Connor Bedard is back practicing with the Blackhawks for the second day in a row, taking part in both 5-on-5 line rushes and powerplay drills.
The Blackhawks powerplay has struggled early on, only converting once on 14 attempts (7.1%). Their one goal coming from Sam Rinzel in the Blackhawks only win of the season.
Obviously, not having Connor Bedard hurts the powerplay, but he is back practicing, and may even play Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Blackhawks powerplay lines in practice:
Bertuzzi (net front)
Bedard (left wall) – Kantserov (bumper) – Kane (right wall)
Byram (point)
The biggest change here isn’t the addition of Connor Bedard, it’s Patrick Kane being moved back to the right wall.
Patrick Kane has been one of the best powerplay distributors in the league throughout his career, and he has always done so from the right wall.
Being a left-handed player on the right side allows Kane to open up on his forehand and survey his options. This forces the penalty kill to respect the pass as well as the shot. Patrick Kane is one of the best playmakers in the NHL, but is not afraid to put a shot on net.
I speculate the reason Kane was on the left wall up until now was because the Blackhawks have an abundance of left-handed players and this allowed Kane to find a one-timer from either the right wall, bumper, or point. Now, Kane has Bedard as a one timer option on the left wall.
Throughout his career, Kane has always been the play driver on the powerplay, so it only makes sense to have the driver in his most comfortable spot.
Having Bedard back will be a massive boost for the powerplay. If the Blackhawks want to start winning games, it is crucial that they convert far more often than the 7.1% they have been.