Blackhawks

Last Friday, in the first of three Hawks-Kings games during the season’s final five weeks, a 1-3-1 neutral-zone formation yet again flummoxed the Hawks. Starting Tuesday, their young players and coaches will have an opportunity to learn from their mistakes.
The rookie defenseman has endured plenty of adversity this season, but Sunday provided some much-needed positive reinforcement. He scored the game-winning goal in a 5-2 win and also impressed Luke Richardson with his stout gap control.
Bedard doesn’t mind getting recognized on his afternoon walks around the city. Plus, Alex Vlasic is “definitely thinking” about his upcoming contract negotiations.
After a month-long AHL stint during which he believes he succeeded in building back some confidence, Reichel will skate on a new-look third line with Athanasiou and Nick Foligno on Sunday against the Sharks.
The Hawks regressed in a major way Friday, conceding four first-period goals in a 5-0 loss. In other news, they also quietly called Lukas Reichel back up to the NHL.
The journeyman forward has scored three times in the Hawks’ last six games after going 26 straight without a goal, although he admits it would feel better if the games were actually meaningful to the playoff race.
The NHL Players Association and the league had agreed in January to extend Perry’s grievance-filing deadline to allow more time for a settlement to be reached.
Kurashev has enjoyed a breakout season on Bedard’s wing, tallying 31 of his career-high 40 points to date with the rookie phenom beside him. He’ll face significantly renewed competition for the first-line role next season, however.
Bedard tied the Hawks’ rookie record with five points in a 7-2 rout Tuesday. Andreas Athanasiou notched two points in his long-awaited return from injury.
The Hawks are targeting Friday against the Kings for Slaggert’s debut, meaning he could accumulate up to 16 games of NHL experience during the stretch run — on top of his now-complete senior season at Notre Dame.
The defensive corps has contributed a mere 12 goals all season, but a recent tactical emphasis on low-to-high puck movement has at least led to the blue-liners getting more active shooting the puck.
Blackwell had his first career hat trick and Bedard (two goals) nearly did the same as the Hawks rallied for a 7-4 win Sunday, continuing their recent success against Arizona.
It didn’t take long to get a deal done after Slaggert’s senior season at Notre Dame ended Saturday. He is expected to join the Hawks for the rest of the NHL season.
The Hawks were burned by messing up line changes twice Saturday against the Capitals. Plus, Tyler Johnson feels relieved to stay past deadline, and prospect Landon Slaggert is now free to sign with the Hawks.
The Hawks fell 4-1 on Saturday in Washington, losing for the 23rd time in their last 24 road games. But their power play, despite an 0-for-4 showing in the box score, produced a plethora of chances — continuing an encouraging recent trend.
Athanasiou still skated Saturday morning, despite not playing against the Capitals, so it seems likely he’ll return this coming week. Plus, more tidbits from general manager Kyle Davidson.
Davidson said his phone calls didn’t have much substance Friday, which proved even quieter than expected for the Hawks. The only news was Boris Katchouk getting claimed off waivers by the Senators.
During the preseason, the 74.5 point total had been whittled by five points, and it was further shaved by savvy bettors who today must be licking their chops.
The Hawks gave up a fifth-round pick to get Beauvillier in November and got a fifth-round pick back for him Thursday.
With their only assets being depth forwards and salary-cap space, the Hawks could benefit from the top trade targets around the league moving early and teams further shrinking their own cap flexibility.
The Hawks scored four power-play goals in a game for the first time since January 2018 and won 5-2 in Arizona on Tuesday, earning their first road victory since Nov. 9 after 22 consecutive losses.