{"id":11207,"date":"2025-01-20T11:08:19","date_gmt":"2025-01-20T11:08:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=11207"},"modified":"2025-01-20T11:08:19","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T11:08:19","slug":"breaking-through-20-games-are-the-blackhawks-better-or-worse-under-anders-sorensen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=11207","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Through 20 games, are the Blackhawks better or worse under Anders Sorensen?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"CHICAGO,<\/p>\n

Say what you will about Luke Richardson\u2019s tenure as Chicago Blackhawks head coach, but the man wasn\u2019t under any delusions about what he had to work with. Particularly this season, Richardson\u2019s 26 games were marked by a stubborn commitment to hyper-conservative play. The Blackhawks took few chances, and as a result, got few chances. The Blackhawks were in every game under Richardson but one, as they tried to grind out low-scoring, one-goal wins night after night (with little success).<\/p>\n

The elevation of Anders Sorensen \u2014 a man who built his reputation on his skills coaching \u2014 on Dec. 6 was largely about unlocking a stagnating Connor Bedard, but it was also supposed to allow the Blackhawks to go on the offensive. Saturday\u2019s 5-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights was exactly what Kyle Davidson had in mind when he made the coaching change. But it was still more exception than rule.<\/p>\n

The Vegas game was Sorensen\u2019s 20th as Blackhawks interim head coach, which gives us a perfect excuse to see what \u2014 if any \u2014 difference his hiring has made. Let\u2019s look at the numbers:<\/p>\n

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/th>\nUnder Richardson<\/th>\nUnder Sorensen<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Record<\/td>\n8-16-2 (.364, 32nd)<\/td>\n7-12-1 (.375, 30th)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
GF\/GP<\/td>\n2.41 (31st)<\/td>\n2.80 (22nd)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
GA\/GP<\/td>\n3.15 (24th)<\/td>\n3.75 (32nd)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
GF percentage<\/td>\n44.09 (28th)<\/td>\n39.8 (31st)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
xGF percentage<\/td>\n45.05 (29th)<\/td>\n43.13 (29th)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
High-danger chances for<\/td>\n8.38 (31st)<\/td>\n9.46 (26th)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
High-danger chances against<\/td>\n11.43 (25th)<\/td>\n12.53 (31st)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Save percentage<\/td>\n91.54 (13th)<\/td>\n88.54 (31st)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Power play<\/td>\n22.9 (11th)<\/td>\n26.8 (8th)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Penalty kill<\/td>\n81.6 (8th)<\/td>\n84.2 (8th)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The biggest progressions have been individual, as the Blackhawks\u2019 three most important and potent offensive players \u2014 Bedard, Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Ter\u00e4v\u00e4inen \u2014 have thrived under Sorensen. Bedard jumped from 0.73 points per game to 1.1; Bertuzzi from 0.38 ppg to 0.8 (from five goals in 26 games to 11 in 20, coinciding with his long-awaited elevation to Bedard\u2019s line), and Ter\u00e4v\u00e4inen from 0.46 ppg to 1.05. Clearly, Sorensen\u2019s more aggressive offensive style has suited the most aggressively offensive players.<\/p>\n

As a team, though, the numbers are less flattering. With three points in the last two games, Sorensen now has a better points percentage than Richardson, but it\u2019s still a rather gruesome .375, third-worst in the league in that span. Sorensen\u2019s higher-risk, higher-reward style is having the expected effect, for better and for worse, at five-on-five. Yes, the Blackhawks are scoring more (0.39 more goals per game) but they\u2019re giving up a lot more (0.60 more goals per game). They\u2019re getting more high-danger chances (up 1.06 per game) but giving up more high-danger chances (up 1.1 per game). Not counting empty-netters, seven of Chicago\u2019s 13 losses under Sorensen have come by multiple goals, while only five of Richardson\u2019s 18 did.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting the team save percentage has plummeted since Sorensen took over. Arvid S\u00f6derblom has dropped from .919 to 900, while Petr Mr\u00e1zek has fallen from .905 to a dreadful .864. The Blackhawks certainly are playing looser defensively under Sorensen, but the minor uptick in high-danger scoring chances can\u2019t account for those drops entirely.<\/p>\n

Special teams, meanwhile, have improved marginally, but already were solid under Richardson \u2014 unsurprising, given the assistant coaches have not changed.<\/p>\n

