PHILADELPHIA — The jury is still out about whether Blackhawks forward Lukas Reichel’s unexpected stint in Rockford this season will make a significant difference on his long-term progression, but it seems increasingly conclusive that defenseman Wyatt Kaiser’s unexpected stint in Rockford helped him.
In March, Kaiser has more closely resembled the player he was in an impressive October than the one he was in a slumping November.
He made his sixth consecutive NHL appearance Saturday against the Flyers — after logging 31 games in the AHL — and earned an assist with a smooth sweep and exit in the defensive zone that led to a MacKenzie Entwistle rush goal at the other end.
‘‘[Wyatt] has been using his skating, much like at the end of last season and at the beginning of this year,’’ coach Luke Richardson said. ‘‘[He’s] confident in his ability to kill plays.’’
There wasn’t much to observe in the Hawks’ uneventful loss Thursday to the Senators, but a couple of stellar defensive plays by Kaiser stood out that night, too.
Halfway through the third period, Kaiser thwarted a dangerous-looking Senators rush by perfectly timing a poke-check that knocked the puck way from Shane Pinto as Pinto tried to drag it into the slot. And late in the second period, Kaiser raced back to deny Brady Tkachuk on what initially appeared to be a clear-cut breakaway.
‘‘[He] snuffed it out with his speed,’’ Richardson said. ‘‘He’s been doing that without running all over the place. I think he started chasing a little bit before he went down to the minors, and going down to Rockford really helped him settle his game down. [He can] use that skating ability to get out of trouble — or help his teammates — instead of getting into it. It’s been impressive.’’
Said Kaiser: ‘‘When you’re playing, you’re just playing. I don’t think you’re really working on things. But in practice and away from the rink, I’ve been focusing on trying to sustain good habits.’’
Calorie counter
Most NHL players claim they don’t pay attention to their stats (much less their analytics), but Kaiser keeps track of a different set of numbers: his fitness data.
‘‘It just helps me get a baseline instead of just thinking, ‘Ah, I felt good today,’ or, ‘I didn’t feel good,’ ’’ Kaiser said. ‘‘It just gives you an idea.’’
He was one of the last Hawks to leave the ice after practice Friday in the Philadelphia suburbs, and his reasoning why is indicative of his mindset.
‘‘Realistically, I just wanted to get the heart rate up, get to a certain amount of calories, hit certain zones and keep the legs and body feeling good,’’ he said. ‘‘And then [also] keep my hands going, assess the play, keep my head up [and have a] good stick.’’
Ghost goalies
The Senators’ inability to score on the Hawks’ empty net — hitting the left post on one wide-open attempt and the right post on another — raises an interesting question: Which teams have the best ‘‘ghost goalie,’’ the invisible force that redirects opponents’ shots toward an empty net wide of the cage?
It turns out the answer is the Sabres, against whom opponents have scored on only 29% of their empty-net attempts (12-for-42), followed by the Penguins and Stars.
The Hawks rank 12th; their opponents have scored on 43% of their empty-net attempts (13-for-30). The Bruins have the worst ghost goalie; opponents have scored on 80% of attempts against them (8-for-10).
Zaitsev out, Tinordi in
Defenseman Nikita Zaitsev missed the game because of the nagging upper-body injury and illness that also knocked him out after the first period Thursday. Jarred Tinordi made a rare appearance in his place.
