TEMPE, Ariz. — Coach Luke Richardson was optimistic that the Blackhawks’ power play eventually would break out of its rut.
“There’s going to be a game where one goes in off a foot, then we’re going to have a nice shot and then they’ll start to grow some confidence with that,” Richardson said Saturday morning.
In the third period Saturday night against the Coyotes — even though the Hawks later crumbled to a 4-2 loss — the power play got the lucky break Richardson felt was coming. Lukas Reichel drove the crease, Coyotes goalie Ivan Prosvetov lost a skate blade while poking the puck away and Caleb Jones scored into a gaping net with Prosvetov unable to reposition himself.
That was the highlight of the most eventful and active night the Hawks’ power-play units have enjoyed in a while, although their official 1-for-5 line won’t blow any doors off.
The Hawks took a season-high 21 power-play shots, tied a season high with 13 on goal and had 11 scoring chances, their second-most of the season.
“It would’ve been nice to get another one, [but] just having that sustained pressure, we did really well,” Richardson said. “That’s a good step. We’ve been working on it and talking about it, so it’s going in the right direction.”
Early this season, the Hawks were scoring at a decent clip on the power play, but it wasn’t sustainable. They entered Dec. 4 ranked 11th in the NHL with a 25.7% conversion rate but ranked 28th in power-play shot rate (89.6 per 60 minutes) and 29th in power-play scoring-chance rate (44.1 per 60 minutes).
Regression then struck ruthlessly. Since Dec. 4, the Hawks rank 32nd in power-play conversion rate (11.6%), 26th in power-play shot rate (91.3) and 31st in power-play scoring-chance rate (43.8).
Assistant coach Derek Plante has overseen the power-play units this season — with input from Richardson — but not much fault can be put on the coaching staff. This is primarily a lack-of-talent issue.
The staff seemed to realize that and made some adjustments March 7 in practice to simplify the power-play tactics, shuffling the units and largely eliminating the drop pass from the Hawks’ zone-entry attempts. Richardson admitted they perhaps “don’t have the personnel to do that” anymore.
Since then, the first line of Reichel, Philipp Kurashev and Andreas Athanasiou — plus Seth Jones at the point and MacKenzie Entwistle in the net-front role — has formed the first power-play unit. But it hasn’t found much more fruit, either.
“It definitely hasn’t been good at all,” Kurashev said. “It starts with me on the -faceoffs . . . and then we have to get the loose pucks back and be simple and execute. A lot of times, we have the open play, but we just fumble the puck or the pass is not in the right spot.
“It is frustrating, but we just have to play with a clear mind and not think about it too much.”
Then by coincidence against the Coyotes, a long second-period shift for Seth Jones led him to go out with the second power-play unit of Taylor Raddysh, Tyler Johnson, Jason Dickinson and Boris Katchouk, and that group established a rhythm.
They looked so dangerous that Richardson made them the first unit for the next two power-play opportunities. They produced 10 of the Hawks’ power-play shots on goal, even though the Reichel-led first unit (which swapped Jones brothers) scored the goal.
“Sometimes that just happens,” Richardson said. “You get a look at something and want to give it another go, and . . . it worked out both ways.”
It’s unclear how the two units’ ice time will balance out Monday against the Avalanche, but the Hawks will nonetheless try to make Richardson’s prediction a reality by scoring a prettier power-play goal. Perhaps that would provide a spark for the stretch run.
