Colliton pulls a surprise by changing up combos
Coach Jeremy Colliton insisted after the Blackhawks’ Game 1 loss on Tuesday that he’d stick with the same conservative structure the rest of the series.
What he didn’t share — until it became apparent to all at the start of Game 2 on Thursday — was that he planned to drastically overhaul the Hawks’ forward lines and defensive pairings.
Before a 4-3 overtime loss, Colliton sent his team out for warmups with all sorts of mixed-up combinations.
“We’re trying to get better, so trying to use the group we have [in different ways],” he said. “Up front, [we’re] just trying to manufacture a little more offense, [and] we had a little bit of success there.”
On attack, Drake Caggiula moved up to the second line with Kirby Dach and Patrick Kane; Alex DeBrincat moved down and Matthew Highmore moved up to the third line centered by Dylan Strome; and Alex Nylander was demoted to Highmore’s old spot on the fourth line next to Ryan Carpenter and David Kampf.
With the Hawks trailing in the second period, Colliton shuffled things again, uniting the risky-but-deadly trio of Kane, Strome and DeBrincat. They promptly teamed up for a beautiful tic-tac-toe transition goal.
Kane alternated between Dach-Caggiula and Strome-DeBrincat in third period and overtime.
“For the most part, it worked to our advantage tonight,” Kane said. “Caggiula brings a lot of energy. He may not put up big numbers, but on that first goal, he middle lane-drives, goes to the net, and Kirby is wide open back-door.”
On defense, Colliton made an even bolder move by scratching rookie Adam Boqvist, who had played on the top pairing with Duncan Keith throughout the playoffs but had mostly struggled since Game 2 of the Oilers series. Lucas Carlsson, a standout late in the regular season and July training camp, played in Boqvist’s stead with Connor Murphy on the second pair, while Calvin de Haan was paired with Keith.
“We’ve got a lot of confidence in Carlsson,” Colliton said. “He played really well in the time he got in the regular season, [but] he’s been outside looking in here. We’re hoping [Boqvist], with a day of rest, can come back potentially with another level for us.”
Only the top forward line of Dominik Kubalik, Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad and the the third defensive pairing of Olli Maatta and Slater Koekkoek were left untouched from the previous lineup.
Smith’s dominance continues
Golden Knights winger Reilly Smith is far from a household name around the NHL, but based on his postseason performances, he should be.
The overtime game-winner Thursday was just the latest postseason highlight for the 29-year-old Canadian forward.
Thursday marked Smith’s 50th career playoff game, and he has scored 48 points in those games — including 35 points in 32 games with the Knights. That ranks him among the best active NHL forwards in postseason production.
Smith’s line with Jonathan Marchessault and Paul Statsny has owned the Hawks through the first two games. During five-on-five play, that trio has out-attempted the Hawks 31-20 and outscored them 5-0.