Many great lines are hard to predict. Players excel together because of chemistry, communication, luck or some combination of those three. Until that happens, it’s difficult to know which combinations will click and which won’t.
But that’s not the case with Dominik Kubalik and Brandon Hagel. From the moment they became regular Blackhawks linemates — Feb. 15 in Detroit — their complementary skills made perfect sense together. And great results have followed.
“They’ve been good, really good,” coach Jeremy Colliton said Saturday. “[They’re] driving play, getting us out of [the defensive] zone, getting in the offensive zone, creating chances, drawing penalties.”
“We build off of each other,” Hagel added.
Kubalik’s blisteringly powerful, accurate shot and eagerness to use it make him a unique player. He’s a threat to score whenever he’s on the ice, which produces plenty of goals and can also pull defensive coverage away from others, something he’s learned how to better take advantage of this season with his improved passing.
Hagel’s relentless work ethic, breakaway speed and excellence in puck battles have made him a unique player, too — albeit in a different way — since becoming a Hawks regular in January. His hands haven’t caught up yet, but he’s excellent at gaining possession and moving the puck into the offensive zone.
Together, Kubalik and Hagel cover all the bases.
“As soon as we started playing together, we knew what to expect from each other,” Kubalik said. “I’m going to be the guy finding a spot to shoot it, and ‘Hags’ is the guy who will probably skate with it, win those battles. We’re just trying to do that and I think it’s working. But for sure, I have to help him more, just not to let him do all the work.”
As opposing teams learn those tendencies, they’ve proven able to play off of them, too.
On Saturday against the Panthers, Hagel dug the puck out of a scrum near the Hawks’ blue line. He raced ahead to create a two-on-one break with Kubalik, then fed it over near the offensive faceoff circle.
Everything up to that point was standard fare for the Kubalik-Hagel combo, and so Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling (a familiar face) and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky bit hard on Kubalik shooting. But Kubalik instead passed it back, giving Hagel an easy tap-in goal.
“He knows what I’m going to do on certain plays,” Hagel said afterward. “That was a great pass by him, to be honest. I didn’t even see it get through the guy. It just landed perfectly on my stick, and [I] just followed through and it went into the net.”
Kubalik + Hagel = pic.twitter.com/Svk6c7HfEO
— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 14, 2021
Kubalik and Hagel are up to 125 even-strength minutes together this season, and their results have been fantastic. They’ve outscored opponents 7-4 and generated a 55.6% scoring chance ratio.
When not with the other, Hagel has been outscored 10-5 and has a 46.7% scoring chance ratio, while Kubalik has an even 8-8 goals total and 48.3% scoring chance ratio. Clearly, their union improves both of their results substantially.
Now the Hawks just need to find a permanent center solution between them. Defensive specialist David Kampf has primarily been the guy this year, but his lack of scoring doesn’t make him an ideal long-term fit.
If Jonathan Toews eventually returns to the team, his preexisting chemistry with Kubalik could make him a logical choice. The Hawks could also consider adding a center at the trade deadline.
That’s not of too much concern right now, though. Kubalik and Hagel seem to be clicking perfectly well as is — and as one would expect.
“Since we started playing together, I felt like [he] might be the right guy to play with,” Kubalik said. “We’re pretty good friends off the ice, too, and that makes it better on the ice. I’m enjoying the play right now.”
