Quenneville mixes Blackhawks' defensive pairings
The Blackhawks' lineup changes will go beyond just tinkering with the forward lines.
In addition to moving Patrick Kane to left wing on a line with Marian Hossa and center Tomas Kopecky for the Hawks' game against the Coyotes on Wednesday night, coach Joel Quenneville plans to at times separate the top defensive pairing of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.
"Tonight we're going to try to find a little bit more balance in our pairs and our minutes," Quenneville said following the morning skate at the United Center. "Hopefully that makes everybody more effective and more consistent in our team game as well as their own games."
Keith, who is leading the league with 29 minutes 10 seconds of ice time per game, has one goal and 11 assists this season while also posting a minus-5 plus-minus rating. Seabrook has two goals, seven assists and is a plus-2 in 25:39 of action per game (sixth in the NHL).
"(We want) balance and more consistency in our game and more predictability on the back end," Quenneville added. "Maybe we can relieve some minutes as well."
The Blackhawks' lineup changes will go beyond just tinkering with the forward lines.
In addition to moving Patrick Kane to left wing on a line with Marian Hossa and center Tomas Kopecky for the Hawks' game against the Coyotes on Wednesday night, coach Joel Quenneville plans to at times separate the top defensive pairing of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.
"Tonight we're going to try to find a little bit more balance in our pairs and our minutes," Quenneville said following the morning skate at the United Center. "Hopefully that makes everybody more effective and more consistent in our team game as well as their own games."
Keith, who is leading the league with 29 minutes 10 seconds of ice time per game, has one goal and 11 assists this season while also posting a minus-5 plus-minus rating. Seabrook has two goals, seven assists and is a plus-2 in 25:39 of action per game (sixth in the NHL).
"(We want) balance and more consistency in our game and more predictability on the back end," Quenneville added. "Maybe we can relieve some minutes as well."
