What the Blackhawks can get out of a Kane, Bertuzzi and Frondell line

The Chicago Blackhawks had a bad season opener against the Vegas Golden Knights, but they now are set to face the Utah Mammoth on Oct. 1.

For the Utah game, head coach Jeff Blashill is likely to run with some new lines (courtesy of Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times).

The new first line is Anton Frondell at center, with Patrick Kane and Tyler Bertuzzi on the wings.

It could end up being the right mix.

Why the Bertuzzi, Kane, and Frondell line can work

In the Golden Knights game, the first line was Roman Kantserov at center, with Oliver Moore and Kane on the wings. The game didn't go the Blackhawks' way, and they also spent the entire third period without forward Andrew Mangiapane, who left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury.

All those factors have since led Blashill to shuffle the lines during their practice on Sept. 30.

Even though the final score of 5-2 isn't pretty, the other side of it is that the Blackhawks found themselves within one goal twice, including in the third period. So, they did give themselves a chance at times before it became too much to overcome.

It makes something that Kane said postgame about his lines stand out: "I thought we had some looks. I mean, probably just like one play away here or there. Different things like that. Try to get some pucks to the net. I thought we had some chances. So even when I was out there with like Bert (Bertuzzi) and Frankie (Nazar) and those guys, or Frondy (Frondell), I thought we had some chances, some looks that maybe were just one play away.

"If it's, you know, getting used to the game speed or playing against a good team like that, sometimes you're a little off. So sometimes you kind of learn from like video and different things where you see time and space where there's time to make a play, get the puck to the net, whatever it might be. So, like I said, I think we're maybe like one play off here or there."

That is something to watch for them against Utah: seeing if they can convert more on their opportunities. And it brings up why Kane, Frondell, and Bertuzzi are worth trying together, with Kane mentioning the chances.

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Kane, Frondell, and Bertuzzi line only skated together for 2:43 minutes, but they generated a 50% Corsi For percentage, with a goal-for (Kane's 3-2 goal in the third period) and a goal against.

The other part is that Frondell was one of the Blackhawks' best centers, as he won 50% of his draws. So he could be the X-factor there.

Frondell said on Sept. 30 about playing on that line, "Same thing. Just looking forward to it. I don't know [how many], but we got like a couple shifts yesterday because we lost Mango (Mangiapane). So, Kane jumped in with me and Bert sometimes, and it felt good, and we created a couple chances right away. So just try to keep doing that tomorrow."

It is a challenge for the offense to make up for Connor Bedard not being in the lineup for the time being. But having one of the best in Blackhawks history in Kane, paired with one of their more effective combinations in Bertuzzi and Frondell, is not a bad bet.

Overall, the Utah game could very well come down to being just one play away. If that's the case, the hope is that the new-look Frondell, Kane, and Bertuzzi line can deliver.

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