Carlsson, Beaudin benefitting from Hawks' decision to dress 7 D-men
It's a bit unorthodox for teams to dress seven defensemen, but the Blackhawks employed that strategy during the last two games.
Coach Jeremy Colliton believes it's the best solution for the way the team looks right now. He is currently without high-scoring winger Alex DeBrincat and puck-moving D-man Adam Boqvist. Both are in COVID-19 protocol.
"Just gives us more flexibility on the back end," Colliton said before the Hawks hosted Columbus on Friday. "We have some guys who are trying to be more consistent, and it (gives) us one more guy who can potentially be going. And we'll play the guys who are going."
Lucas Carlsson and Nicolas Beaudin are benefiting most from the lineup decision. Beaudin, who made his NHL debut during the Hawks' final game of last season before the league shut down due to the coronavirus, earned high praise from Colliton during training camp.
"He very noticeably took a step," Colliton said. "His training, his conditioning, his assertiveness on the ice - particularly away from the puck. He's always got the poise and ability to make plays and he showed well in his game with us against San Jose at the end of the year.
"The assertiveness defensively and ability to get stops - it's been great to see."
Beaudin was selected 27th overall by the Hawks in 2018. He scored 3 goals in 59 games with Rockford last season.
"Just fun to get back out there," Beaudin said. "I think I played good defensively, (but) I can make more plays out there. So I'm going to try and build off that first game."
No Laine yet:
The Hawks will not have to face Patrik Laine during Columbus' two-game series at the United Center. The Blue Jackets acquired the high-scoring winger when they sent Pierre Luc-Dubois to Winnipeg last week.
Laine, who has 140 goals in 306 career games, landed in Columbus on Friday and began his 48-hour quarantine.
After Sunday, the Hawks host Columbus again February 11 and 13.
Slap shots:
Michal Teply and defenseman Anton Lindholm were reassigned to the taxi squad from the Rockford IceHogs. The Hawks also assigned newly signed defenseman Michael Bowey to Rockford.