Change felt inevitable after the Blackhawks lost three in a row, and it arrived during Thursday’s practice ahead of a trip to Vegas on Friday to face the Golden Knights.
The biggest news there is Philipp Kurashev hopping to the top line with Nick Foligno on the opposite wing and Lukas Reichel being flanked by Jason Dickinson and Taylor Raddysh on the second line. It appears that Andreas Athanasiou may be headed for a press-box view of the next game, too, with MacKenzie Entwistle slotting in on the fourth line.
The power-play units were also changed around as well:
Thursday’s practice was a spirited affair, with a pair of youngsters catching the competitive fire during it:
Coach Luke Richardson promised a more intense practice on Thursday while feeling the disappointment of Tuesday’s home defeat and he delivered in said promise:
Richardson’s intended message appears to have been received by the players, too:
Friday’s game should make for an interesting watch, given everything that transpired on Thursday. Expectations remain extremely low for this team, of course, but Richardson seems determined to prevent his team from settling for that low bar.