CHICAGO -- What David Rundblad does with the puck often determines whether he’ll be on ice for the Chicago Blackhawks.
When Rundblad’s moving the puck with precision and quickness and shooting it, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville rewards him with ice time. When the puck is stopping with Rundblad, Quenneville just won’t have it, and it’s then that Rundblad either ends up on the bench, or, worse, upstairs in a suite as a healthy scratch.
Rundblad has been doing exactly what Quenneville wants the last two games, and it’s no coincidence Rundblad was given the most ice time he’s ever received with the Blackhawks. He played 17:14, which was a season-high, against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday and set a new season high of 19:27 against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
Rundblad’s recent success can be attributed him to being more aggressive. He came out against the Maple Leafs and wasn’t timid about shooting. He had two quality shots on net before finally capitalizing with a first-period goal, which was just the second of his career and first with the Blackhawks.
“I felt pretty good,” Rundblad said. “Just felt like I was more aggressive, moving the puck quick. Just more into the game, I guess.”
Quenneville called it Rundblad’s best game of the season.
“I thought he had way more whether it was more intensity, emotion,” Quenneville said. “Obviously scoring helps, but I thought his gap was good, in the puck area with more authority. Just seemed like he had more presence out there. I think he had real good patience, play recognition when the puck is on stick. That was nice to see.”
Being in and out of the lineup hasn’t helped Rundblad. He’s played in 16 games and been a healthy scratch for 19 games. Although he has been in and out of the lineup, he hasn’t been a liability on the defensive end. He’s been on the ice for 10 goals for and two goals against in 5-on-5 situations. He also has a 56.3 Corsi percentage.
Rundblad knows what the coaching staff is looking from him.
“I think they’re just like move the puck way quicker, just be a little more aggressive, not hitting people, but using my stick and moving quick to the puck,” Rundblad said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. It’s just the small details in my game.
“Of course, I’m trying to think like that. I don’t know. I’ve been trying to work on that all season. I think it’s paying off a little bit.”
Quenneville hopes it continues to do so.
“That’s the standard,” Quenneville said. “I think he can move off of those levels as well, which would be a real nice addition to the way we’ve been playing.”