{"id":548361,"date":"2026-03-27T11:42:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T11:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/548361\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T11:42:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T11:42:18","slug":"jeff-blashill-trying-to-help-blackhawks-navigate-lack-of-practice-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/548361\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Blashill trying to help Blackhawks navigate lack of practice time"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHILADELPHIA \u2014 During the Blackhawks<\/a>\u2019 stretch of 21 games in 40 days between Christmas and the Olympics, coach Jeff Blashill tried to give his players as many breaks as possible, but the young roster still got worn down by the gantlet.<\/p>\n

At that time, Blashill was already thinking ahead to a spring gantlet, as well. He mentioned on Dec. 27 that March would be an even \u201charder stretch\u201d schedule-wise.<\/p>\n

That has proven accurate. The Hawks are currently in the middle of a stretch of seven games in 11 days, which is part of a larger stretch of 12 games in 21 days.<\/p>\n

Every off-day must be cherished when there are so few, which means the Hawks haven\u2019t gotten to practice (aside from brief morning skates) since March 16 \u2014 and have practiced only twice since the March 6 trade deadline. <\/p>\n

Their next practice opportunity won\u2019t be until next Monday, March 30, at the earliest. And even that might not be the wisest idea, since it falls during a stretch of four games in four different time zones \u2014 moving one zone west each game \u2014 in a seven-day span.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a crazy amount of games, so you do the guys a disservice if you practice and they have zero energy,\u201d Blashill said last weekend. \u201cAnd sometimes you do your team a disservice if you don\u2019t practice at all. So it\u2019s a balance. But right now, the balance has really shifted toward playing. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to have to learn on video. And I\u2019ll say this: Our team has done a pretty good job of learning on video. Usually when we show them stuff, they go out and apply it as good as any team I\u2019ve been around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newly arrived rookie forwards Anton Frondell and Sacha Boisvert are most disadvantaged by the lack of practice time. They aren\u2019t getting much on-ice time to learn their teammates\u2019 tendencies and body language or rehearse the Hawks\u2019 systems.<\/p>\n

Schaefer show<\/p>\n

Islanders rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer, this year\u2019s runaway Calder Trophy winner-to-be, looked extremely good Tuesday against the Hawks<\/a>, and they noticed.<\/p>\n

Schaefer logged a career-high 31:59 of ice time (as in more than half of the 60-minute game) and recorded 17 shot attempts, including eight on goal. He has 22 goals and 30 assists in 72 games as an 18-year-old defenseman \u2014 an unbelievable stat line.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a guy that finds ways to get pucks to the net a lot,\u201d Ryan Donato said Thursday. \u201cAnd his engine is pretty crazy. It\u2019s nonstop, getting up and down the ice. With those type of guys, you just try to limit [them].<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is fun to watch that guy play, I\u2019ll tell you that. Not fun when you\u2019re on the ice, but when you\u2019re watching him from afar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soderblom\u2019s stat<\/p>\n

Although Hawks goalie Arvid Soderblom has overall struggled this season (.883 save percentage in 22 appearances), he has also delivered some spectacular performances behind a leaky defense.<\/p>\n

He has made 44 or more saves in each of his last two starts (against the Avalanche and Islanders) and now has four games with 44-plus saves this season.<\/p>\n

Entering Thursday, only eight other NHL goalies had any games with 44-plus saves this season, and none had more than one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been getting used to it here over the years,\u201d Soderblom said Tuesday. \u201cEven though you [face] a lot of shots and sometimes you might might be a little tired, then it\u2019s even more important to just stay in there and keep battling and just have the focus up all the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Louis<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Crevier has taken a big step this season for the Hawks, but he narrowly avoided disaster Thursday in the Hawks\u2019 loss to the Flyers.<\/p>\n

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\"Blackhawks<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

One day after the Bulls\u2019 defensive meltdown in Philadelphia, the Hawks followed in their footsteps, falling 5-1 in Sacha Boisvert\u2019s NHL debut Thursday.<\/p>\n

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\"Jason<\/p>\n

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The Hawks no longer have a checking line they can count on to defend star opponents, tilt the ice and disrupt momentum. That\u2019s something they need to figure out.<\/p>\n

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