Forsling looking for a longer-lasting Act II with Chicago Blackhawks

Early last season, it seemed nothing could stop Gustav Forsling and Jan Rutta.

The young Chicago Blackhawks defensemen had earned coach Joel Quenneville's trust and were being sent out to defend opponents' top lines on a nightly basis.

In Forsling's case, he scored 3 goals, dished out 4 assists and took 42 shots on goal during a 16-game stretch from Nov. 9 through Dec. 12 in which he averaged 22½ minutes of ice time per game.

It was an impressive run for a 21-year-old who was a fifth-round pick by Vancouver in 2014.

Then things started going south, Forsling's confidence sagged, and he was assigned to Rockford after posting a minus-3 rating in a 7-3 loss to the Islanders on Jan. 20.

So what happened?

"I've been thinking about it, but I really don't have an answer for it," Forsling said Wednesday before playing in his first game with the Hawks since that loss to New York. "That's how it is sometimes. Your confidence goes up and down. It (wasn't) just me and Rutts who were going down; it was pretty much the whole team that had a little dip there."

Forsling recorded 2 hits and blocked 2 shots while playing nearly 16 minutes in the Hawks' 1-0 victory over St. Louis at the United Center.

Coach Jeremy Colliton helped develop Forsling in Rockford and was especially impressed at the Swede's progression during the IceHogs' deep run in the Calder Cup playoffs.

Colliton said that, much like Erik Gustafsson, Forsling began to realize you don't have to win the game every time you're on the ice.

"Just do your job," Colliton said. "And then those opportunities arise during the game where he can make that special play. I think he made a good adjustment there and hopefully he can continue."

Said Forsling: "I feel like I'm more consistent (and) I'm playing better every night. Not have a good game and then a bad game. Just play solid every game. That's what he and I have been working on."

Decisions, decisions:

Marcus Kruger, who was placed on injured reserve Tuesday with a leg injury, believes he should be ready to return for the Hawks' next game, Friday against the Los Angeles Kings at the United Center.

If everyone remains healthy and Brandon Davidson (day to day with a leg injury) is not placed on IR, it means Jeremy Colliton and his staff have their first tough roster decision to make.

Do they send down Alexandre Fortin, who was scratched for Wednesday's game against the Blues? Do they place Davidson on waivers and assign him to Rockford if he clears? Or do they do something else?

"We're going to get together and exchange opinions, and in the end we'll make the best call for the team," Colliton said. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there. A lot of times, things happen and you don't end up making a move.

"But we want competition, we want it to be merit-based, and with more guys healthy we'll be in that situation."

Getting dirty:

Eight forwards on the Blackhawks are 6 feet or taller and weigh at least 184 pounds. Those are the players who figure to get in the goalie's face and find rebounds that end up in the back of the net.

Jeremy Colliton, though, believes any of his players can fill that role if they're willing to pay the price.

"You just tell the guys, 'Do you like tap-ins or no?' It's really that simple," Colliton said. "If you want to score goals, it's a great place to go.

"There's not always something available on the perimeter. … We can create more rebounds by being in the goalie's eyes. Everyone can do it - it doesn't matter how skilled you are - and we can generate more offense throughout the lineup by being better at getting to the net."

Slap shots:

Duncan Keith played in his 1,014th game for the Hawks on Wednesday, moving him into fourth place and past Eric Nesterenko on the team's all-time list. … Alexandre Fortin (15GP, 2G, 2A) was a healthy scratch for the first time since being called up from Rockford on Oct. 9.

By the numbers

Gustav Forsling's stats since the Hawks acquired him from Vancouver in January 2015.

Season, team GP G A Pts.

2016-17, HAWKS 38 2 3 5

2016-17, Rockford 30 1 7 8

2017-18, HAWKS 41 3 10 13

2017-18, Rockford *31 3 7 10 2018-19, Rockford 5 0 2 2

* Includes 13 playoff games