Prior to Wednesday, Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall had been playing better than his point total reflected.
On the other hand, as Hall said Wednesday after his three-goal eruption in the Hawks' feel-good 6-2 rout of the Stars, nobody "comes into games expecting to score hat tricks." That's not a sustainable scoring pace, either.
But if the Hawks want to translate their one-night offensive eruption into more meaningful, longer-term offensive improvement, a sustained Hall resurgence of some kind would make a huge difference.
The former NHL MVP clearly has the talent to do it, even on the down-slope of the aging curve at 33, and his underlying metrics so far this season suggest he has the potential to produce more than he actually has: nine points (five goals and four assists) in 21 games.
He claims he's starting to feel more on top of his game physically and psychologically, too.
"For me to come back after an injury, I think I've digested the whole early part of the year, and I'm really starting to feel like I have some pop and some speed," Hall said. "My mind is a bit more fresh than it was. So that's a good feeling, and it showed tonight."
He had gone 13 consecutive games without a goal and seven consecutive without a point before Wednesday. That drought included the night — Nov. 16 in Vancouver — when coach Luke Richardson made him a healthy scratch.
In terms of evaluating Richardson's coaching, that move is probably his most egregious misstep this season, especially considering the communication breakdown between him and Hall that preceded it. But from Hall's perspective, besides his annoyance about the lack of communication, it really did serve as a wake-up call.
"Maybe that was what I needed," Hall said. "Sometimes it's nice to kind of feel like what rock bottom is. Or not rock bottom, but just like, 'All right, that's the worst I'm going to play, or that's the worst I'm going to feel. So let's figure some stuff out. Let's change a few things in my preparation and my habits. And let's see if I can not dwell on it, but take some constructive criticism, look myself in the mirror and try to play better.' So that's what I've done."
Richardson's line blender has now churned Hall back around to the top of the depth chart. He skated next to Connor Bedard and Philipp Kurashev on the first line Wednesday.
Hall and Bedard truly do make sense together, too, which is why general manager Kyle Davidson acquired Hall back in summer 2023 to theoretically be Bedard's left-hand man. They'll have some defensive deficiencies, but Hall's ability to transport the puck through the neutral zone and make accurate passes in the offensive zone should complement Bedard well.
The data backs up that hypothesis. In 57 minutes of five-on-five ice time with Hall and Bedard together this season, the Hawks have outscored opponents 4-1 and generated a 50.2% share of the expected goals.
And individually, Hall is one of only three Hawks — the others being Bedard and fourth-liner Craig Smith — who are significantly above league average in terms of both shots and shot assists (passes that directly lead to shots by teammates) per minute, per All Three Zones.
"[Taylor] has looked really good this year," Bedard said Wednesday. "The pucks haven’t been going in for him, obviously. I can say the same for myself. But he makes a lot of plays."
Richardson's line blender could soon shuffle Hall elsewhere and render this discussion moot. However, if Richardson ever decides to stick with some combinations for multiple weeks to let them build chemistry — even through through some regulation losses, something he hasn't done yet — this would be the right combination to do it with.
