During a second-period shift Tuesday, Lukas Reichel was doing exactly what Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson has been telling him to do: use his elite skating ability and be more tenacious even when not in possession of the puck.
Reichel helped the Hawks win a puck battle, allowing linemate Ryan Donato to clear the defensive zone with a high flip. He turned on the burners as a one-man forecheck, chasing down Predators defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and engaging him the moment they both reached the puck.
And then he was called for a hooking penalty — a negative consequence from a positive shift. Come Wednesday, Reichel — aware that’s just how things seem to be going for him this season — could only smile at the misfortune.
“When you play [in the] bottom six, then you’ve got to win those pucks, win those battles, play good defensively, have a good forecheck and, from that, you create your chances,” Reichel said.
“I don’t know if it was a good or bad call, but nothing’s going to change. I’m just going to try to do the same thing again.”
Richardson didn’t dock Reichel for the penalty, which the Hawks did kill off. He liked that the often contact-shy 21-year-old German was at least trying to “get in there and be forceful and aggressive.”
That kind of assertiveness and determination to make an impact in all areas is what has been missing from Reichel’s play far too often this season.
As he attempts to rally out of the lowest, most adversity-laden moment of his career to date — adversity which peaked when he was made a healthy scratch Sunday — he will need to embrace those traits.
That process starts off the ice. After Richardson called for him to respond to the scratch with some “fire,” it sounded like Reichel indeed brought some to a Wednesday morning meeting.
“We gave our opinion, and he gave some really honest, fair opinions back,” Richardson said. “I [told] him, ‘I don’t want to just put your number on the board to be back in after one game. Do you really want to go after it? Or do you need more time to visualize and reset?’ He said, ‘Oh no, I’m ready.’
“Now that’s him holding himself accountable. It’s not me holding him accountable. I think that [difference is] important for players to understand.”
On the ice, Richardson deployed Reichel on the fourth line next to Donato and MacKenzie Entwistle, making him fight for and earn his promotions back up the depth chart. He wasn’t exactly dominant — or even comparable to his 2022-23 form — in his 12:21 of ice time, but he was noticeable on several occasions, which is better than he has been.
He was part of an early two-on-one rush where Donato shot and hit the post. In the third period, he helped the Hawks avoid a rush against with a responsible neutral-zone play, which Richardson praised.
Also in the third, he executed a give-and-go with Alex Vlasic, evaded Lauzon and cut to the net, creating another golden chance for Donato. Granted, the Predators still finished with an 8-4 scoring-chance advantage during his ice time, but stats like that are the case for most Hawks most nights.
“I want to go in there and try to win every battle and win every puck,” Reichel said. “It’s not going to happen, probably, but that’s how I want to get into the game.”
Once he settles into a playing rhythm again, the next step will involve finding ways to maintain confidence.
Lagging confidence was arguably the biggest culprit behind his disappointing October and November. Right now, he’s being fueled by extra motivation to re-prove himself, so it’s not an issue. But over time, Sunday’s message will fade, and he’ll have to start mining that fuel within himself again.