Coach Luke Richardson has been trying to find the right line combinations to get the Blackhawks’ offense going.
The latest shakeup involved pairing youngster Connor Bedard with veterans Jason Dickinson and Joey Anderson, with Bedard playing on the wing.
That change helped Bedard break his three-game pointless streak with nifty assists to Dickinson in the first and second periods in the Hawks’ 3-2 loss Tuesday to the Ducks at the United Center.
Bedard seemed to play more freely and aggressively on the wing than he was playing at center.
‘‘Those two guys are so reliable in our own end, so we were able to get out of that,’’ Bedard said. ‘‘They’re good at handling pucks and, obviously, [Dickinson] finding open spots. They both command the puck and go get the puck, and that makes it easier to play.’’
Getting Bedard going is of the utmost importance for the Hawks, who fell to 6-12-1. Entering the game, he had only four points and no goals in November. For a Hawks team starving for production, they need their franchise player to bust out of his slump.
Bedard downplayed the idea that playing on the wing would open up his game offensively. He said he wasn’t focusing much on his slump, but he noted he needed to improve the areas he occupies on the ice.
The Hawks’ offense was more productive in the first and second periods before going quiet in the third, as two goals by the Ducks enabled them to take control.
‘‘We lose that edge when we start playing a little bit erratic and a little bit jumpy and start throwing pucks down the ice when we’ve got to make stronger plays,” Richardson said.
Still, Richardson said he liked the way Bedard played, even if he envisioned him being more of a scorer on the new line. He thought that Anderson and Dickinson were reading off Bedard well and that the line clicked as a whole. But he still wants to see the Hawks have more shooting opportunities.
‘‘At the end of the game, [Bedard] had a couple of shots, and he tried to shoot it on the fly,’’ Richardson said. ‘‘We didn’t have much time on the power play, so we’re not going to see it there because we didn’t have much opportunity. But I think that’s still
the thing. A guy like [Bedard, who] can shoot like that, we will still always ask him to shoot more, even though he makes good plays.’’
When goalie Petr Mrazek wasn’t in the net for the Hawks last season, it usually spelled disaster because backup Arvid Soderblom didn’t progress the way the team hoped he would.
Soderblom finished the 2023-24 season with a 3.92 goals-against average and 22 losses. His struggles were so pronounced that the Hawks acquired Laurent Brossoit during the offseason to compete with Soderblom for the No. 2 job.
But Brossoit’s recovery from a knee injury opened the door for Soderblom to prove himself again, and he has risen to the challenge.
Entering the game against the Ducks, Soderblom had career bests in goals-against average (2.22) and save percentage (.934). He stopped 21 of 24 shots Tuesday.
‘‘He’s real solid, not just physically but mentally, and he’s handling all situations well,’’ Richardson said before the game. ‘‘Very consistent, so that’s been great.’’
