Blackhawks forward Lukas Reichel hasn’t been able to penetrate defenses much.
Ryan Sun/AP Photos
The Blackhawks finally have Lukas Reichel skating at a high level. That’s one box checked.
The next step is to get Reichel translating that skating — and the puck possession time it’s generating — into tangible scoring chances and production. That would represent two boxes checked and, in the bigger picture, a rosier outlook for Reichel entering the summer than he has been trending toward most of the season.
The 21-year-old German forward has definitely looked more active, involved and assertive since returning from his confidence-rehabilitation stint in Rockford. But in his first four games back in the Hawks’ lineup (entering Tuesday), he had tallied only one point (an assist) and four total shots on goal.
“Confidence is such a big thing, but without the puck and getting pucks back and competing every single day, that’s a big thing that I needed to work on,” Reichel said Monday.
“I’ve felt good, but [I would] just like to have that killer instinct to put it in the net or make that last pass that creates a shot or leads to a goal. So [I’ll] just try to keep working on that, and hopefully I produce chances and everything.”
Reichel enjoyed one of his best shifts in a long time during the second period Saturday against the Sharks.
He hopped on the ice and made a nice pass around a defender to Seth Jones, who fired a hard shot from the faceoff circle. After the Sharks started a breakout, Reichel chased down Filip Zadina from behind and stripped him in the neutral zone, then turned the other way and circled 360 degrees around the entire offensive zone before finally passing off to Jones for another hard shot.
The only gripe about that impressive sequence is that he never got into the interior of the zone, which is ultimately where most goals are scored in the NHL. If he can keep hustling this tenaciously, protecting the puck this well and keeping his head up this much but do so while penetrating defensive structures, he will truly be dangerous.
Coach Luke Richardson called him one of the Hawks’ “most noticeable guys” against the Sharks and mentioned another third-period shift during which he forced a turnover in the offensive zone, evaded a defender, passing the puck and then maneuvered into open space for a one-timer that he unfortunately blasted high and wide.
“I loved how he turned and opened up like, ‘I want it and I want to shoot it,'” Richardson said.
The coach also mentioned, however, a semi-two-on-one rush with Connor Bedard early in the second period where Reichel skated too deep too quickly and took himself out of the play. If he instead pulled up around the net-front, he could’ve been an option for Bedard or could’ve jammed in a potential rebound.
“I would like to see him try to not just be one-and-done,” Richardson added. “Shoot, reload, get open somewhere else for a second chance and be a threat. Because sometimes when someone gets a shot and the puck goes away, everybody’s eyes go away, and you get lost. You’re the guy that’s going to be the most dangerous if we get the puck back.”
Reichel’s entry-level contract expires this summer and, coming off such a disappointing season, it will be interesting how small his next deal turns out to be. He said he’s trying not to think about that.
In the meantime, he consciously attacked the net during a two-on-two drill in practice Monday, reflecting his awareness that that is the next step he needs to take. He again brought up his “killer instinct” when asked what he wants to prove during the Hawks’ closing stretch.
It’s just a matter of actually doing it — and actually translating his natural talents and flashes of improvement into substantial results.