Patrick Kane, Connor Bedard and Roman Kantserov, the Blackhawks’ top forward line, came to a realization while watching video clips before practice Friday.
“We looked at our rushes and, as a line, were like, ‘Let’s get someone to drive the middle of the ice,’ ” Kane said.
Added coach Jeff Blashill: “It’s hard to get some of the seam passes to open up because you don’t have that middle drive.”
As the threesome crossed the red line on a rush in the third period Saturday against the Stars, they put their plan into action.
Kantserov turned on his jets and pushed back Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist with a center-lane drive, allowing Bedard — skating with the puck down the right side — to find Kane wide-open with a perfect pass.
Kane ultimately missed the net on his shot, which was still bothering him Monday. But it was a great example of the value of ample video review and practice time for the Hawks, who not only are young overall but also don’t have a ton of familiarity with each other yet.
This week is a prime opportunity for more breakthroughs, with Monday’s practice the first of three before their next game Friday against the Canadiens at the United Center.
Knowing that, Kane, Bedard and Kantserov hit the ice early Monday to further refine their rush strategies.
“Now it’s like, ‘OK, how can we do that and get the puck carrier to the middle of the ice if there’s space?’ ” Kane said.
“When you watch guys around the league, sometimes it’s just as simple as your first touch on a puck, bringing it to the middle of the ice. That sets you up for space instead of taking it wide [because] maybe then you get squeezed off.”
What a pass from Bedard but Kane puts it wide: pic.twitter.com/z5GEflOmCr
— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) October 18, 2026
Kane also is using this week to think about how to bear down on chances.
Through nine games, the 37-year-old future Hall of Famer is stuck on one goal — which he scored in the season opener — and four assists. He has only two points in his five-on-five ice time, during which the Hawks (3-6-0) have been outscored 11-2 and outshot 75-47.
Kane has played with Bedard in only three of those games. Although the analytics don’t yet reflect it, the two have shown promise together.
But Kane is responsible for his own finishing, and he hasn’t been satisfied so far.
“The production and numbers aren’t there, so obviously that’s disappointing,” Kane said. “It’s not a dream start for me. But I still think there’s moments throughout the game where there’s times you could create. [The] numbers could be a little bit different.
“Even last game, you’re coming out of the rink pissed off. Then you watch it over, and it’s like, ‘There’s some moments there where the game could’ve changed and you could’ve been on the scoresheet.’ [Like, when] Roman’s in front, he has an open net and [his shot] hits [Lundkvist’s] leg and the post.”
Leadership-wise, Kane has spent recent weeks reminding younger teammates that “everyone’s in here for a reason,” encouraging them to stay confident in their skills and playing styles.
On Monday, he cited several examples of that paying off: Bedard coming back and playing well after offseason shoulder surgery, Kantserov scoring twice last Tuesday, Artyom Levshunov scoring in overtime Thursday, Frank Nazar ‘‘flying’’ and Anton Frondell looking “like he’s going to be a big-time player.”
Kane said he thinks the Hawks’ lingering problems stem more from mistakes or poor execution of systems than from flaws in the roster. And those could be reduced simply by finding ways to ‘‘take the risk out of our game.’’
“I don’t think it’s a talent issue at all, to be honest,” he said. “It’s just the way we’re playing. You see a lot of mistakes either come when we have the puck on our sticks or give up odd-man rushes when there’s no need to.”