Blackhawks hope new lineup will spark struggling offense
CHICAGO (CBS) – There might be some growing pains for rookie Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks.
They'll take a four-game losing streak with them when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets. Much like last season, the offense just has not been enough.
The Hawks have scored at least four goals in five wins, and they've lost the other 11 games they've played.
Head coach Luke Richardson has his young team playing hard and close. Two of the Hawks' four losses during the skid have been one-goal games, so they've been right there, but the wins have been few and far between in a 5-11 start.
The team has struggled with special teams, ranking 29th in the NHL with an 11.3 power play percentage so they're changing it up a bit by adding Kevin Korchinski to the top unit.
"[Center Philipp] Kuraschev's been doing really well," Richardson said. "And it makes sense him and [left winger] Lukas Reichel seem to have a little chemistry too."
Defenseman Seth Jones added, "Nothing's really been clicking. So we gotta change it up.
"It's just a different look for us, I think. We want to get more shots to the net."
For Bedard, he said it's all about learning on the job, especially during more challenging times.
"I thought I kinda sucked against Buffalo, but we gotta get some wins here," said the rookie. "It's obviously frustrating losing. All those games, we were right there, but we're just obviously struggling to get it done."