The Chicago Blackhawks returned to the practice ice on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The first noticeable change to Chicago’s lineup was Lukas Reichel’s apparent return to center after the 2020 first-round pick had spent some time out on the wing:
Hall’s inclusion on the second line at practice is a positive sign, as the injury he suffered while Chicago played in Tampa last Thursday looked pretty gruesome at first glance. Hall’s not going to be in the lineup for this Thursday’s rematch at the United Center, but his return seems imminent:
Elsewhere in team news, Nikita Zaitsev missed practice due to undisclosed personal reasons while Andreas Athanasiou remains sidelined:
The Blackhawks’ power-play units were shuffled around during practice as well, with Reichel in the bumper role on PP1:
Reichel’s name also came up while coach Luke Richardson was answering questions from assembled media following practice:
Reichel went without a point in Chicago’s first nine games this season but had a pair of assists in the last four games. Even that four-game, two-point stretch feels like it’s below the rate of production that’d be expected of Reichel, so perhaps this power-play time and return to center is what kicks the tires on his point totals this season.
Thursday’s game against the Lightning sounds like an excellent time for that to happen.