Hurting Marian Hossa visits Hawks locker room earlier Monday

Marian Hossa’s game jersey hung in his empty locker stall as the last of the Blackhawks players were finishing up their final postgame interviews of the season Monday night.

It was a reminder for whom the Blackhawks were trying to win their quarterfinal series. And it was also a reminder that their teammate, who stopped by the United Center on Monday morning, may have awhile to go to recuperate from the vicious hit he took from Raffi Torres in Game 3.

“He hasn’t felt very well at all,” Hawks coach Joel Quennevile admitted after the Hawks’ 4-1 loss. “It was his first day out of the house. He’s not doing a lot.

“Hopefully he progresses.”

Making his point:

Three points in his last three games has boosted the confidence of Blackhawks forward Michael Frolik.

And the 24-year-old admits he needed it ... badly.

“It’s about the confidence,” Frolik said. “I didn’t have that confidence in the regular season. “I got a couple of lucky bounces (in the playoffs); I didn’t have those during the regular season. It’s a nice feeling.

Frolik had just 5 goals in 63 regular-season games but already has 2 goals in three playoff contests.

“Getting those lucky bounces, the confidence goes higher, for sure,” he said.

“His speed is very noticeable,” said Hawks coach Joel Quenneville. “I thought last year he elevated his game in the Vancouver series. He’s doing that here now.”

Hard to contain:

Rookie Andrew Shaw admitted he had a tough time watching the latter stages of Game 5 in Glendale, Ariz., on Saturday night.

A loss and the season was over. A win and Shaw, who was suspended for three games for his hit on Coyotes goalie Mike Smith in Game 2, would get to return to the ice Monday night.

“When the boys scored in overtime there, I was hooting and hollering around the (locker) room and just excited to get another chance to play in the playoffs,” said Shaw, who nearly had a goal in the first period Monday during a 2-on-1 rush with Patrick Kane.

Equipment malfunction:

The last time the Coyotes spent some time at the United Center, Brandon Bollig and Paul Bissonnette tossed paws in Game 3. After the scrap, Bissonnette was booted from the game for failing to have his jersey properly tied down.

What was up with that?

“I don’t know if he forgot or if he always does that or what,” Bollig said. “I don’t know what he was thinking.

“I have no clue if he did it to get an advantage. I would imagine he just forgot. If he did it to gain an advantage, I don’t agree with that.”

He said it:

“If we don’t have ice bags on after the game, we didn’t play hard enough.”

— Phoenix coach Dave Tippett, whose team entered Game 6 having blocked nearly 30 percent of the Blackhawks shots in this series.