Blackhawks switch it up ahead of Edmonton, put Toews and Kane on same line
Albert Einstein once defined the word "insanity" as "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
Earlier this month, head coach Luke Richardson and the Blackhawks decided to stick with their lines and play through some struggles.
"I don't think we've gone through a lull of bad play," Richardson said earlier this month. "We've had some stretches where we haven't won a game in regulation or gotten a full win, but I don't think there's been consistency of a line not doing well, so there really has been no reason to [change the lines]."
It's the old "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach.
That Richardson quote came after the Hawks lost five of six games from late October to early November. So, if they weren't broken, they were bending - but now, the Blackhawks have lost seven games in a row, and 13 of their last 15.
Insanity.
The difference between that early stretch in November and now is substantial. Now, the team has the second-fewest points in the NHL. Now, the Blackhawks are at the bottom of the Central Division. Now, Richardson is changing things up.
And it's time for Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to play on the same line, alongside Andreas Athanasiou.
"It's been done before," Richardson said after Tuesday's practice, "but I haven't done it, so let's try it, and I think that makes the most sense. I saw a lot of speed out of both those lines, and let's see what they're going to be able to bring in a game."
This team has gone from "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" to "why the heck not?"
Kane leads the team in points with 16, but he only has 3 goals. And for someone who has scored 433 goals in his NHL career, he's happy to switch some things up and try to get himself going.
"We've played together before," Kane said of Toews, "so I kind of know his tendencies of course and what he likes to do out there and where he's good on the ice. Even with Max (Domi), I think we've been snakebitten a little bit. We've had some looks, we've had some chances, it just hasn't went in for us so hopefully we can get some bounces and get back on track."
The Blackhawks play the Oilers Wednesday night in a rematch from that early stretch of losses in late October. In that 6-5 loss, Edmonton's Connor McDavid scored a hat trick. And now, in a new change for the Oilers, McDavid is playing with Leon Draisitl, who is second on their team in points.
It'll be a tough time to try something new, but it has to happen. They're in a rut, and they had to change something. If they didn't it would just be insane.
Injury updates:
Forward Sam Lafferty (back) and defenseman Jarred Tinordi (hip) did not practice Tuesday morning. Richardson says that the team is still waiting to hear back about Tinordi, but he says both players will be out for at least a week.
Additionally, goalie Alex Stalock, who suffered a concussion Nov. 1 against the Islanders, is still slow to return.
"He was [making progress]," Richardson said, "but in the last two days, they decided to pull back. he wasn't doing as great as he was a few days ago."