The Blackhawks enter Saturday with just four days of training camp left.
With time running down, the team is gradually focusing less on conditioning and more on strategy. On Friday, that meant plenty of special teams practice and the debut of new power play units.
Adam Boqvist quarterbacked the first power play unit with Patrick Kane, Dylan Strome, Alex DeBrincat as the forwards and Andrew Shaw playing the net-front position.
Duncan Keith ran the second unit with forwards Dominik Kubalik, Lucas Wallmark and Brandon Pirri and Pius Suter net-front.
The Hawks generated scoring chances on the ‘PP’ at a decent rate last season, ranking 15th in the NHL in that regard, but struggled to finish them, with their 15.2% overall conversion rate ranking 28th. Their 16.7% conversion rate in the playoffs wasn’t much better.
With that in mind, coach Jeremy Colliton is taking a different approach this year: establish different identities for each unit.
“We’re trying to build two [units] that are equally dangerous and maybe a little different setup, different feel,” Colliton said. “That group with Boqvist, they’re trying to have more of a movement power play — some interchanges, different players moving in different positions to create mismatches and passing lanes. Whereas the other group will probably be more of a shooting power play.”
Dallas, Columbus outbreaks caution Hawks
The NHL’s inevitable troubles with COVID-19 began in full force Friday around the league.
The Stars’ first three scheduled games — two against the Panthers, one against the Lightning — will be rescheduled now that six players and two staff members in the Dallas organization have tested positive.
Meanwhile in Columbus, the Blue Jackets’ schedule remains unchanged for now but 19 players were held out of practice Friday “out of an abundance of caution.”
Both the Stars and Jackets are in the Hawks’ division this year, making the news even more concerning.
“We know there’s a lot of bodies around and living in different places and traveling,” Ryan Carpenter said. “You watch the other sports...[and] you see that it happens. It seems like when you’re not in the perfect bubble, it’s going to happen. Whatever you can control to the best of your ability, that’s what our team’s trying to do.”
Crawford on leave from Devils
Corey Crawford’s new career chapter in New Jersey may or may not ever be written.
The veteran goalie, who signed with the Devils in October following an emotional departure from the Hawks, has taken an “indefinite leave of absence from the club due to personal reasons,” the Devils announced Friday.
Crawford had previously missed five consecutive camp practices.
Hawks’ broadcast schedule complete
The Hawks announced Friday their 2021 radio coverage, the final piece in the puzzle that had been the team’s broadcast schedule.
All 56 games will be carried on WGN 720, while 41 will also be broadcast in Spanish on TUDN 1200.
In terms of television, the schedule is as follows:
- NBC: Jan. 24
- NBCSN: Jan. 13 and 27, Feb. 17 and 28, Apr. 21
- NBCSCH+: Feb. 15 and 20
- NBCSCH: All 48 others
Additionally, four NBC Sports Chicago broadcasts (Mar. 7, 9, 28 and 30) will be simulcast on NBCSN outside of the local market.
