Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill has clearly worried less about letting expletives slip into his interviews lately.
His latest curse came Tuesday morning — before the Hawks' 2-1 win over the Kings — when quoting actor Robert Downey Jr., who once described his response to feedback from directors as, "Listen, smile, agree, and then do whatever the [bleep] you were gonna do anyway."
"There’s reality in that," Blashill said, relating it to Hawks players. "They have to go out and...not think, 'What does Blash want me to do?' You have to play based on how you've been trained by us. That's kind of your instincts. Then we'll coach you when you come back."
The right balance of trusting instincts versus following directions is different for every player, too. Artyom Levshunov, for example, tends to play better when he's leaning toward the former and letting his instincts take over.
Oliver Moore is also searching for that balance.
"I know I have an identity that I want to play to. I've found that," Moore said Tuesday. "But it's just [about] reminding myself of that. That'll make hockey feel like a little bit less thinking and more just flowing and playing."
One bad habit the Hawks are still trying to coach out of Moore is his tendency to attempt passes in the offensive zone that would lead to dangerous scoring chances if they reached their target — but that have extremely low probability of actually reaching that target.
He tried one such so-called "hope play" last week during the first period against the Canadiens. In that case, it was a behind-the-back backhand pass into the slot, hoping to hit Ryan Greene.
But there were two Canadiens players in the way who easily intercepted the puck and ended the Hawks' offensive-zone cycle. The Canadiens ended up scoring later on that shift.
When Moore was healthy-scratched Sunday against the Panthers, that lowlight was a key part of the instructional video he watched.
"Your eyes get lit up if you see a play going into the slot...[and] I think I'm a player who can make plays," Moore said. "But I just have to find a better balance."
Blashill said he thought Moore had actually been playing well overall before Sunday, but he decided a message had to be sent — to Moore and the entire team — about not "beating themselves."
Moore returned to the Hawks' lineup Tuesday and found immediate chemistry on a new line with Frank Nazar and Patrick Kane. They dominated most of their shifts against the Kings, out-shooting them 10-1.
"[Moore and Nazar] can create so much with their speed," Kane said. "We had couple zone entries where we’re pushing their 'D' back, and it creates space for that next layer."
Said Blashill: "The credit I give to Oliver [is], every time I talk to anybody that's been around him, they always rave about him. Because he's that kind of person. He's so self-accountable, yet he's super comfortable in his own skin, too. He can shake [mistakes] off and go back it."
Moore was on the ice for Wyatt Kaiser's game-winning goal but didn't earn a point on it, leaving him stuck on two goals and one assist in 11 games this season.
Despite Moore's lack of box-score productivity, his speed always makes him noticeable. He has taken strides (pun intended) when it comes to learning how to utilize it effectively.
"I've done a better job getting into areas to use my speed, picking out holes," Moore said. "There's been examples of that. Off the rush, I've been better knowing when to make play and when not to.
"But just in the 'O'-zone, if I can continue to use my feet down there and make it hard on teams, that's the growth I want to see."
