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Taylor Hall can empathize with Connor Bedard\u2019s sophomore slump. The Chicago Blackhawks forward remembers his own like it was yesterday.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy second year, I had three goals after 17 games,\u201d Hall told the Tribune on Monday, comparing his scoring lag in 2011-12 with the Edmonton Oilers to Bedard\u2019s three goals in this season\u2019s first 21 games.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s probably cemented in Hall\u2019s memory because in his 18th game, on Nov. 19, 2011, at Rexall Place, he burst out with his second career hat trick.<\/p>\n
Against the Hawks, naturally.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ended the year at, like, a half-goal-a-game clip and had some good totals,\u201d Hall said, \u201cand I felt that I had a pretty good season, even though it was shortened due to injury.\u201d<\/p>\n
One reason the Hawks traded with the Boston Bruins for Hall two summers ago is that, as a fellow former No. 1 draft pick, he can relate to and mentor Bedard.\u00a0But their ice time together has been negligible.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s likely to change Wednesday against the Dallas Stars.<\/p>\n
Hall and Philipp Kurashev joined Bedard on the top line at practice Monday, and coach Luke Richardson plans to deploy that lineup for the first time this season after trying Bedard with Hall and Teuvo Ter\u00e4v\u00e4inen on Saturday during a 3-2 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought Taylor skated really well last game and had some opportunities and played a little bit with Connor the second half of the game,\u201d Richardson said. \u201cKurshy had a good practice today. We talked to him about (having a) more take-charge attitude. He did it today in practice, so that\u2019s a good day, good first sign.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hall said the line should have plenty of skill.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just about us being able to get pucks back and check well and do the proper things in our (defensive) zone to collect pucks and move in transition,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Bedard told the Tribune he\u2019s \u201cexcited\u201d to play more with Hall.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s someone that likes to make a lot of plays, and obviously that\u2019s fun hockey to play,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Hawks tried the trio in a couple of games last season when they jumbled the lines in the third period against the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 15 and against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 9. Hall played in just 10 games last season because of knee and shoulder injuries.<\/p>\n He and Bedard have something else in common: Bedard has gone 12 games without a goal, and Hall\u2019s drought has reached 13 games.<\/p>\n The Hawks have gone through seemingly every conceivable combination to get Bedard going, but Hall said there\u2019s more to consider for a team that ranks second-to-last with 2.33 goals per game.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not all about getting Connor going,\u201d Hall said. \u201cThe whole thing doesn\u2019t revolve around Connor. We have a lot of guys on our team that are trying to find their game, and he\u2019s one of them. I\u2019m one of them. There\u2019s a lot of guys.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Bedard seemed despondent while addressing reporters Friday, saying: \u201cYou just feel like you don\u2019t have it or whatever, and you lose a bit of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n Hall, 33, isn\u2019t indifferent to Bedard\u2019s plight and the role he could play, saying they\u2019ve \u201chad a couple chats in the last few games.\u201d He also has texted Bedard with advice, which the 19-year-old can read in his own time, digest it and discuss it with Hall the next day if he wants.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s going to be slumps and there\u2019s going to be good times and there\u2019s going to be bad times,\u201d Hall said. \u201cThere\u2019s going to be times where the puck seems to follow you around and you\u2019re playing well.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then there\u2019s times where it seems like everything\u2019s going against you and you just can\u2019t find the back of the net. You can\u2019t make the plays that seemed so easy four or five days ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Hall said Bedard probably is overanalyzing his game and putting too much pressure on himself \u2014 because Hall has done it too.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got to be easier on himself, give himself a little bit of leash,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t be too critical because you wouldn\u2019t want to be critical (of) someone else, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Richardson agreed.<\/p>\n \u201cMost people are harder on themselves than everybody else is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He added that Bedard should play more simply, take a page from Lukas Reichel and what his line has been doing lately.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re moving the puck quickly, not holding on to it too long, and just trying to get the legs going, feet moving, pucks at the net,\u201d Richardson said. \u201cWe could use that from everybody, but Connor is a young guy and I think simple is sometimes better than trying to make something happen out of nothing and you just stay frustrated.\u201d<\/p>\n Hall said he gives Bedard similar counsel to what veterans once gave him at that age, and there are things Bedard can do on and off the ice to help turn things around.<\/p>\n On the other hand, Hall said Bedard has to devote as much attention and energy to his off-ice world as he does practice.\u00a0That can be a tough ask for a rink rat like Bedard, but Hall is insistent.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to relax and let your body recover and mentally get a break from it,\u201d he said. \u201cI know he loves hockey, probably watches a lot of hockey, maybe too much.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes it\u2019s just about finding a balance in your life, too, away from the rink, that can help you come back to the rink and it\u2019s fresher and it\u2019s more fun. Maybe you just kind of forget about what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n Bedard said he values the perspective Hall brings.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been probably the guy I\u2019ve gone to most for stuff, (if) I had questions or whatever, just because we\u2019ve been in the same situation with him being a first overall pick,\u201d Bedard said. \u201cThe magnitude was similar because (it was a) big market he was in, in Canada.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he has something to tell me, or if I have a question, then it\u2019s good to have a guy that kind of knows what it\u2019s like to be in your shoes a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t hurt that Hall is trying to dig out of a slump himself.<\/p>\n \u201cEven after 15 years,\u201d he said, \u201cI\u2019m still trying to get better at self-improvement and just being able to get yourself out of slumps and get yourself out of some habits that maybe have crept in.\u201d<\/p>\n He said he, Bedard or anyone else should focus on the small habits \u2014 winning battles, stealing pucks, placing yourself in the right position \u2014 and those habits, done consistently, eventually will lead to making plays and getting yourself back on track.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look at my production for the year and it\u2019s (crappy),\u201d Hall said, \u201cbut I feel like I\u2019m skating well and playing hard and doing some really good things defensively. So I\u2019m going to stick with that.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got to take my own advice sometimes, right?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Chicago Blackhawks veteran Taylor Hall has been mentoring Connor Bedard through his offensive struggles: \u201cHe\u2019s got to be easier on himself, give himself a little bit of leash.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4423,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chicago-blackhawks"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Taylor](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/CTC-L-HAWKS-BEDARD-1126_78a284.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1\")
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