There’s no sugarcoating it: Teuvo Teravainen has not had the reunion he envisioned with the Chicago Blackhawks. He is on pace for 42 points this season (currently has 16 points in 31 games), which is fine. But he has had a frustrating start that has been streaky more than anything. He started hot and then fizzled a bit. But something changed on Dec. 15 in the Blackhawks’ 5-3 win over the New York Islanders, where he recorded three points in one of his best games of the season.
What is significant about that game involves Teravainen’s journey up to this point. He recently talked about his offensive struggles. Now, it seems the tides may be turning.
Teravainen’s Lack of Confidence Showed
This season has been tough for the Blackhawks, but November was a revelation. They became the worst team in the NHL, the Blackhawks were “desperate” to find solutions on offense, as stated by former head coach Luke Richardson, and things looked bleaker than a winter graveyard in a season where things were supposed to be moving forward, not backward.
Teravainen spoke with Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times on Nov. 20 and discussed the team’s dipping confidence and frustration levels. But he also mentioned how it affected him, saying, “I’ve got to work harder or something. I’m chasing the game a lot. [My] confidence is just getting lower and lower — like everybody, I feel like — but it’s just how it is.”
When he made those comments, he had two points in his last 14 games, and it showed. He was invisible for a lot of games. Teravainen does play more of a quiet game by nature; it’s not flashy, but even for him, it was concerning.
What made it more concerning is that he was signed in free agency to be a top-six option to play with Connor Bedard, and for the most part, the top-six has been his home in the lineup. Yet, it wasn’t clicking. However, interim head coach Anders Sorensen recently decided to switch things up. Teravainen got moved to the fourth line with Pat Maroon and Lukas Reichel when they faced the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 14. Then, when Foligno had to sit out of the Islanders game (illness), Teravainen was moved to the third line with Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev.
Teravainen has played on the third line with Dickinson and Foligno before, but for whatever reason, that third-line combination with Mikheyev played a big part in the team’s win against the Isles.
New Line Look for Teravainen Hopes to Right Ship
Against the Islanders, that third line had the highest Corsi for on the team (10) and generated a goal.
For Teravainen, he had three points that game (1 goal, 2 assists). His lone goal came on the power play. It looked like one of his most complete games where he was a factor on all ends of the ice, and that is what the Blackhawks hoped to see from him. He hadn’t recorded a game with three-plus points since the Blackhawks defeated the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 12, in which he had four points.
After his big game, Teravainen said, “Yeah, it’s good. Whenever you can help the team to win the game, and I just feel like the puck was bouncing pretty good for me and our line today. Just a good effort by our line, I think.”
When discussing the new system under Sorensen, he said, “I think we are getting better and better. Just of course learning all the time, just getting that pressure and the timing. I think it’s paying off.”
It is amazing to see what a four-week difference makes. From Teravainen sounding dejected and baffled to now sounding content and encouraged. Confidence plays a big role in NHL production; sometimes, you need puck luck to get the ball rolling. His game was not only needed for the team but for himself, as well. He even got the team belt afterward.
The Blackhawks will likely try that third line again against the Washington Capitals tonight (Dec. 17), hoping for similar results. It’s hard to make conclusions after one outing, but it is at least a starting point.
Related: Projected Lineups for the Capitals vs Blackhawks – 12/17/24
Funny enough, Teravainen went through something similar in 2016, where he started top-six with the Blackhawks and then got demoted to the third line with Andrew Desjardins and Phillip Danault, with great results. Moreover, he isn’t immune to playing all over the lineup from his time with the Carolina Hurricanes, too.
Sometimes, history can repeat itself in a positive way, and hopefully, the Islanders game was a good omen of what is to come for Teravainen.
