Teuvo Teravainen has been a calming presence for the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks in the first season of his second stint with the team.

Connor Bedard put the Chicago Blackhawks on the board, but it was Landon Slaggert who gave them the only lead they’d need.

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.

The Blackhawks could expedite their painstaking rebuilding process and be significant players in free agency this summer.

CHICAGO — Blackhawks forward Tyler Bertuzzi blocked Dmitry Orlov’s shot and then took the puck off his stick before contorting his body to get around the Carolina defenseman. Taking the puck ...

CHICAGO — Teuvo Teravainen has been a calming presence for the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks in the first season of his second stint with the team. In a noticeable way, according to Jason ...

Teuvo Teravainen ... been one of Chicago's best players for the past month. The 30-year-old winger has four goals and 16 assists in his last 16 games. He had two assists in the Blackhawks ...

The Chicago Blackhawks were still smarting a bit Saturday from a couple of letdowns the night before. Not only did they lose to the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in overtime — after leading 3-1 — but they also felt the absence of forward Taylor Hall,

Has Sorensen’s hiring made a difference? What does it all mean for his hopes of keeping the Blackhawks head coaching job going forward?

Landon Slaggert’s offensive game isn’t all that nuanced. To the Chicago Blackhawks forward, scoring goals is pretty much black-and-white. Or, better yet, blue. “Just getting to the blue paint,” he said hours before he was set to make his NHL season debut Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The 30-year-old winger is up to 11 goals, 34 points, 73 shots on net and a minus-14 rating through 50 appearances. His ice time has risen recently as he settles into a second-line role.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka each had a hat trick and an assist to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 7-2 win against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night. Thompson and Peterka became the first pair to score a hat trick in the same game for the Sabres since 2008.