Second straight day of scrimmages between the B and C groups as guys try make their cases for a larger role.
— Carter Baum (@CarterBaum) September 25, 2021
Team Red up 4-0 so far on the day today. Here's Chad Krys burying a feed top corner from the weak side after some nifty work down low from Jakub Galvas. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/TeSbbkyCaE
Here's a summary of newsworthy notes from Day 3 of Blackhawks training camp:
* Colton Dach and Alec Regula left Saturday's scrimmage mid-game after each getting hurt.
* Collin Delia remained out with what is reportedly an injury so Malcolm Subban got his turn with Group A to tend the nets with Marc-Andre Fleury.
* Also getting their turn with Group A were Alex Nylander, Adam Gaudette, Henrik Borgstrom, and Ian Mitchell while Dylan Strome, Philipp Kurashev, Lukas Reichel, and Nicolas Beaudin cycled down to Group B.
* Head coach Jeremy Colliton commented that Seth Jones and Connor Murphy will "play a lot of minutes" and Jake McCabe will play with one or the other on the 1st or 2nd D pair.
* Forward lines, D pairs, and goalies for Group A:
DeBrincat - Johnson - Kane Kubalik - Toews - Hagel Nylander - Dach - Gaudette Khaira - Carpenter - Borgstrom
McCabe - S Jones Stillman - Murphy de Haan - Kalynuk C Jones - Mitchell
Fleury Subban
* There's no camp today as Sunday is an off day for the players and coaches.
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Transition Game
Blackhawks working on retrievals and getting the puck quickly up ice in transition pic.twitter.com/4zIS8r5aBC
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) September 25, 2021
Even with stronger goaltending, pretty good offensive weapons up front, and a revamped blueline, the Blackhawks are going to struggle to contend for a playoff berth if they can't get the puck out and up in a consistent and productive manner.
A clean breakout to flip the ice is critical to not only killing the energy of opponents who have been all too good at hemming the Hawks in their own end but also playing with pace to exert pressure right away to start rushes and generate offense.
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Puck Touches
Kurashev always seem to get puck touches on his shifts in one way or another pic.twitter.com/7UfbfLt6gm
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) September 25, 2021
Centers need to make it a habit to touch the puck as many times as possible on each shift. Jonathan Toews, Tyler Johnson, Kirby Dach and Philipp Kurashev are good to great at it. Too early to say with Henrik Borgstrom but a clear weakness of Dylan Strome.
Wingers can also drive play with puck touches. Look no further than Brandon Hagel who is the king of this art form. There isn't a shift where he doesn't touch the puck multiple times in every zone and all without being a defensive liability.
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Lesson of the Day
Iso on Galvas pic.twitter.com/tsS2KC903i
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) September 25, 2021
So far in camp, Galvas has been turning heads which is somewhat of a surprise to most fans given how little fanfare he has received ever since being drafted in 2017. He may be slight in frame but he plays a steady, fundamentally simple and sound game.
The above clip of Galvas in action illustrates lessons in protecting the front of the net and maintaining a tight gap when venturing away. Keeping a tight gap helps to swiftly take away time and space from the opponent which can lead to unforced errors.
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Soupy Mic'd Up
Ever wondered what a coach says behind the bench?
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 25, 2021
now you know 😌 pic.twitter.com/kAIr6T2DDe
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See you on the boards!