5 Reasons the Blackhawks Found More Success in January

The month of December was brutal for the Chicago Blackhawks; there’s no doubt about it. They won just two of their 13 contests. Granted, they were up against some stiff competition. But they struggled with their team game and just couldn’t seem to put it all together. January, on the other hand, was much more productive. The Blackhawks won seven of 13 games. They’re finally seeing their hard work pay off, and it’s starting to show in a much better all-around game. Not to mention some wins!

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I know I know! The Blackhawks are supposed to be losing. Management’s goal is to be bad this season in order to obtain a high draft pick. But the coaches and the players don’t care about that. And this recent stretch of success is just what the doctor ordered to build a winning identity and foster confidence and growth. So let’s roll with it! Today we’ll highlight some of the improvements the Blackhawks have made and how they can ride this momentum moving forward. Here are five reasons the Blackhawks were so much more successful in January than December.

Forward Lines Falling Into Place

The Blackhawks had to adjust their lines at the end of the month due to Tyler Johnson re-injuring his ankle, and then Jonathan Toews was out to an illness for one game. But for the majority of January the team deployed the below forward lines pretty consistently.

T. Johnson – Max Domi – Patrick Kane

Philipp Kurashev – Toews – Taylor Raddysh

Jason Dickinson – Sam Lafferty – Andreas Athanasiou

Colin Blackwell – MacKenzie Entwistle – Reese Johnson

Interestingly, here players who have been paired together for most of the season:

While the third member of these lines has changed, having the above partners together on a steady basis has allowed for consistency and cohesion in the lineup. Head coach Luke Richardson has experimented with who best rounds out each trio.  

The Blackhawks definitely benefitted from having T. Johnson back in the lineup. In December, he missed six games as he worked to return from an ankle injury. Upon his return, he eventually found his way to the first line, where he was quite effective. His presence also allowed for more balance throughout the rest of the lineup. Hopefully Johnson will be able to return after the All-Star break this week.

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Kurashev has proven that…