Lafferty exited the game early on Nov. 23 against the Dallas Stars after suffering an upper-body injury. Head coach Luke Richardson stated that the 27-year-old forward will not be out long term but has already missed three games.
Within his last few games played, Richardson stated that he wanted Lafferty to use more of his speed by playing a more aggressive and physical style, especially on the team's penalty kill unit. Before his exit against the Stars, the first-year coach felt like things were beginning to click for the third liner.
"I think it was just maybe more is clicking and him feeling confident in doing that," Richardson said. "He's a big part of the penalty kill too, so that would be nice to have him back."
One of the key pieces the Blackhawks are missing with Lafferty gone is taking over the faceoff circles during the team's penalty kill unit. Players like Jason Dickinson has taken over the role since his absence, however, Richardson feels this cause the over usage of one player.
For Dickinson, this allows other teammates to step up and showcase their 'next man up' mentality. With more opportunities, they still find it challenging to find one player to fill that hole while Lafferty is out.
"It's been it's been pretty good lately, but he's obviously a hole that needs to be filled by multiple guys instead of a job that he could do," Dickinson said. I think whenever a guy goes down, it's an opportunity for somebody else to step up. If you're able to look at yourself and say, 'now's a chance to take this opportunity', then somebody will find it or it'll take a couple guys to do it."
Although it allows others to step up, Richardson agreed that even though his role might not be viewed as a large role, it can still affect the entire team.
"One absence whether you think it's little or not, it trickles around the team and affects the game," Richardson said.
