The Blackhawks need consistent lines to actually improve

So... the first game was pretty much as expected: New lines less than 24 hours before puck drop and placing a natural winger in Roman Kantserov at center didn't work out.

There were miscues, missed coverages, and struggles from players, including Artyom Levshunov. There was no synergy whatsoever. In the defensive zone, the opposition had open lanes multiple times while the Blackhawks clogged one side of the ice. The defense struggled to cover their expected side. The offense had the cycle going later in the game, but there was no chemistry overall.

The team is lucky Patrick Kane had a partial breakaway; the score doesn't show just how badly the Blackhawks were dominated.

Make a line and stick with it, Blashill

The only line that showed consistently good stretches of play was the fourth line of Cole Smith, Ryan Greene, and Jordan Greenway. The reason? This is the line Blashill has sent out consistently, and the only line he has kept together. Catching a theme here? "CONSISTENCY"

Head coach Jeff Blashill deciding to throw the top nine in a blender during a game is not the best way to find chemistry. But a team of VETERANS is different. When the players already know how to play hockey in the NHL and know how to play together, this works. Hence, why Joel Quenneville was able to throw lines together, and it worked out in the Blackhawks' glory years.

Other teams like the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning can do this, too, with success. Young teams like the Montreal Canadiens generally kept the same lines in their development years to establish chemistry and understanding among their young core, and the results speak for themselves.

The Blackhawks coaching staff need to follow suit.

Put like-minded players together on a line and see what happens. Don't spread the skill, like they did when Connor Bedard had to play with Andre Burakovsky last season. Bedard should have been playing with Frondell last year, but Blashill decided to give each of Bedard, Nazar, and Frondell their own line (before injuries).

We saw what could happen with Nazar and Bedard on the same line; imagine if they were able to develop chemistry. Add Frondell to that line? Forget it.

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