Amid the litany of injuries to the Blackhawks this season, the one constant has been the shutdown line led by forward Jason Dickinson.
Dickinson has welcomed many different combinations to that line, but no matter who joins him, the line seems to click. Forwards Joey Anderson and Colin Blackwell, because of their similar play styles, have meshed well on Dickinson’s line lately.
“I thought their line was excellent against [Mathew Barzal], a really dynamic player in this league, and contributed offensively,” coach Luke Richardson said after Friday’s 4-3 win over the Islanders. “That has been the story with that line, no matter who’s on it with ‘Dickey.’”
Richardson also praised the line for its physical play.
“It’s not all about being physical, but [in] the sport of hockey, you have to set a tone,” Richardson said. “[Not only] Dickinson himself, but his line specifically, was really good in the first period. [They had] a couple of big hits, some relentless back-checks [and made] pretty much all the right decisions in the first period.”
The Blackwell-Dickinson-Anderson line has accumulated the ninth-most ice time during five-on-five play (58:54) on the Hawks. Defense is their calling card, and they’ve yet to allow a goal together, so far outscoring opponents 2-0.
Despite the constant changes around him, the fact Dickinson has taken ownership of that line has not gone unnoticed among teammates.
“They’ve had that responsibility all year — especially ‘Dickey,’ before the line got changed and we had some injuries — of just being responsible on both sides of the puck,” said defenseman Seth Jones, who scored the game-winning goal Friday. “Defensively playing against the top forwards, [and] he’s done a great job in chipping offensively — he’s doing it all right now.”
Dickinson is enjoying the finest year of his career from a goal-scoring standpoint. The veteran forward scored his 15th goal of the season Friday, and he has already shattered his previous single-season high of nine.
That offensive production is much-needed as the Hawks scrounge for ways to put the puck in the back of the net. And while Dickinson himself has had success in the goal-scoring department, the line can still improve in that department.
“We haven’t been on the scoresheet for the past few games, so it’s definitely something that’s been on our mind to get involved,” Dickinson said. “We can’t just be strong defensively; we’ve got to chip in offensively. So it’s nice that we were able to click for a few tonight and have an impact on that side, as well.”
The chemistry is brewing for the line. Anderson scored his first goal of the season Friday on a two-on-one rush with Blackwell. Blackwell, too, was active shooting the puck — a point of emphasis from Richardson — and recorded five shots on goal.
As the Hawks enter a four-game road trip to Vancouver, Seattle, Edmonton and Calgary heading into the All-Star break, they’ll need the Dickinson line to continue to impact the score sheet, not only because of the impact on winning and losing but also for the moral boost it brings.
“When anybody does it [scoring], it brings so much life to the bench,” Anderson said. “The last couple of games only getting one goal, [and on Thursday] getting shut out, it’s kind of deflating; it’s hard to get momentum going.”
But the success of the line goes back to Dickinson’s consistency. Dickinson recently signed a two-year, $8.5 million extension and has taken on more of a leadership role in his second season in Chicago.
“He’s one of those top guys holding each other accountable, making sure guys are pulling their weight and keeping a positive outlook,” Anderson said. “He’s making sure guys are sticking with the process.”