If Murphy continues to look good in practice, he could play against Nashville Saturday
Defenseman Connor Murphy practiced at Fifth Third Arena Tuesday and might play when the Blackhawks are at Nashville Saturday.
Murphy has missed nine games with a groin injury that landed him on long-term injured reserve. He won't play at Vegas Wednesday but is eligible to come off LTIR for the Predators game.
“He looks good out there and good to have him practicing with the team and on the trip,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “We'll assess it once he's eligible to come off and make a decision.”
One thing Murphy will have to get used to is adjusting to how the Hawks are playing. The team has made a schematic change — pushing a weakside forward higher in the defensive zone coverage — in an effort to open things up be able to push into the offensive zone with more pace.
“It should be pretty simple,” Murphy said. “I've been watching all the games and sitting in the meetings. It makes it a little more clear and you're able to go through that process with the guys.”
Once Murphy comes off LTIR, the Hawks could send Adam Boqvist to Rockford, they could carry eight defensemen for a while or they may decide to place Slater Koekkoek on waivers.
What's up, Dach
Kirby Dach scored the second goal of his NHL career in the Hawks' 5-4 win over Toronto Sunday, and he also was on the ice for just 7 minutes and 43 seconds. Originally paired with Dylan Strome and Patrick Kane, Dach has been demoted to a third- and fourth-line role for most of his last seven games.
He has 2 goals and 2 assists in 11 games and averaging 10:48 of ice time, and 9:23 in the last five contests.
“I liked him last game,” said coach Jeremy Colliton, who added that Dach's ice time suffered against the Sharks due to the fact the Hawks took 3 third-period penalties. “Very good response after (being a healthy scratch).
“And again, it wasn't to indicate we didn't like his performance. It was just hoping he was going to come back fresh, and if you compare this last game to the one he played before, it was better. And that's what we're looking for.”