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Ben Pope

Chicago Blackhawks reporter

Ben Pope covers the Chicago Blackhawks for the Chicago Sun-Times.

Last Friday, in the first of three Hawks-Kings games during the season’s final five weeks, a 1-3-1 neutral-zone formation yet again flummoxed the Hawks. Starting Tuesday, their young players and coaches will have an opportunity to learn from their mistakes.
The rookie defenseman has endured plenty of adversity this season, but Sunday provided some much-needed positive reinforcement. He scored the game-winning goal in a 5-2 win and also impressed Luke Richardson with his stout gap control.
Bedard doesn’t mind getting recognized on his afternoon walks around the city. Plus, Alex Vlasic is “definitely thinking” about his upcoming contract negotiations.
After a month-long AHL stint during which he believes he succeeded in building back some confidence, Reichel will skate on a new-look third line with Athanasiou and Nick Foligno on Sunday against the Sharks.
The Hawks regressed in a major way Friday, conceding four first-period goals in a 5-0 loss. In other news, they also quietly called Lukas Reichel back up to the NHL.
The 18-year-old and 26-year-old forwards live in the same building and rely on each other to talk through their emotions and frustrations. “Anything he needs help with, anything he needs of me, I try to be there for him,” Raddysh said.
The journeyman forward has scored three times in the Hawks’ last six games after going 26 straight without a goal, although he admits it would feel better if the games were actually meaningful to the playoff race.
The NHL Players Association and the league had agreed in January to extend Perry’s grievance-filing deadline to allow more time for a settlement to be reached.
Kurashev has enjoyed a breakout season on Bedard’s wing, tallying 31 of his career-high 40 points to date with the rookie phenom beside him. He’ll face significantly renewed competition for the first-line role next season, however.