The Chicago Blackhawks have started to play at a level that was anticipated of them at the beginning of the season when Anders Sorensen took over as interim head coach.
The Blackhawks have performed more intensely than in their prior games in six games under Sorensen. Lately, a lot of guys who were having trouble and trying to get back on track are starting to get hotter and produce greater offensive output.
The team’s recent success in finding a rhythm can be attributed in large part to Sorensen’s improved outlook and more reliable line combinations.The team just overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Washington Capitals, who have emerged as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference this year.
It appears that Sorensen’s messages are reaching the players, as evidenced by their recent strong play and the team’s chance to go on their first three-game winning streak since February 2023.
Under the guidance of Anders Sorensen, the Blackhawks have improved in these three areas of play.
Connor Bedard has regained his confidence.
A player who has the world watching him as much as Bedard is bound to be covered more than the average player. His struggles to find the back of the net were covered extensively through the media as it became more known that he was playing through some frustrations.
However, since Sorensen took over as the head coach, Bedard is playing with his swagger once again. His creativity is shining through more and more as he is back to making high-end plays that he is capable of making. With 6 points in his last 6 games, Bedard is finding his offense again and is really becoming a threat on the powerplay. Despite none of the Blackhawks’ goals coming from the man advantage against Washington, Bedard and Frank Nazar were dazzling the United Center crowd with their playmaking abilities.
Apparently, Anders Sorensen is winning over the locker room of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Even though Anders Sorensen has only been the Chicago Blackhawks’ interim head coach for two games, it seems like every player on the team supports him.
Mark Lazerus of The Athletic has detailed how Sorensen has swiftly won over both the veterans and the younger players to his style of play.
The players in Lazerus’s book do admit that they are to fault for the dismissal of former head coach Luke Richardson. But it was time for a fresh perspective on leadership.
That’s what Sorensen is giving the Hawks.
In Sorensen’s first game as interim head coach, the Chicago Blackhawks have so far lost against the Winnipeg Jets 4–2. Then, in Sorensen’s second game as manager, the squad defeated the New York Rangers 2-1 at Madison Square Garden.
Sorensen’s adjustments appear to involve the players rather than Richardson’s strategy of simply switching up the lines and hoping something works.
This season, Connor Bedard has had difficulty scoring goals. One of the unspoken reasons Richardson was fired by the team was his regression. Sorensen reached out to Bedard to come up with ways to get the phenom back on track toward being one of the elite players in the NHL rather than just a regular player.
He has also changed how the defense works in the defensive zone. The switch-up did help the Hawks hold the Rangers to a single goal. The change came with a focus on the players having more freedom to decide whether to come out from packing the front of the goal.
Sorensen is open to letting teams shoot the puck from a distance. He aims to cut off the areas of the ice where the opposition’s offense can score the most points.
It looks like a sensible way to address some of the team’s careless errors that ultimately caused Richardson’s demise.
The opposition Jeremy Colliton faced when he replaced Joel Quenneville during the 2018–19 campaign is at least not being met by Sorensen. That was going to be tough for anyone to come in and replace a legend who had veteran players loyal to him. It also did not help that Colliton was very committed to his way of doing things.
It is one reason Derek King was a breath of fresh air.
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