Coach Jeff Blashill is bringing a competitive and scrappy Chicago Blackhawks team to Tampa Bay with a chip on its shoulder.
While the Hawks (3-2-2) will be looking for their fourth victory in five games Thursday against the Lightning (5:45 p.m., Hulu, ESPN+), Blashill also reiterated his warm feelings for the team for which he spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach.
“I had an unbelievable experience over my three years there,” Blashill said. “We didn’t win enough come playoff time, but it doesn’t downplay the experience I had.
“It’s a great city. I love the group that I worked with there, the coaching staff, the trainers, the equipment managers (and) everybody involved.”
The Lightning were coming off three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances, including championships in 2020 and ‘21, when coach Jon Cooper hired Blashill to his staff in July 2022. They went 138-86-22 during Blashill’s three seasons as an assistant, losing in the first round of the playoffs each year.
As the Hawks look to continue exceeding early expectations, the Lightning (1-3-2) haven’t played their best hockey to start the season.
Still, they’re talented enough to kick into another gear at any point. Blashill knows this as much as anyone.
“You have some of the best power-play guys in their particular positions in the league,” Blashill said of the Lightning during training camp. “I thought (Lightning assistant coach) Jeff Halpern did a great job as a coach. … They have some really, really good players.”
Blashill has some surging players of his own. Connor Bedard recorded his seventh point of the season Sunday, assisting on Ryan Donato’s overtime goal against the Anaheim Ducks while also showing his ability to angle his shots.
“He’s got such a good shot that it’s really hard to smother those shots, so there’s definitely rebounds,” Blashill said of Bedard. “He’s a great passer, but I like that he gives that shot vitality because it creates some chaos as well.”
It would be a huge gain for the Hawks if they can come out of Benchmark International Arena with a victory. Regardless of the result, Blashill won’t take the return for granted.
“I get to see my family, so that’s nice,” he said. “We’re going (to Tampa) to win a hockey game, but I don’t want to downplay the fact that I’m going to see my family and see great friends.”