CHICAGO _ The Blackhawks have struggled to put together more than two strong lines for most of the season, which is why coach Jeremy Colliton found a home for Alex DeBrincat on the third line several weeks ago.
It appeared to have been a good idea, with DeBrincat scoring six goals in that new role. But that statistic is a bit misleading. Three of DeBrincat's last four came on the power play, and the fourth came one second after a power play had expired.
Putting him on the third line also has kept his ice time lower than it has been all season, a fact Colliton has tried to weigh into his decision about where to play him.
"If he's on the ice more, it means he's playing better and that'll only help the team," Colliton said before Wednesday's game against the Predators. "But we have tried to find a little balance in the lineup. As we get more depth _ as we improve as a team, have more competition _ hopefully we get to the point where, 'Which is the third line? We don't know what the third line is.' He can be part of that."
Colliton then went ahead and mixed things up a few hours later, putting DeBrincat back on the top line with Jonathan Toews and Dominik Kahun during a 4-3 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators at the United Center.
The Hawks tied it on Artem Anisimov's eighth goal with 2 minutes, 21 seconds remaining in the third period, but Filip Forsberg's second goal of the game a minute into the extra session gave the Predators the win.
Forsberg fought past Toews down the right boards and lifted a shot over Collin Delia to send the Hawks to their fourth loss in their last five games.
DeBrincat and Patrick Kane kept up their amazing chemistry on the power play, connecting on a goal that didn't seem possible until the puck was in the back of the net.
Kane was controlling the puck in the right face-off circle, seemingly unable to find a pass, when he suddenly zipped a pass through several defenders to DeBrincat, who one-timed a shot past Predators goalie Pekka Rinne. Kane has had the primary assist on each of DeBrincat's last four goals.
DeBrincat's 21st goal put him on pace to finish with 37 after he scored 28 as a rookie last season. Kane's two assists to gave him 19 points in his last 10 games.
The Hawks got sloppy while letting the Predators take a 1-0 lead with 13:11 left in the first period. Erik Gustafsson turned it over behind his own net, which started a chain reaction that led to Kevin Fiala finding Colton Sissons alone in front of the Hawks' net. Sissons snapped a shot over Delia's right shoulder for his ninth goal.
After DeBrincat's goal, the Predators went back ahead a mere eight seconds later on Viktor Arvidsson's 13th goal. Forsberg added a power-play goal to make it 3-1. Arvidsson and Forsberg, as well as P.K. Subban, had missed both previous games against the Hawks this season due to injury.
The Hawks got to within 3-2 on a short-handed goal by Toews with 20 seconds left in the second.
Delia's second straight start probably was the shakiest of his six this season, but he still stopped 33 of 37 shots.
