on Tuesday night, securing a 5-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins with Connor Bedard back in action. Bedard's presence immediately upgraded the top power-play unit and first forward line, while the second line also turned in its strongest performance of the young season at a crucial juncture.
The 21-year-old captain returned nearly a month ahead of the initial timeline following left shoulder surgery. He wasted no time demonstrating confidence in his shoulder, delivering a hit on Penguins forward Connor Dewar during his first shift. "I remember last year when I came back, I got blown up my first shift," Bedard said with a laugh. "I'm happy it wasn't that. I'm happy I got to rub a guy out. He probably didn't feel it, but it felt good."
After that physical moment, Bedard shifted focus to his offensive prowess. He notched his first point of the season by setting up Roman Kantserov late in the first period, threading a precise pass into the bumper that Kantserov buried to energize the power play. Bedard concluded the game with that assist, three shots on goal, and a 6-of-14 faceoff record over more than 21 minutes of ice time. He was also on the ice for another Kantserov goal in the second period, which Patrick Kane and Artyom Levshunov helped create. Concerns about the line's lack of size—Bedard, Kantserov, and Kane collectively stand at 5-foot-10—were dispelled by their effectiveness. "Connor creates separation a lot, so he creates space," coach Blashill said. "Then when the other two earn space, they're really good players. So it's just a good combo. The other thing I'd say is, Roman is very happy going to the net. So you still have a guy who will go to the net on the line, because sometimes those kind of lines get too spread out."
Anton Frondell's trio with Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen accounted for the other three goals, including the game-winner with 4:18 remaining when Teravainen tossed a seemingly harmless puck toward the net. Blashill hopes the shoot-first mindset that produced Teravainen's goal will spread to the rest of the team. Excessive passing resulted in the Hawks managing only 20 shots on goal despite their significantly enhanced offensive weapons. "We had opportunities when we could really strike and attack, and we didn't shoot," Blashill said. That's something gritty forward Jordan Greenway, who surprisingly led the team with 13 shots on goal entering Tuesday, also discussed recently. "A lot of times...teams possess the puck a lot on the outside," Greenway said. "It looks cool: 'Oh, you've got the puck!' But everyone should try to have more of a focus to get to the inside and get pucks to the net. It's not always going to be pretty."
Byram's Perspective
Defenseman Bowen Byram finally recorded his first assist as a Hawk on Tuesday and later was bailed out for an untimely slashing penalty. Untimely events have frequently plagued Byram—including several broken sticks in the last couple of games—but his two young daughters at home keep him from getting too frustrated. "It'll help me on bad days, [when] you're leaving the rink and you're maybe a little down on yourself, [if] things aren't going well—like they have been," Byram said recently. "Some things are better than hockey and work, and it's nice to have those things to pull you away a little bit from stress and the every-day demand to perform."
Line Blender
Blashill on Monday offered an interesting explanation of his approach to constructing forward lines. For the many Hawks fans upset about how often he has changed the lines this season, it's worth reading. "Listen, would I like to be in the position Vegas and Carolina are where you have 100% established lines, they don't move them around a whole bunch and they know that those lines click? Yes, I would love to get there," Blashill said. "We just haven't gotten there. Three things make that hard: injuries/suspensions, new players...and young players that you don't know what they are yet. I have to ride that balance of trying to get lines that make sense to us, trying to stay with them for chemistry purposes, but also be willing to change if you have to—to find that right balance for your team—without it being a blender. We'll see where that goes."
Originally reported by chicago_suntimes.