Chicago Blackhawks practice was a few skaters light at Fifth Third Arena on Wednesday. Teuvo Teräväinen and Alec Martinez took maintenance days, and Jason Dickinson was listed out with an “illness” — not what you’d expect after he grabbed his right arm in pain after getting hit with a shot during Monday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. “He’s sick, actually,” said Hawks interim coach Anders Sorensen, adding that Dickinson’s arm is fine. “He’s home sick.” What’s not fine was how the Hurricanes buzzed around while the Hawks struggled to keep up. “The pace was the biggest thing” the Hawks worked on in practice, Sorensen said. “Getting up and down the ice and executing at pace.” Here are three other things we learned. 1. One key for Petr Mrázek: Be less aggressive. Petr Mrázek of the Chicago Blackhawks tends the net against the Carolina Hurricanes at the United Center on Jan. 20, 2025. (Luke Hales/Getty Images) It sounds counterintuitive, but Mrázek made the adjustment at the behest of goalie coach Jimmy Waite. “I’m not as aggressive as I used to be,” Mrázek told the Tribune. “I’m more in the blue paint waiting for the game to develop. “I can read the play better from there, and then I can be aggressive later on.” Mrázek said working with Waite has changed his game, and he trusts him. “Over the three years I think we developed a really good relationship on the ice and off the ice,” he said. “I’m sure (Arvid Söderblom) could tell you as well, that you can see the progress. “Every day, if you do video or we’re working things on the ice, those things make sense and make you feel really comfortable during the game.” Sorensen added about Waite, “When you’re working with two guys that naturally happens, but it seems like they’re really on the same page in a lot of conversations that I’m overhearing. “So it’s all positive.” At first blush, it appears that Mrázek’s numbers were a bit better around this time last season. Here are his goals-against averages and save percentages through his first 28 games in his three seasons in Chicago. 2024-25: 3.26 GAA, .896 SV% 2023-24: 3.17 GAA, .903 SV% 2022-23: 3.83 GAA, .890 SV% But this season and in 2022-23, Mrázek’s rhythm was affected by groin injuries. In the latter season, his 28th appearance didn’t come until Feb. 27. This season it came Jan. 20, and last season it was Jan. 11. Mrázek missed five games in December and it has taken several starts to regain his form. “I’ve been feeling really good the last couple of games,” he said. “It always takes a little time when you come from your injury, or (if) you’re all over the place in net, you’re trying to test the groin, if you feel good.” The Hurricanes, Mrázek’s former team, had him all over the net Monday: He faced a season-high 48 shots. “Carolina, they like to put pucks on net, they like to crash the net,” he said. “They put the pucks deep and that’s where they create offense from.” In this case, a less aggressive style helped him deal with the Canes’ high shot volume. “I feel like when you save energy — you’re not all over the place, and you just wait until the puck comes to you — then you save energy and you can face as many shots as it gets,” Mrázek said. “So physically it was really good, and mentally as well.” 2. The Hawks are hunting for solutions to protect leads. Philipp Kurashev of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrates a goal with teammates against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period at the United Center on Jan. 20, 2025. (Luke Hales/Getty Images) Monday was the 27th time the Hawks scored first, but they fell to an 11-13-3 record in those games with the overtime loss to the Hurricanes. Their .407 winning percentage when scoring first is the league’s worst. So is the 18 times they’ve allowed an opponent a come-from-behind win, according to More Hockey Stats. Most of them (13) have been one-goal leads. The Hawks are trying to figure out how to win close games — and it starts in the second period, where the goal differential jumps from minus-1 in the first to minus-14 in the second. “We have to put the pucks deep,” Mrázek said. “Especially in the second period, we turn the puck over too much in the neutral zone. We don’t create much offense the last couple games in the second period. “So I think that’s the turning point, where the teams start feeling that they have a chance to come back. And I think we just have to play smart and play for the team and don’t make turnovers or mistakes or bad changes. So those are small details that we need to fix. Sorensen said the Hawks played better in the second period against the Hurricanes after making some adjustments. “(We’re) trying to defend on the front of our foot, meaning trying to defend higher up on the ice, trying to … get on the forecheck more and recognizing those situations when there are opportunities to do that, versus trying to make a play,” he said. “So that’s an emphasis of ours lately here.” The Hawks third-period differential drops to minus-22. 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But we have to be better on that, for sure,” he said. 3. Expecting a breakthrough game for Frank Nazar? Through 18 games, Frank Nazar’s expected goals per 60 minutes is 0.73, the third-highest on the Hawks, according to Natural Stat Trick. However, he has just one goal under his ledger with a lot of close calls. “I thought last game he was one of our better forwards in terms of creating chances and being around the puck,” Sorensen said. “His skating is noticeable when he’s working off the puck and that’s something we’ve talked (about to) him a lot … so it’s trending the right way. “His expected goals for himself is high. He hasn’t capitalized on some of them but he’s been getting those opportunities, and that’s really important.”