Blackhawks enjoy first spin with 3-on-3 hockey
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In an effort to reduce shootouts this season, the NHL is going to 3-on-3 hockey for the five-minute overtime period.
The Blackhawks on Friday tested it out in the first day of training camp and the players found themselves with ample opportunities to score. In the first scrimmage, 3 goals were recorded in the first seven minutes of running clock. In the second scrimmage, 2 goals were scored in the 10-minute period.
“It's awesome,” Jonathan Toews said. “There's going to be a lot of chances to score.”
Said Marian Hossa: “It was something new for me. I haven't experienced it. Feels like there is so much space and so much big windows for a great opportunity, and also to get minuses too.”
Asked if it will help reduce the number of shootouts, coach Joel Quenneville wasn't so sure, saying teams may resort to playing “keep-away.”
One thing that was obvious was how difficult it will be to make line changes, which will lead to exhausted players and more scoring chances.
“The (line) change is gonna be everything,” Quenneville said. “Having the puck is everything. So I think it's almost like keep-away … you might even think about throwing it back to your goalie.”
Visa issues:
Marcus Kruger, who just signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Blackhawks, was not in camp Friday.
Kruger's agent, J.P. Barry, said in an email to the Daily Herald that “we couldn't process his visa until after we signed. We have been working on it with the Club all week and he will arrive early next week.”
Best line:
Coach Joel Quenneville hinted at the Blackhawks Convention that he might put 20-year-old Marko Dano on the top line with Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews, and he did so on Friday.
“That's the lottery spot (if) you get to play on that line,” Quenneville said.
The trio dominated play and Hossa picked up an assist when defenseman Kirill Gotovets scored from the point in the first scrimmage. Gotovets, a 24-year-old from Belarus, Minsk, played 12 games in Rockford last season and impressed during the scrimmage.
Asked which players stood out most on Day 1, Quenneville praised Artemi Panarin and Teuvo Teravainen.
“I liked (Panarin's) anticipation, I liked his patience, skill set,” Quenneville said. “Looks like he's gonna be all right.”
Tip-ins:
Defensemen Michal Rozsival and Kyle Cumiskey will both miss this weekend's training camp. Joel Quenneville said Cumiskey had a procedure done on his lower-body. … Artem Anisimov seemed to get off to a slow start Friday, but he ended up scoring on a nice feed from Bryan Bickell and also assisted on a goal by Ville Pokka. Anisimov came to the Hawks in the Brandon Saad trade in late June. … Pokka, a defenseman who played 68 games in Rockford last season, scored 2 goals, once during 3-on-3 play. … Bickell, who said he's still dealing with some vertigo problems, was active on Day 1 with a pair of assists and an eye-opening, crunching hit on Kirill Gotovets early in the first scrimmage.
He said it:
“I'm happy. I'm really happy. There's always rumors and thoughts but I felt comfortable from last year to be a Hawk. … You don't want to leave a team like this (with) we've been through. … Hopefully I can stay here my whole career.
—Bryan Bickell, who was the subject of trade rumors