Spellman: Who will step up in Sharp's absence?

As Albert Einstein once said, "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."

That seems to be the philosophy Joel Quenneville and the Blackhawks are taking in regards to the lower-body injury suffered by Patrick Sharp in Montreal, an injury that will keep the veteran forward out of the lineup for "a bit" of time, according to the Hawks coach.

By some estimates, that might be for as long as a month, but that is still to be determined.

But one thing's for sure, Sharp's absence will mean opportunities for others.

"We've got some guys who have some skill and want more ice time, we'll see how that works out," Quenneville said. "There will be a lot of important ice time so they should take advantage of it."

Sharp, who had an assist in the 5-0 win over the Canadiens, was hurt early in the third period after an apparent knee-to-knee collision with Alexei Emelin in the corner that left the 32-year-old crumpled and in need of assistance getting off the ice.

"It's unfortunate for Sharpie, he's been playing well," Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said. "He's always a big part of our offense - been really great at getting shots off and creating on the power play."

Sharp is tied for second on the team in scoring with 9 points and is second in the league in shots taken (56).

"Whenever you have an injury to a key player like Sharpie, in a way it's an opportunity for some other guys to get more ice time," Toews said. "I think guys will try to step in and make up for that as much as they can.

"As a team we have to be prepared to fill that void."

Looking good:

With a goal and an assist in Tuesday's win over Montreal, Kris Versteeg now has 4 points in his last four games and has continued to catch the eye of coach Joel Quenneville.

"I think he's gotten better every single game since he's returned from the injury," Quenneville said. "He's got some quick hands, he sees plays, he's got the high-end IQ out there offensively."

Versteeg, who suffered an injury just before the start of the season, feels as if he's getting closer to full throttle.

"I think I'm still getting there; just keep playing game by game," Versteeg said. "Every time you score a goal it gets your juices flowing a little more, gives you a little more confidence in your game."

New / old jersey:

The Blackhawks on Wednesday unveiled the jersey they will be wearing at the Winter Classic at Nationals Park on New Year's Day - a classic 1957 road white sweater.

"It's a bit of a throwback to that era, which is exactly what we were looking for to give it a unique feel for that game," Hawks president / CEO John McDonough said. "We really wanted to give it kind of an historic feel, unlike anything we've done before."

A milestone? Who knew?

With his first-period goal Tuesday in Montreal, Jonathan Toews hit the 200-goal mark in his young, remarkable career.

"Someone mentioned to me the other day that I was sneaking up there. Other than that, I really didn't have a clue," Toews said. "It's nice to have had the career that I've had so far - part of a great team.

"Hopefully it's the first step of a long journey. We'll see where it goes."

Scoring change:

Remember Kris Versteeg's second-period goal Tuesday?

Yeah, that didn't happen.

It was announced Wednesday that Marcus Kruger was re-credited with the goal, his first of the season, and Versteeg and David Rundblad picked up the assists.

He said it:

"Our goaltending through 13 games has been great."

- Joel Quenneville