Before boarding a plane to Columbus, the Chicago Blackhawks were on the ice at Fifth Third Arena on Tuesday for their final practice before the Olympic break. It was the last session held until at least Feb. 17, when NHL clubs are permitted to return to practice following the initial restricted period.
Even though the Blackhawks were coming off a fulfilling 6-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Monday, in which the team snapped a five-game losing skid and scored more than three goals for the first time since Jan. 7, head coach Jeff Blashill still decided to tinker with his forward lines at practice. Oliver Moore, who’s been playing on the fourth line over the last two games, was bumped up into the top six, while Ryan Greene was moved down the lineup.
Moore is in line to center Chicago’s second line on Wednesday against the Blue Jackets, where he’ll skate with Teuvo Teravainen and Andre Burakovsky. With Frank Nazar currently playing wing on the top line with Connor Bedard, there’s an opening at the “2C” spot, and Moore now gets another crack at securing the position.
The best way that Moore can hold onto the job through the final stretch of the regular season is by providing a spark to an ice-cold line, as both Teravainen and Burakovsky are having serious issues with producing at 5-on-5.
Burakovsky, who’s recorded just one assist over his last 12 games, has only four even-strength points since Dec. 13. Believe it or not, Teravainen has fared even worse. He’s recorded only two even-strength points since the start of December, with 24 games played during that stretch. Both of those points have been from goals, as his last 5-on-5 assist came way back on Nov. 20. That was before Thanksgiving, 29 games ago.
It’s a tough ask for a rookie to pull two slumping veterans up by the bootstraps — just ask Greene, who was moved off the second line at practice after swapping spots with Moore. Greene couldn’t find any success there since getting moved off Bedard’s line, and to no fault of his own. Getting bumped to the fourth line shouldn’t be looked at as a demotion; it’s simply Blashill trying to find something that works.
Based on Monday’s performance, the third line of Ryan Donato, Jason Dickinson, and Ilya Mikheyev clearly works well together, as the three forwards combined for 10 points in the win over San Jose. No changes were made to that combination, but there will likely be an addition to the fourth line at Nationwide Arena on Wednesday.
Captain Nick Foligno, who’s missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury, should be ready to rejoin the lineup against his former team. Foligno spent nine seasons with the Blue Jackets, playing in 599 games with the club. He donned the “C’ on his sweater for each of his final six years there, before eventually getting traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“It’s always special,” Foligno said about his return to Columbus. “It will be nice to go back. I consider that place home. I kind of grew up there. Ten years of becoming the player that I am today. I have so many great memories… anytime I get a chance to play back there, it’s a special feeling.”
Foligno skated as an extra during line rushes at practice, but he’s expected to play on the fourth line in Columbus, likely replacing rookie Colton Dach.
If that indeed ends up being the case, it will be the fifth time that Dach is a healthy scratch in the past two weeks. While Blashill surely wants to give his young players an opportunity, his hands are tied until a forward, likely Dickinson, gets dealt ahead of the trade deadline.
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