While it’s been a strong start to the 2026 portion of the schedule for the Chicago Blackhawks, with a 7-4-1 record in 12 games since the beginning of the New Year, getting enough offensive production has still been an issue.
The Blackhawks have only recorded four goals in a single game twice, with the last time being all the way back on Jan. 7 in a blowout 7-3 win over the rival St. Louis Blues. They’ve also scored three goals just once in their last six outings.
With the offense lacking at the moment, head coach Jeff Blashill has been tinkering with his forward line combinations in recent days. It’s something that Blashill has tried to avoid up to this point in his first season with Chicago, as he doesn’t like change just for the sake of it. He prefers to give his lines the time to establish chemistry with one another, but with the current issues, he didn’t have much of a choice.
Ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Florida Panthers, Blashill rolled out some more new-look forward lines during the morning skate. It’s a youngster-heavy top six for the Blackhawks, with five of the six skaters being 22 years old or younger.
When healthy this year, Connor Bedard has skated primarily with Andre Burakovsky, and the duo remains together on the top line still. But instead of Ryan Greene on the other wing, another rookie is getting a chance with Bedard and Burakovsky. It’s Oliver Moore, who’s been playing center so far in 2026 after opening the season as a winger. He’s performed much better down the middle as of late, with seven points (2G, 5A) in 13 games since the change occurred.
It’s a somewhat curious choice to move Moore back to the wing; however, the Blackhawks need all the help they can get right now offensively. Moore’s done a splendid job of using his dazzling speed to create chances recently, and Blashill feels he can benefit from added ice time. Moore enters Sunday with points in back-to-back games.
Bedard has also been oddly quiet since returning from his shoulder injury on Jan. 7, with only four points (1G, 3A) in his first seven games back. His only goal was an empty netter to cap off a win against Jonathan Toews and the Winnipeg Jets on Monday, and he’s now gone back-to-back games without a point. Perhaps Moore’s pace will help get Bedard going. The Blackhawks need more out of him right now.
Skating on the second line with Frank Nazar at Sunday’s morning skate were two other rookies in Greene and Nick Lardis. It’s a remarkably young line, with only 162 combined NHL games between the trio.
For Lardis, who scored 71 goals in his final year of junior hockey in the OHL last season, top-six opportunities have been tough to come by during his first NHL stint so far. The 20-year-old former third-round pick has mostly been utilized on the third line through his first 20 games with the Blackhawks. But like Moore, Lardis has now picked up a point in two straight games and also has three goals in his last nine outings. His goal-scoring prowess and shoot-first mentality are needed right now. With Nazar’s speed and play-making abilities, it feels like the two could create a potent pairing together.
Greene has tallied 19 points (7G, 12A) in 51 games during his rookie year, and over a quarter of that production has come in the last 10 contests. He’s scored three of his seven goals in the last seven games and has added two assists since Jan. 4.
Not only has Greene shown growth on the offensive side lately, but he’s also been a sturdy defensive presence all season long, which is rather remarkable for his age. He’s been on the ice for only 34 goals against in 2025-26 and has a plus-one rating, which ranks second on the team (min 30 games played). His well-rounded nature should be a bonus for the young and inexperienced trio.
With Blashill giving the young forwards a chance up in the top six, that leaves the team’s leading goal scorer, Tyler Bertuzzi, down on the third line with Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev. While this doesn’t seem like an ideal fit for Bertuzzi, it’s worth pointing out that he played in a few games with Dickinson and Mikheyev before Nazar returned from his injury. In 38:25 of ice time together at even strength, the Blackhawks have outshot their opponents 21-10 and lead 23-11 in scoring chances. The trio has a 60.69 expected goals percentage.
We’ll see how long Blashill keeps these new-look forward lines together. When things don’t work, he often reverts to his old combinations rather quickly.
Here’s the Blackhawks projected lineup for Sunday’s tilt with the two-time defending champion Florida Panthers at the United Center. Puck drops at 6:00 p.m. CT.
#Blackhawks with some more new forward lines at the morning skate, per @BenPopeCST:
Moore-Bedard-Burakovsky
Greene-Nazar-Lardis
Bertuzzi-Dickinson-Mikheyev
Donato-Foligno-Slaggert
Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Levshunov
Grzelcyk-Murphy
Dach & Lafferty are the extras.
— Jack Bushman (@JackBushman2) January 25, 2026
For more Blackhawks news, visit Chicago Hockey Now and like our Facebook Page.
Follow us on X: