VANCOUVER, B.C.—There was no need for any explanation about Blackhawks lineup changes Wednesday night. Bryan Bickell was a healthy scratch for the second time in three games for reasons that have been explained ad nauseam.
He’s lost his confidence and coach Joel Quenneville appears to have lost his confidence in him.
Bickell played in Tuesday night’s 5-4 overtime loss to Calgary and seemed to be in the game somewhat in the first period. He had a shot go wide and a hit in the offensive zone that nearly led to a goal by Hawks defenseman Duncan Keith.
But it didn’t get better from there. So what is the coaching staff doing to try and get Bickell back on track?
“You try on a regular basis and visiting with him in practice or on the bench during games or between games,” Quenneville said. “In the situation where he didn’t play the other day, last night was O.K. But we need more.”
