Blackhawks switch up power-play units, seeking spark without Connor Bedard

MONTREAL — One of the most noticeable ways the Blackhawks have missed Connor Bedard so far is during man-advantage situations, where nobody has stepped up to be assertive or take control the way he would.

That's something that needs to change over the next few weeks.

"Connor has been great for that," forward Teuvo Teravainen said Thursday. "He has the puck on his stick a lot. So now when he's not playing, it's a little different. Somebody else has to have the puck on his stick more and make the right plays at the right time."

Entering Thursday, the Hawks had gone 2-for-20 on the power play during their last eight games, falling down to a still-solid 10th in the NHL with a 21.3% conversion rate. It's remarkable they've had that much success, considering they've recorded the fewest power-play shots per minute of any team.

Coach Jeff Blashill switched up the units Thursday in hopes of generating a spark. One unit features Colton Dach in front of the net, Ryan Donato in the bumper spot, Tyler Bertuzzi and Andre Burakovsky on the flanks and Matt Grzelcyk quarterbacking.

The other unit features Ryan Greene, Teuvo Teravainen, Nick Lardis, Frank Nazar and Artyom Levshunov in the same sequence of roles. It sounds like neither is officially considered the top unit.

"I [can] decide which one I want to put out based on performance in practice, performance in games and how guys are playing five-on-five," Blashill said.

"I tried to get guys' hands in the right spots. You have options when you put power plays together: sometimes there's certain guys that you just want on it, and you kind of force their hands. This way, we can work the hands the way we want them...and get guys in the spots where they're most comfortable."

The former group is interestingly composed of five left-handed shooters, creating a plethora of one-timer options for Burakovsky when he possesses the puck on the left flank.

Saving face

Two weeks since Teravainen's mouth got blown up by a shot by Kings forward Adrian Kempe, his face has returned to a relatively normal shape and color, with just a little swelling left. That wasn't the case right away.

"It was tough," Teravainen said with a grimace. "[Burakovsky] was calling me 'bobblehead' because it was house-sized. Not great."

He somehow only lost one tooth, which he called a "miracle." He missed one game, then played one more wearing a cage. He entered Thursday without a point in five games since the injury, though, so his good luck on the dental front hasn't translated on the ice.

Old friends

The Canadiens' future looks bright in large part due to defenseman Lane Hutson, who won the Calder Trophy with 66 points in 82 games last season and has produced at an even higher rate this season. It's incredible he fell to the 62nd overall pick just three years ago.

Hawks forward Frank Nazar, who grew up competing against Hutson and then playing with him in the U.S. National Team Development Program, isn't surprised by his success.

"We knew from a young age that he was going to be special," Nazar said. "In 99% of my draft interviews, if they asked, 'Who's one guy you would bring with you?' I probably said [Hutson] every time.

"He was never the biggest guy obviously, but...he's hard to hit. You can't hit him. He's so shifty and sneaky-strong. It's always been fun but not fun playing against him."