Blackhawks Taylor Hall Returns vs Florida: Connor Bedard Back on Line With Nick Foligno, Philipp Kurashev

Veteran Blackhawks winger Taylor Hall, on injured reserve dating to Oct. 21 with a shoulder injury, will return to the Blackhawks lineup on Saturday against the Florida Panthers.

Goal-starved Chicago, at 3-6-0, could use a boost from a healthy Hall, the 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner who turns 32 on Nov. 14. The Blackhawks have scored 19 times while allowing 32 goals against.

Connor Bedard is again set to center Nick Foligno and Philipp Kurashev as the Blackhawks host Stanley Cup finalist Florida, then the New Jersey Devils and NHL leading scorer Jack Hughes on Sunday at the United Center in a rare home back-to-back set.

See Saturday's lineup explanation from Chicago coach Luke Richardson in the following video.

Richardson said rookie defenseman Alex Vlasic is making progress in concussion protocol and could play as early as Sunday. The 6-foot-6 Vlasic was impressive and Chicago's plus/minus leader until being hurt on a hit by Brett Howden in Vegas on Oct. 27.

Hall was acquired just before the 2023 NHL Draft to work with Bedard. He started the season on left wing on a line with the 18-year-old rookie center. 

Hall is a former No. 1 draft pick himself (2010, Edmonton). He clicked on a line with New Jersey's Nico Hischier, the 2017 top draft pick, while with the Devils in 2017-18 en route to winning the Hart.

But Richardson has liked what he's seen from the Foligno-Bedard-Kuraschev combo, even after an 8-1 drubbing by the Coyotes in Arizona on Monday.

Hal has been nagged by a shoulder injury since the second game of the season. He first suffered it on punishing hit by Bruins defenseman Brando Carlo in Boston on Oct. 11, then tried to come back two games later. 

That was too soon, Hall said, and he went on IR after the team's home opener against Vegas on Oct. 21.

"I certainly don't want to have this happen again," he added. "I just want to make sure everything is good. It's not easy coming back from an injury on a back-to-back, too. See video.

Here were Richardson's lines and defense pairings for Saturday. As expected, Lukas Reichel, the 2020 first-round draft pick without a point in nine games (see our story) was shifted to left wing.

F1. Nick Foligno-Connor Bedard-Philipp Kurashev 

F2. Lukas Reichel-Andreas Athanasiou-Taylor Raddysh 

F3. Taylor Hall- Jason Dickinson-Tyler Johnson 

F4.  Ryan Donato-McKenzie Entwistle-Corey Perry 

Extras Boris Katchouk-Reese Johnson-Colin Blackwell 

D1. Kevin Korchinski-Seth Jones 

D2. Jarred Tinordi-Connor Murphy 

D3. Wyatt Kaiser-Nikita Zaitsev 

Extras: Alex Vlasic-Isaak Phillips. Vlasic is still in concussion protocol and not expected to play earlier than Sunday.

Petr Mrazek (starter) /Arvid Söderblom