So what does this all mean for Sorensen\u2019s hopes of keeping the job long-term? Well, the odds already were stacked against him, considering the last four Blackhawks coaches also had no NHL head-coaching experience. And there are still 36 games left for Sorensen to make his mark. The significant surge from Bedard certainly plays in Sorensen\u2019s favor, but the Blackhawks likely will have to improve dramatically at both ends of the ice for Sorensen to lock down the job.<\/p>\n

\n

S\u00f6derblom has faced nine shootout attempts in his NHL career. All nine went in.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not ideal.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s also not a Robin Lehner situation, S\u00f6derblom swears.<\/p>\n

Lehner, you\u2019ll remember, was one of the best goaltenders in the league for his 33 appearances with the Blackhawks during the 2019-20 season. But he also was a disaster in shootouts. Always had been. He said the slower nature of the shootouts affected him, and he was better able to act on his instincts during the frantic pace of regulation play.<\/p>\n

S\u00f6derblom, meanwhile, said his abysmal shootout record in the NHL is a fluke, too small a sample size to draw any real conclusions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like that\u2019s just circumstance,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s a part of the game where you have a chance to be the hero as a goalie. You get a chance to be the guy. So historically, I love shootouts, and I\u2019m good at it, usually.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, S\u00f6derblom\u2019s track record in the shootout is pretty spectacular. In his two AHL seasons, he gave up only eight goals on 53 shootout attempts. In his first AHL season, only Charlie Lindgren had a better save percentage than his .875. In his second season, only Yaroslav Askarov had a better save percentage than his .838.<\/p>\n

Losing the shootout in Nashville on Thursday was particularly disappointing for S\u00f6derblom, who had one of the best games of his career with 39 saves in regulation and overtime. He looked particularly confident, challenging shooters and snaring pucks out of the air with a bit of flair we haven\u2019t seen from him before. He said he\u2019s feeling as confident as he ever has in the NHL, earning co-No. 1 status with Mr\u00e1zek after serving as his very clear backup for more than a year.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\"Through<\/p>\n

\n

Arvid S\u00f6derblom makes a glove save against the Predators in overtime. (Steve Roberts \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

S\u00f6derblom said the competition between the two is healthy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs goalies, you\u2019re always going to compete with each other, but you also have that friendship and brotherhood,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re the only ones in here that understand what the other one goes through. It\u2019s an individual sport within the team sport. We\u2019re a bit different from the rest of the team, so it\u2019s important for us to stay together and support each other both in ups and downs. It\u2019s a great team within the team \u2014 the goalies and the goalie coach \u2014 and we always support each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

When he was announced as a starter Saturday night, Seth Jones was greeted with a smattering of boos. When he was announced as the game\u2019s No. 1 star a little less than three hours later after posting a goal and two assists, it was all cheers.<\/p>\n

Jones deferred to the team\u2019s performance when asked multiple times what it meant for him to put together two excellent games in a row after his dreadful minus-4 showing against Calgary. But his teammates knew what it meant.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe played awesome,\u201d Nick Foligno said after the Vegas game. \u201cHe\u2019s a proud guy. He\u2019s a pro. He wants to be a part of this. It\u2019s nice to see him leading the way. When he does, look how much better we are. It\u2019s the reality of the position he holds. It\u2019s a privilege and I think he understands that. You have a lot of emotion, though, too. We\u2019re all human and there\u2019s things you go through throughout the year. It\u2019s hard when you\u2019re not winning and things aren\u2019t the way you want them to be. But he\u2019s found a way to really impact the game the past two, and look at where we\u2019re going with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sorensen said it was Jones\u2019 best game since he took over as interim coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was invested a lot in the game emotionally, seemed to be really into it,\u201d Sorensen said. \u201cHe had some offensive output, but the defensive part of his game was really good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

The Vegas game kicked off a particularly brutal stretch of schedule for the Blackhawks \u2014\u00a0eight straight games against teams currently in the top three in their divisions. Oddly enough, though, the Blackhawks frequently have been at their best against the league\u2019s best. Of their 15 wins, nine have come against teams harboring legitimate hopes of a deep playoff run \u2014\u00a0Edmonton, Colorado (twice), Los Angeles, Minnesota, Florida, Dallas, Washington and Vegas.<\/p>\n

Carolina is up next Monday night at the United Center. The Blackhawks are coming off two strong efforts in a row, so they\u2019ll need to keep playing up to their opponent\u2019s level in order to find sustained success for the first time all season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got to build off that, though, right?\u201d Sorensen said. \u201cThat\u2019s got to be the biggest thing for our group \u2014 stacking shifts, stacking periods and stacking games together. Multiple sequences of that is going to be the key.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Has Sorensen\u2019s hiring made a difference? 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