It's just the hockey mentality

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - When Brian Campbell returned two weeks early from a broken collarbone for Game 4 of the Nashville series with the Blackhawks down 2-1, he said it was because the team needed him.

It's what hockey players do.

That's why Jordan Staal was in Pittsburgh's lineup Thursday against Montreal just five days after undergoing foot surgery to repair a severed tendon.

"I guess when you play this much with all these guys you want to be back helping everybody and being a part of it," Campbell said Friday. "For me, I felt I owed it to the organization. They've done a lot for me and I felt like I owed it to them to get back as quickly as I could to help out."

Campbell has meant a lot to the Hawks back on defense and is averaging 19 minutes of ice time.

"He came in at the right time in the Nashville series when it looked like we were having a lot of trouble in our own end," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "He gives us cleaner exits, more puck possession and more of a threat off the rush.

"His offense from the back end really helps our puck possession game and controlling the play a little more."

Campbell finally feels he is back at or near 100 percent.

"I wanted to come back, but I really didn't want to get hurt again," he said. "I had to be really careful the first few games, honestly. I was prancing around out there, and I really wasn't comfortable until this series taking a hit."