Oliver Moore looked incredible at center with Teuvo Teravainen and Nick Lardis on the wing.
On Tuesday, the Chicago Blackhawks ended the calendar year of 2025 with a shootout loss to the New York Islanders. The Hawks battled back from down 0-2 to earn a standings point, but they didn’t score a shootout goal and skated home without the extra point.
The biggest positive takeaway from the game was the line of Oliver Moore centering Teuvo Teravainen and Nick Lardis. This trio is largely responsible for getting the game tied and gave the team a chance to win.
This line has a bit of everything. Moore and Lardis are rookies who started the season with the Rockford IceHogs, but they look completely comfortable with a good veteran like Teravainen.
Moore playing center is noteworthy. That was his natural position at the University of Minnesota, but he’s exclusively played on the wing as a pro. Although it was only one game, he seems to benefit from playing down the middle of the ice.
"I felt good," Moore said of playing center. "I played it for most of my life. It's something that was an easy adjustment."
Moore had two primary assists, and each of his wingers scored a goal. His assist on Teravainen's goal came at even strength, and his assist on Lardis's goal came on the power play. His speed played a big factor in creating all sorts of chances.
"That was the best game Ollie’s played hands down," Jeff Blashill said of Oliver Moore's performance. "Was it because we moved him to center? Maybe."
Blashill also alluded to Moore playing center allowing him to be more creative and smart with his speed. It is a natural gift to be that fast, and having the middle of the ice to his disposal allows him to make big plays as he did against the Islanders, whether it's at even strength or on the power play.
Teravainen and Lardis are a great duo offensively because of their special talents. This was their first time playing together, and it clicked right away.
"I thought it was great, I thought we generated a lot," Lardis said of playing with Moore and Teravainen. "We had a lot of good looks. Sometimes, we got a little unlucky. We generated well, we scored the two goals, I thought our chemistry built throughout the game."
Going back to Moore's speed, it is nice to have that coming down the middle if you're an offensive-minded winger like Lardis or Teravainen.
"He's faster than me, so he kind of pushes me to keep up with him," Lardis said of Moore. "He's so good off the rush. It's a lot of fun to play with him."
Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar, the team's top two centers are already out with injury. Jason Dickinson, the third center on the team, is questionable for the game on Thursday against the Dallas Stars. With that, Moore could be the top line center with this line.
It's less than ideal for the Blackhawks to have that many good centers out, but it is a great opportunity for this line to continue building chemistry.
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