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Blackhawks’ Bickell no longer pressing

“It’s nice scoring, but most importantly it’s nice to score when you win,” Bickell said after Saturday’s 5-3 loss to Minnesota. “It’s nice to score whenever, but it’s nice to get the 2 points.”

Bickell admits he was pressing to start the season, armed with a new $4 million contract and playing on the top line with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, and Quenneville was quick to recognize it.

“It probably helps in that he has been playing in that role he is accustomed to,” Quenneville said. “Less trying to make plays and more just putting pucks on the net. He’s got a heavy shot and can beat goalies with it.

“You’re not against the top line, you’re not against the best pairing on defense, so there’s a little bit of room out there. Hopefully he can continue to take advantage of that.”

To the box:Jonathan Toews already has 12 minutes in penalties after accumulating just 27 last season when it was shortened to 48 games because of the lockout.#147;I guess I#146;ve got to be careful with my stick,#148; he said. #147;A couple of these calls I#146;ve had lately, some I go straight to the box because I have nothing to argue about and some other ones, obviously, I#146;m not happy about.#147;But that#146;s the way it is. I#146;ve got to make sure I#146;m not taking penalties every game like I have been lately. The best way to kill penalties is not to take one in the first place, and I haven#146;t been doing a good job of that.#148;Joel Quenneville cringes every time he sees his captain go off to the penalty box.#147;I don#146;t like Jonny taking penalties because we need him on the (penalty kill),#148; Quenneville said. #147;It seems like a lot of the guys taking penalties are penalty killers. That might be part of why we#146;re having such a hard time.#148;Toews is part of the Hawks#146; second forward unit on the penalty kill with Marian Hossa.Chasing the Hawks:Everybody wants to beat the Hawks, and the Minnesota Wild is no exception.#147;They#146;re a proven team, obviously an elite team,#148; Minnesota#146;s Jason Pominville said. #147;Defending Stanley Cup champs. I think they#146;re kind of a model for a lot of teams throughout the league.#148;

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