With his Chicago Blackhawks winless in their last three games, scoring just four goals in that span, head coach Joel Quenneville has shaken up his forward lines in hopes of sparking his offense in time for Tuesday's meeting with the Philadelphia Flyers.
League-leading scorer Patrick Kane, who has just one point in his last five games, has been removed from the wing beside Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin, and will team up with captain Jonathan Toews on the top line. Trade-deadline addition Tomas Fleischmann will skate on the left side.
"The one line's been together all year and there was probably never a need to change it," Quenneville said, according to CSN Chicago. "But I feel right now that a different look can help everyone and give us more balance throughout the lineup."
Marian Hossa will join Kane's former linemates on the second unit, while Andrew Ladd moves down to help form an impressive third line with Teuvo Teravainen and Andrew Shaw.
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Fleischmann | Toews | Kane |
| Panarin | Anisimov | Hossa |
| Ladd | Teravainen | Shaw |
| Mashinter | Desjardins | Weise |
Quenneville will hope the more balanced attack will be enough to take two points from the red-hot Flyers, as his Blackhawks now trail the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars by three points in the Central.
