ANAHEIM, Calif. — Every decision Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson makes this season is under a microscope in a way that it hadn’t been in his first two seasons.
That comes with a fan base that is tired of losing and with a team that was built to be better after adding more veterans. Richardson is expected to prove he can be better, too.
The Blackhawks’ five-game road trip, which ended on Sunday, was another way to measure the team and Richardson. While the Blackhawks had looked better early on, they seemed to be compiling moral victories again rather than real ones. Would this road trip be different?
The trip began on the wrong note with a loss at the Dallas Stars. It was another admirable effort, but, in the end, another loss. A game later, they put together a much more overall effort and defeated the Colorado Avalanche. But then, the San Jose Sharks, who were the worst team in the league at the time, beat them.
Richardson knew he had to make changes and he made some tough ones. He made T.J. Brodie a healthy scratch. While Brodie’s struggles were obvious, it was a difficult decision for Richardson to take out a veteran defenseman who was signed in the offseason to bring stability to the group. Richardson also shook up the lines and promoted Ryan Donato to the top line and bumped Teuvo Teräväinen to the third line. Similarly to Brodie’s signing, Teräväinen was signed to boost the Blackhawks’ offense and help Connor Bedard. That top line had been fine, but Richardson sought more. Donato had been the team’s hottest scorer and was rewarded for it.
The Blackhawks’ new-look lineup proved good enough over the last two games of the trip. The Blackhawks pulled off a comeback win against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, then built a lead and held onto it against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
Neither win was close to perfection, but it completed a winning road trip and Richardson’s decisions impacted that. Isaak Phillips stepped in for Brodie and was solid in both games and even scored on Sunday. Donato scored again on Sunday and Teräväinen was good on both ends of the ice in more of a checking role. He also scored on the second power-play unit on Sunday.
Here’s what else we learned on the road trip:
Blackhawks confirm they’re competitive
This has been my go-to stat so far. The Blackhawks have led, been tied or within a goal in the third period of 12 of their first 13 games. They’re going to have to raise their game much higher to be anything near a playoff team, but they are competitive consistently. That was what Kyle Davidson sought to do with this roster.
How the Blackhawks finished the road trip is another signal that they’ve improved. They not only finished the road trip with a winning record, but they also won consecutive games for the first time this season. Consecutive wins don’t seem like a major feat, but it’s again putting it in the perspective of last season where the Blackhawks had only won two straight games three times.
How about one more statistical difference from last season? The Blackhawks won just seven road games last season. They went 7-32-2 on the road. With Sunday’s win, they’re already 4-4-1 on the road this season.
Overall, Richardson was pleased with the trip.
“I think that’s a good step to not just win yesterday with a good comeback win and then just relax and just be happy with that,” Richardson said. “We’re not satisfied, and I think that’s a good step for a professional sports team. Never satisfied, you go right after the next one and we got four really big points, two big wins in California and we’ll take that home with us.”
Can the offense win close games?
Petr Mrázek is giving the Blackhawks a chance nearly every game he’s in net. Arvid Söderblom has improved from last season. The defense is giving up fewer shots and goals.
There is a lot of proof through 13 games the Blackhawks are going to be a solid defensive team this season. So far, they’re allowing 3.13 goals per 60 minutes, which is tied for 14th in the NHL. They were 30th last season.
If the Blackhawks can sustain that, the question will be whether their offense can produce enough to win the close games. At five-on-five, the Blackhawks are 22nd with 2.11 goals per 60 minutes. We’ll see if that improves, but the Blackhawks haven’t shown a lot of five-on-five offensive potential so far this season.
The power play does provide some hope. The Blackhawks are 11th in the league with a 22.5 percentage on the power play. Both units scored a goal on Sunday. If Bedard can start scoring too, that could be a difference-maker. He doesn’t have a power-play goal this season.
Bedard influences the game without scoring
The goals will come for Bedard. You don’t have to look any further than his 6.7 shooting percentage to recognize that. Sure, he’s frustrated and he’s going to draw attention when he shows that. He broke his stick after failing to score on a breakaway on Sunday. But it would be much bigger if he wasn’t creating those chances, even if he may not fully agree.
“I don’t know, man, I hope so,” he said on Sunday. “It’s been obviously frustrating with how many looks I feel like I’m getting, and I just can’t score to save my life right now. So hopefully soon, but we’ll see.”
Richardson isn’t concerned.
“I know he gets a little frustrated not scoring on those, but I think just getting them is going to get him back into that zone where those are going to be money, basically when he gets them,” Richardson said.
More important to Richardson is Bedard finding other ways to contribute to the team. On Sunday, it was three primary assists. He carried the puck in the offensive zone and left it for Phillips off the rush for the first goal. On the second, he switched positions with Seth Jones on the power play. He created space for Jones on the flank and passed it to Jones who scored with a one-timer. On the third, he was jamming at the puck right along with Donato and Phillip Kurashev.
At five-on-five, Bedard and his line are holding their own from game to game, too. On the road, Bedard was on the ice for three goals for and two goals against in five-on-five play. He wants to be on the ice for many more goals, but that line not being a defensive liability is a step in the right direction. The Blackhawks have outscored teams 8-6 with Bedard on the ice in five-on-five this season. Last season, opponents outscored the Blackhawks 67-37 with Bedard on the ice.
Reichel had just gotten back into the lineup before the road trip. He showed some positive signs in those first few games, but it was going to be these five games that gave a better idea of where he really was.
After the five games, it’s clear Reichel has regained his confidence and is moving in the right direction. You could even argue he’s playing better than what he started showing at the end of the 2022-23 season.
What separates Reichel in the NHL is his ability to create with speed. There aren’t a ton of players who can do what he does when he’s flying through the neutral zone and setting up a teammate. Here’s an example of that from the Kings game:
But more than that, Reichel is showing a compete level that he didn’t have before. He’s backchecking, forechecking and getting after pucks in a way that will keep him on the ice regardless of what he’s producing.
Here is an example from the Ducks game where he steals the puck and draws a penalty:
“I think it’s been like three, four, five games in a row,” Richardson said of Reichel before Sunday’s game. “So to me, that’s becoming consistent, but ‘maintaining’ is a good word, and that’s just up to the player to do that. Feel confident, and he should, and I think we see it in his play. And really there’s no reason to take a step back and relax. It’s a tough league, and I think he’s realized that, so hopefully this is something sustainable for him.”
Most fans still can’t watch the games on CHSN
The Blackhawks may be better than last season, but most fans aren’t seeing it. Without carriage on Comcast and a direct-to-consumer app option yet, CHSN still has a limited audience.
The app is supposedly coming. That should bring more viewers, but the price point will be key. In my latest CHSN-related poll on Sunday, I asked fans how much they’d be willing to pay for it.
CHSN’s app is close to being finished. What’s the most you’d be wiling to pay for it?
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) November 4, 2024
My educated guess is it falls around that $19.99 range. That might not add a ton of people, but it is still more than they have now.
(Photo of Chicago players celebrating after a goal against Anaheim: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn Images)