It had been nearly three months since Vinnie Hinostroza had been a healthy scratch.
But against the Coyotes and Stars last week, coach Joel Quenneville decided to sit the rookie forward who admitted his game was slipping.
“I was getting away from how I was playing,” Hinostroza said. “I was playing pretty well then I stopped making plays for whatever reason.”
But Quenneville decided Hinostroza had sat long enough and is likely turning to him again on Wednesday in one of the Hawks’ biggest games of the season against the Wild at Xcel Energy Center.
Hinostroza said his biggest problem was one that plagued him earlier in the season when he sat – that he was getting rid of the puck too quickly and not trying to make plays with it.
“I stopped using my speed,” Hinostroza said. “I was getting really frustrated. I watched those last two games closely and did clips with the coaches on what was working for me earlier in the year and what I need to get back to doing to make the team successful.”
Hinostroza said he was watched the Hawks’ last two games “closely” and reviewed video clips with the coach staff of plays he made earlier in the season.
“Especially in your rookie year, sometimes those are nice to learn from and I definitely have seen a lot the last few games,” Hinostroza said. “It’s a mental reset and I feel rejuvenated.”
Quenneville had Hinostroza playing on the fourth line with Ryan Hartman and Tanner Kero.
chine@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @ChristopherHine
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