Teravainen steps up play while Blackhawks continue to struggle

CHICAGO (AP) — 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 Dickinson, one of Teravainen's linemates.

“I feel I try to bring a level of calmness out there, but he brings another level that like once he gets it, I'm like ‘Ah, OK, he’ll make a play. We'll be OK,'” Dickinson said.

Shrugging off a slow start, Teravainen has 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' surprising 5-3 victory over Vegas on Saturday night.

Next up for Teravainen is Monday night's game against Carolina, his former team. Teravainen, who was selected for Finland's roster for next month's 4 Nations Face-Off, played for the Hurricanes for eight seasons before agreeing to a $16.2 million, three-year contract with the Blackhawks in free agency.

“Just a lot of good memories,” Teravainen said, looking back on his time with Carolina. “We had the same group of guys there I feel like for a long time, so I get to know them really good. A lot of Finns over there at the time, too, so it was fun.”

Teravainen was once considered one of Chicago’s top prospects. He was selected in the first round of the 2012 draft and made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks in 2014.

He helped the Blackhawks win the 2015 Stanley Cup, but he was traded to Carolina in June 2016 to entice the Hurricanes to take Bryan Bickell’s contract off the Blackhawks’ salary cap.

Teravainen turned into a strong complementary forward in Carolina, benefiting from the Hurricanes' aggressive style. He scored a career-high 25 goals and registered 28 assists in his final season with the team. He had a career-best 55 assists during the 2018-19 season.

“He was a great Hurricane for us,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “I think the skill level, he's one of the more talented players. ... Whatever the situation you put him in, he's probably the smartest guy out there.”

Teravainen has skated in the playoffs in eight of his 12 NHL seasons, but he hasn't made it back to the Stanley Cup since his rookie year. Carolina lost in the Eastern Conference Final in 2019 and 2023.

Teravainen described the Hurricanes as “a high pressure team.”

“They're trying to make the other team make some mistakes,” he said, “and whenever they get those turnovers, they're going to make you pay. When you do it over and over, it's going to be tough to play against.”

Teravainen struggled at the beginning of his Chicago sequel. He had three goals and three assists in a span of 25 games before his recent run. He has been helped of late by playing on a line with the steady Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev.

“With this line, we've been playing some really good games,” he said. “I feel like we're finding some tough matchups, but we're doing a pretty good job against the top lines.”

While Teravainen has picked up his play, Chicago is well on its way to another losing season. It is just 7-16-1 in its last 24 games heading into the matchup with Carolina.

But Teravainen's value for the Blackhawks goes beyond his numbers.

“His poise stands out. ... Yeah, he's really good there and can handle pressure,” interim coach Anders Sorensen said. “He's assertive and knows where pressure's coming from and he puts his body into good spots, so he's able to control the puck in those situations. Yeah, he's a good example for young guys to learn how to kind of deal with those situations.”

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