Richards starting to feel at home with Blackhawks

Brad Richards is finally there.

After training camp, the preseason and the first two months of the regular season, the veteran center, who signed with the Blackhawks over the summer, finally feels like, well, a Blackhawk.

"Every day it feels more like it's my team," Richards said after Saturday's 4-1 win over the L.A. Kings. "It takes a little bit to feel you're part of everything - on the ice, off the ice.

"You're trying to make friends, get to know people. 'Why is this happening? What's going on here?' Every day you start to realize things."

And it certainly has shown in his game. Richards scored 2 goals Saturday to lead the Hawks to their fifth victory in six games in yet another uber-successful circus road trip.

"Just look at the scoresheet," goalie Corey Crawford said of Richards' play. "He's been smart with the puck, too, putting it in the right areas at times in the game when you can't make plays - you have to put it deep and get it behind them. I think him and that line has done that really well."

Indeed, the trio of Richards, Kris Versteeg and Patrick Kane was dominant on the trip, combining for 9 goals and 13 assists.

"That line has been dangerous making plays all over the zone - dangerous every shift they've been out there," Crawford said.

"Richie's line spearheaded our offense in a lot of games on this trip," coach Joel Quenneville said. "He's been real good. He's scored some big goals on this trip. Richie's going to find playing with those two guys … be ready."

The first month or so of the season, Richards was in no man's land, getting less ice time than he was hoping for with no real line to call his own as Quenneville tried to ease him into the Blackhawks' way of doing things.

"We were trying to see where he was at," Quenneville said. "He worked hard at the pace of his game, trying to learn how we play. That was part of him getting up to speed. He didn't get a lot of ice time or a lot of opportunity, and then he just seemed to take off with those guys."

It has worked out big time for Richards, who struggled out of the gate but now has 16 points after getting 4 in his last two games.

"We all want to be perfect from Day One, but sometimes it doesn't happen," he said. "Luckily I've been around long enough to know it's a long season, and right now I'm getting a lot of help from my teammates, my linemates.

"It's feeling a lot more like home."

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