Kurashev skates with Toews, Kane again in Blackhawks loss as King experiments with lines
As another disappointing season winds down for the Blackhawks, it's time to experiment a little.
That means it's time to blow up the lines, give a few prospects a look, tweak power play time and use whichever goalie happens to be hot.
One of the biggest changes coach Derek King has made is to slide forward Philipp Kurashev into a top-six role. Normally a player must earn a promotion of this magnitude (see Dylan Strome), but Kurashev was actually scratched in back-to-back games before skating with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in a 6-3 loss to Dallas on Sunday.
"It's pretty crazy," said Kurashev, who opened the scoring against the Stars but was also on the ice for 3 of Dallas' goals. "Two games I don't play and then I go on the first line."
Kurashev was again with Toews and Kane during the Hawks' 5-2 loss to Los Angeles at the United Center on Tuesday.
"Ideal world he's got to be a top-six player," King said.
So, with 2½ weeks remaining, the thinking goes: Why not see what Kurashev can do? King is hoping the hard work Kurashev put in on the third and fourth lines pays off with a confidence-boosting surge.
The 22-year-old certainly had a solid game against the Kings as he assisted on both of the Hawks' tallies. The first came on Taylor Raddysh's goal late in the first period as Kurashev deftly backhanded a pass through traffic right to Raddysh, who was just 15 feet from the net.
"We put him in a role where hopefully this is something that he'll be able to do," King said. "He's taken full advantage of it. He's shown us that he can play that top-six (level). So hard to take him out of the lineup now and he's earned it. So good for him."
Kurashev scored 8 goals in 54 games in 2020-21, but he's been mired in a bottom-six role this season. In his 18 appearances before Sunday, Kurashev was averaging less than 11 minutes of ice time. He saw almost 16 minutes against Dallas and 13:06 against L.A.
"Most of my life I played on the top two lines," said Kurashev, who will be a restricted free agent after the season. "Obviously that's where I'm trying to get to on this level too. So I'm going to work my hardest to try to get there."
King has made other changes as well. They include:
• Sliding Lukas Reichel up to the second line against Los Angeles with Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat, while moving Taylor Raddysh to the third line with Kirby Dach and Sam Lafferty.
• Giving both power-play units equal ice time.
• Scratching veterans like Tyler Johnson and Dominik Kubalik.
• Giving Collin Delia more of a chance in net. (He made 31 saves against Los Angeles.)
The Hawks also called up Jakub Galvas from Rockford and inserted the defenseman into Tuesday's lineup.
"When we're done at the end of the year (we want) the guys (to) walk out of here knowing they gave it their all," King said. "Maybe it didn't turn out the way we wanted to, but we did work hard and we completed. That's what I'm striving for right now."
Kings 5, Hawks 2:
Taylor Raddysh (8) and Patrick Kane (23) scored for the Hawks, but it wasn't nearly enough against a visiting Los Angeles squad fighting for a playoff berth. Raddysh's goal cut the Kings' lead to 2-1 at 16:27 of the second period, but the Kings restored their 2-goal lead 33 seconds later when Blake Lizotte beat goalie Collin Delia.
Kane scored with 3:18 remaining to make it 4-2. The Kings sealed the win on an empty netter by Lizotte with 1:36 remaining.
The Hawks, who had just 11 shots on goal after two periods, have lost eight straight and 14 of 18 (three in OT or SO). They are now 24-38-11.
Former Hawks forward Phillip Danault had a goal and an assist for the Kings (39-26-10).