Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will reunite Tuesday night against the Montreal Canadiens, and the Chicago Blackhawks hope it’ll feel so good.
The two stars will play on the first line together — alongside former Boston College standout Ben Smith, who moves up from his usual spot on the fourth line — in the hopes they can spark an offense that has struggled in the early going.
“These guys should be leading our offense,” Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said of Kane and Toews, per ESPN Chicago. “Usually we like them spread out to give us a little bit more of a balanced attack, but putting them back together. … They like playing with one another, and right now we are looking for a little more scoring.”
After starting the season 4-0-1, the Blackhawks have dropped five of their last seven, including the last two in a row, and Quenneville hopes the line shuffling will jump-start the offense that has scored just two goals in their last two losses.
“I’m not looking for an explosion,” Quenneville said. “I’m just looking for a consistent amount of goals.”
As a result, Marian Hossa, Andrew Shaw and Patrick Sharp will play together on the second line.
Photo via Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Images
