Blackhawks

Entering the NCAA Tournament at the end of his freshman season at Minnesota, Moore has increased his production, improved his communication and diversified the ways he takes advantage of his world-class skating ability.
The Hawks focused hard on producing a strong first period Tuesday, and their efforts paid off. They translated a 2-0 lead at the first intermission into an eventual 3-1 victory.
Reichel has skated well and looked more active and assertive in his first four games since returning from the AHL, but he hasn’t yet been able to penetrate the interior of the offensive zone and earn some points.
The bottom of the NHL standings has largely solidified with the Sharks at 40 points, the Hawks at 45 and the Ducks at 52 — gaps none of those teams seems likely to bridge.
In hindsight, a lot of positives came out of Savoie’s four months in Chicago rehabbing from a gruesome preseason injury, and the scrappy young forward has translated that newfound maturity back to junior hockey.
The two forwards have played on a line together almost the entire season — a rarity for defense-leaning guys. In a loss-filled season in which most of the bright spots have been individuals, their success represents one example of something within the team construction working well.
Fueled by Ryan Donato and Seth Jones, the Hawks’ 5-4 victory Saturday marked just the fifth time in franchise history they’ve rallied from four goals down to win.
Hawks coach Luke Richardson thinks Bedard isn’t trying as many overly ambitious cross-ice passes as he was earlier this season.
Hawks assistant general manager Mark Eaton discusses Nazar learning from his inconsistencies at Michigan, plus updates on Roman Kantserov, Adam Gajan and other Hawks prospects.
Coach Luke Richardson elected to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen to get Jarred Tinordi in the lineup, but the grizzly defenseman made a negative impact in a 4-0 defeat Thursday.
Kevin Korchinski has become the case study for Luke Richardson’s message to Hawks rookies about getting tougher and meaner, and Korchinski tried his best to do so during an intense practice Wednesday.
NHL
Simon won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 1996 and was part of runs to the final with Washington in 1998 and Calgary in 2004.
Kaiser held his own in his first NHL appearance since December, but fellow rookie defenseman Kevin Korchinski struggled in a 6-2 loss Tuesday. Blackwell left the game with an upper-body injury.
Whether they’re keeping up with friends on other teams, hoping to notice a tip or trick from one of the league’s stars or just in need of some background noise, Hawks players are just as experienced at channel-surfing through hockey games as they are at playing the sport.
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 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.