Blackhawks forwards Jason Dickinson (No. 16) and Joey Anderson (right) — and until his recent injury, Colin Blackwell (back left) — have spent the majority of the season together.
Matt Marton/AP Photos
SAN JOSE, Calif. — For a while, Luke Richardson could plan out the Blackhawks' lineup each night by first writing down one locked-in forward line: Jason Dickinson, Joey Anderson and Colin Blackwell.
"I kind of start there and work around," Richardson said.
Blackwell's upper-body injury this week has ended what was an extremely long run for that trio, but Dickinson and Anderson have remained together, now just alongside either veteran Nick Foligno or rookie Landon Slaggert.
Analytically, the Hawks haven't found any more effective forward duo this season than Dickinson and Anderson, who were immediately put together when Anderson was called up from Rockford in late November and have never really been separated.
In the 467 minutes they've spent together in five-on-five situations, the Hawks have outscored opponents 19-15 and generated a 51.0% scoring-chance ratio. Conversely, when neither have been present on the ice, the Hawks have been outscored by an absurd 147-63 margin and generated a 41.6% scoring-chance ratio.
In a loss-filled season where most of the bright spots have been individuals — Connor Bedard, Alex Vlasic, etc. — Dickinson and Anderson's success represents a rare example of something within the team construction working well.
"[The chemistry] was pretty evident right away," Anderson said. "It didn't take long to figure out. We knew right away, 'Alright, we're winning battles, pucks are going to predictable areas [and] we can read off each other.'
"Especially defensively, we're not making 'hope' plays. Pucks are getting out in the neutral zone [because] we're getting them out. Pucks in the neutral zone, we're getting them in. It's a really efficient way to play, and it has led to that stability."
This is a new experience for both of them. Anderson has bounced between the NHL and AHL throughout his career and has already set new single-season career highs in games played (44) and points (12) this season. He hasn't played this much with any one linemate since his two college seasons at Minnesota-Duluth. Dickinson, meanwhile, has historically been a self-described Swiss Army Knife, moving up and down lineups.
Over the course of several months, however, he and Anderson have noticed how much more familiar they've become with each other's tendencies and how helpful that is.
"There's a lot more little nuances that you pick up on that stay consistent and [become] second nature," Dickinson said. "They don't have to be thought about. They just happen, because we've been doing it for 40 games at this point. We just know, 'He's going to be there. He tends to be there. If he's not, he's going to come to the bench and apologize.'"
Defense is their specialty, and Richardson uses them almost every game — particularly at home with last change — to match up against opponents' top lines. Dickinson, as a center and also the Hawks' best defensive forward, is typically the low man in the 'D'-zone structure, but his comfort with Anderson and Blackwell made it easy for them to switch when desired or necessary.
They have made some adjustments offensively to try to produce more in that regard, as well. Most of their forays in the offensive zone begin with dump-and-chase forechecking rather than crafty entries over the blue line — that's just not their style. For a while, they were struggling to gain and maintain possession after forechecking.
More recently, they've focused on making the first thing they do — upon retrieving the puck on the forecheck — be to move it side-to-side below the goal line. That has worked well.
"Nine times out of 10, the [defensive] team is going to swarm the one side [where the puck gets dumped]," said Dickinson, always eager to discuss hockey's minutiae. "Their winger will lock off the half-wall, and their center will be above the middle guy and be a support there.
"So naturally, what's open? The opposite side. They've got three guys already over there; if they've only got two on the other side, now we've got a slight advantage to go two-on-two on a side that's a little bit more open."
Even off the ice, Dickinson and Anderson have become good friends, bonding as new fathers of baby daughters who were born just four months apart.
"As I'm coming into sleep regressions, [Joey is] like, 'Just you wait — we went through it with ours,'" Dickinson said.
With only 11 games left in the season, they're nearing the end of this remarkable run of consistency, and there's no guarantee it will continue in the fall. Anderson is a pending free agent this summer, and even if he re-signs, other additions could jumble the Hawks' depth chart.
Richardson has mentioned they ought to appreciate what they've built and enjoyed together this season, and it seems like they're doing exactly that.
"I think they really understand there’s a special connection there," Richardson said. "When there’s something really good in hockey, you know it’s not going to last forever. But if you’re having success, why not stick with it as long as you can?"
