Blackhawks shuffle top six, Dickinson misses practice

The Chicago Blackhawks were back on the ice at Fifth Third Arena after last night’s disappointing loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Head coach Jeff Blashill started to tweak the lines during the game, putting Tyler Bertuzzi up to the top line. He mixed things up in the top six even further today.

“I thought our guys were dialed in, which is a great sign,” he said after the intense practice. “That means they understand that parts of last night weren’t good enough, and they want to make sure they continue to get better.”

Tyler Bertuzzi & Ilya Mikheyev Driving the Play

Bertuzzi found himself playing with Connor Bedard and Andre Burkovsky late in the first period, and the move worked. They applied pressure and scored the second goal of the game in the first period, and, of course, Bertuzzi should have had a second goal if it weren’t for a questionable goaltender interference call.  That trio will stay together for tomorrow night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.

Meanwhile, Ilya Mikheyev jumped from the third line to the second line with Frank Nazar and Teuvo Teravainen. He’s been so good in the last three games on the third line, and he’s getting rewarded for his stellar play with some top-six minutes.

“Both analytically and from an eye test, Bert and Mikheyev have been helping carry the play. Bert is smart defensively, so he can help you in your own end. He gets pucks up on the wall, and then he’s at the net hard. I think Burky and Connor need someone who is going to be at the net.”

Blashill added that the move was made more because of how good Bertuzzi was playing, and not an indictment on Colton Dach, who started the night on the top line.

“Colton had some stretches where he played really good,” he said. “He’s still a young player, and it’s a huge ask to consistently be a top-line player in this league. Colton will play. We’ve talked a lot about his ability to have an impact up and down the lineup, being an important piece. Wherever he plays, he needs to focus on having that big impact on the game.”

Jason Dickinson Misses Practice

The Blackhawks' third line has been stellar over the past three games with Jason Dickinson down the middle. The veteran center was missing from today’s practice. He left the game on more than one occasion as he’s dealing with a nagging injury.

Blashill said Dickinson is considered day-to-day and was unsure if he’ll play against the Ducks. Lukas Reichel joined the third line today with Ryan Donato and Landon Slaggert, who will likely make his season debut tomorrow. Dach, Ryan Greene, and Sam Lafferty patrolled the fourth line.  

With the way they lined up, it felt like Reichel was the placeholder on that line for Dickinson. If he can play, then Reichel will head back to the press box. There is little doubt at this point that Blashill will go with seven defensemen again, so Lafferty will be scratched again.

“At the end of the day, you’ve got to do what you think is best to win hockey games,” Blashill said. “You don’t want to let guys sit forever, so we have to get guys in and out of the lineup. There will be sometimes when we won’t do it. But, I think overall, it gives our D corps the best chance to get minutes in a good spot and even out the penalty-kill minutes.”