Although they’ve just come off a busy stretch of three games in four nights, the Chicago Blackhawks were back on the ice for practice at Fifth Third Arena on Monday. There are plenty of things to clean up ahead of the upcoming two-game road trip, which begins on Tuesday with a Central Division showdown against the Minnesota Wild.
The biggest struggle for the Blackhawks at the moment is getting enough run support to win games. With only 11 goals in their past seven outings, which includes Connor Bedard’s empty netter last Monday, they’ve now dropped down to 26th in the NHL in goals per game (2.65) this season. In 13 games this month, the Hawks have scored more than three goals just twice.
After trying to keep his forward lines together as much as possible in the first half, head coach Jeff Blashill has been toying around with new trios recently in hopes of finding something that clicks. He opened Sunday’s game against Florida with two brand-new combinations in the top six, but after another lackluster showing, he’s flipped things around once again.
During Monday’s practice, Blashill rolled out more new-look lines, and he had another forward to throw back into the mix. Teuvo Teravainen, who’s missed the last six games with an upper-body injury, was a full participant for the first time since getting hurt on Jan. 12. The 31-year-old is expected to return to the lineup on Tuesday in Minnesota.
It’s been a far from perfect season thus far from Teravainen, but perhaps his absence played more of an impact than initially anticipated. After all, Chicago recorded more than two goals in a game only once in six games without him.
Teravainen has been moved all around the lineup this year, but Monday was one of the first occasions in which he skated on the same line as Connor Bedard. The two have played very little together at even strength in 2025-26, but now is as good of a time as any to give them a chance.
Bedard has mostly been partnered with Andre Burakovsky when both have been healthy, but that won’t be the case when the Blackhawks square off with the Wild. Burakovsky, who’s tallied no goals and only one assist in his last eight games, has been taken off Bedard’s line and moved to the bottom six. The Swedish winger skated on the third line with Ryan Greene and Oliver Moore, who’s back at center after a brief switch back to wing on Sunday.
With Moore down the middle once again, Blashill decided to go against the grain and bump Frank Nazar to the wing on Monday, even though he’s been slotted in the second-line center spot all season long. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Blashill feels the need to load up his top trio. Tuesday is set to be the first time that Bedard and Nazar start a game on the same line.
It’s been a very limited sample size, but oddly enough, the Blackhawks haven’t fared too well when Bedard and Nazar have played with one another. In 22 minutes of action at five-on-five this year, Chicago has been outshot 18-8 and outscored 3-0. However, the team will have a much better understanding of how well those two work together in a greater opportunity on Tuesday, and they could remain together even longer. Blashill sounded committed to giving these new line combos the proper time to build chemistry.
“[Connor and Frank] are our two most dynamic forwards. What you hope, when you put lines together, is the sum is greater than the parts,” Blashill said. “So can they be exponentially better as a pair? We hope so. The one thing I’ve got to do is give it some runway. I’ve changed [the lines] too much in the last three games… I have to just stay with it. I’ll probably just stay with it through the next three games and see how it goes.”
Blashill also referenced Burakovsky’s recent slump on Monday, saying that they’ve had conversations about trying to find a balance between forcing plays and taking what’s given by the defense. Turnovers and lousy decision making has plagued Burakovsky in the latter stages of January, and it’s now cost him his top-line spot with Bedard.
“Burakovsky cares a ton,” Blashill said. “He wants to do great. He’s probably one of those guys, when it’s not going right, can almost over-try. Honestly, then it goes worse. He’s always going to be a guy that wants to make plays. He just has to balance when to make a play and when to live another day… you can’t be a guy who makes plays and never make a mistake. You’re going to turn pucks over, but you need to have that balance.”
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