New four-line rotation working for Blackhawks in run
First up, the reeling Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. Then Vancouver invades the United Center two days later.
If the Blackhawks beat these teams — both not far ahead of them in the jam-packed Western Conference wild-card picture — they'll extend their winning streak to six and significantly improve their chances of making a run at the playoffs.
The Hawks (20-24-9) have won four straight partly because coach Jeremy Colliton has found a four-line rotation that he can trust.
“That's part of it,” Colliton said after the Hawks wrapped up their practice at MB Ice Arena on Monday. “One thing that we talk about is, if you're on the ice, you may not score but you can set the next line up, put the next line in a good spot. To do that, you need to string three, four or five shifts together.”
The lines are an interesting mix.
On one hand, they are giving a hard-nosed, rugged player like Drake Caggiula a chance to play with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
On another, they've forced Brandon Saad to the third line and Artem Anisimov to the fourth. Saad has remained red hot, with 3 goals during the winning streak, and Anisimov has combined with John Hayden and Chris Kunitz/Brendan Perlini to keep opponents off the board and — as Colliton said — put their teammates in a better spot when they jump on the ice.
“Sometimes you have a great shift and you don't see the results of it until four or five minutes later, but it still matters,” Colliton said. “It still helps the team win. So getting guys to buy into that is important.”
Crawford on ice:
Corey Crawford worked out with goaltending coach Jimmy Waite for about 35-40 minutes before the Blackhawks practiced at MB Ice Arena on Monday.
It was at least the second time the Hawks' goalie has been on the ice since suffering a concussion against San Jose at the United Center on Dec. 16. Coach Jeremy Colliton wasn't sure if Crawford skated while the Hawks were at Buffalo and Minnesota over the weekend.
“Good he's on the ice, but it's just a day-to-day thing,” Colliton said. “We'll see how the next few weeks play out.”
Slap shots:
Patrick Kane has an 11-game point streak for the fifth time in his career. It's the longest by a Blackhawks player since Artem Anisimov's 11-game run from Oct. 15-Nov. 6, 2016. … Jonathan Toews' 50 points are 2 behind what he amassed all of last season.