Did Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville stumble upon yet another weapon?

Joel Quenneville — perhaps the biggest mad scientist in the entire NHL — was at it again Tuesday.

Mixing. Matching. Switching. Tinkering.

And very nearly winning a game in which the Chicago Blackhawks trailed 4-1 early in the third period. Vancouver prevailed in the end (5-4 in overtime), but an interesting line change by Quenneville might be something to keep an eye on down the stretch and into the postseason.

That move involved putting Ryan Hartman at center with Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin, and sliding Nick Schmaltz down to play with Marian Hossa and Tanner Kero. Those combinations were together during a third period in which the Hawks scored 3 goals, the last coming when Kane danced to the net and found Hartman for the equalizer with 1:03 remaining.

“It's fun. It's fun to play with guys like that,” said Hartman, who told reporters he hasn't seen consistent time at center since playing in the OHL in 2013-14. “They make plays out there. Sometimes you can just put your body in front of the net and watch them do the work.”

There's no doubt that Hartman has the grit, grime and — as Quenneville likes to say — “sandpaper” that is similar to Artem Anisimov's game.

Schmaltz, on the other hand, is a flashy, stickhandling playmaker who has made some pretty plays with Panarin and Kane but isn't going to take a beating in front of the net the way Anisimov or Hartman will.

“I thought he had a heck of a game,” Quenneville said of Hartman. “We tried him a little in the middle there and he looked comfortable. It gives us some versatility and more options going forward.”

So here's the question: Did Quenneville just stumble upon something that he can use in the postseason?

We are not, of course, talking about pairing Hartman with Kane and Panarin once Anisimov comes back from his leg injury. But when Anisimov does return and Schmaltz (likely) goes back to playing with Jonathan Toews and Richard Panik, what if Hartman were to center a third line with Marian Hossa and John Hayden?

That would mean either Marcus Kruger or Tanner Kero would center a fourth line with two of these wingers: Andrew Desjardins, Jordin Tootoo, Tomas Jurco and Dennis Rasmussen.

Those combinations seem to make a lot of sense, but we'll have to wait and see if Quenneville gives them a shot. By the way, don't be stunned if mainstays like Kruger or Kero enter “healthy scratch” territory because we all know the coaches will put their best lineup on the ice come mid-April.

In the meantime, fans should be extremely impressed with what Hartman has accomplished this season. The West Dundee native, whom the Hawks selected at the end of the first round in 2013, has scored 18 goals while seeing far less ice time (12:40 per game) than other high-scoring rookies with similar numbers such as:

• Carolina's Sebastian Aho (21 goals / 16:35).

• Toronto's William Nylander (19 goals / 16:04).

• Toronto's Mitchell Marner (17 goals / 16:48).

• Toronto's Connor Brown (16 goals / 16:09).

Hartman also has shown he can produce no matter where the Hawks puts him.

Since becoming a mainstay in the lineup after the 10th game, Hartman has started on the top two lines 26 times and the bottom two 34 times. Now, that's some serious versatility — something Quenneville loves to see in a young player.

Soon enough we'll see if “Quenneville the Mad” loved that little experiment from Tuesday night enough to give it more than just a cursory look. And whether it becomes a serious weapon come playoff time.

• Follow John on Twitter @johndietzdh

Scouting report

Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks at United Center, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

TV: Comcast SportsNet-Plus

Radio: WGN 720-AM

The skinny: A Dallas team that reached the second round of the playoffs in 2016 never got any momentum going this season. The Stars essentially said goodbye to any postseason chances when they lost seven of eight in February. Dallas is coming off an impressive 1-0 victory over San Jose on Monday, but coach Lindy Ruffy's team had lost four of five before that game. … Tyler Seguin and Jaime Benn have 24 goals each to lead the offense, but Benn hasn't scored in six straight contests. Patrick Sharp has 8 goals in 46 games. He owns a team-worst rating of minus-21. … Dallas has the worst penalty kill in the league (74.0 percent) has allowed the second-most goals (3.2 per contest). ... The Hawks are 4-0 vs. Dallas this season.

Next: Dallas Stars at United Center, 7:30 p.m. Thursday

— John Dietz