3 Takeaways From The Chicago Blackhawks Victory Over The San Jose Sharks

Lukas Reichel played well in his return from Rockford.

Reichel's play was so bad during the 50 games he skated in through his first full NHL season that the team had no choice but to demote him to the AHL. The organization was hoping he would regain his confidence.

He is getting another chance to prove he belongs in the NHL now that Andreas Athanasiou is back from injured reserve. Those two had some chemistry together last season when Reichel was briefly up with the big club.

Maybe having Athanasiou flying around on the ice was all Reichel needed as the 21-year-old forward looked like the talented offensive prospect we saw last season. Although, Athanasiou blazing all over the ice seems to have motivated whoever he plays with lately. He definitely has made a positive impact since being out for more than 50 games. That is a good thing since he was not good before he went on injured reserve.

Athanasiou seems to have given Lukas a boost as Reichel even picked up the assist on Korchinski's game-winning goal. It was Reichel's first primary assist since January. Hopefully, we see more of this from Reichel during the final stretch of the season.