Van Riemsdyk not upset about losing goal
Trevor van Riemsdyk went to sleep Sunday night thrilled - yet somewhat unconvinced - that he had scored his first NHL goal in a 5-2 victory over San Jose.
And when Monday rolled around, the rookie defenseman learned that his gut feeling was true as the league credited Kris Versteeg with the game's first goal.
"I had a decent feeling (it may be changed)," van Riemsdyk said. "I talked to Steeger about it, and he thought it might have hit him. … He earned it. He was in the dirty area and he was taking a beating in front.
"That's his goal. Nothing to be mad about. I'm happy he got it and happy to be a part of it."
So van Riemsdyk's first NHL point goes down as an assist, while Versteeg increases his goal total to 4.
Van Riemsdyk's steady play continues to impress the Blackhawks. Heading into Tuesday's game against Tampa Bay, he was fifth on the team with a plus-3 rating and also has registered 13 blocks while averaging 13 minutes, 41 seconds of ice time.
"He'll score," coach Joel Quenneville said. "I'm not worried about him scoring his first one. He gets a point off it as well, so it's not a bad thing.
"We measure his performance and contribution by how well he defends and well he plays consistently. He's been an excellent addition."
Getting closer:
Daniel Carcillo was on the ice for a second straight workout as the Hawks prepared to play Tampa Bay. Carcillo has missed the last nine games with a lower-body injury he suffered on a hit by St. Louis' T.J. Oshie on Oct. 25.
Coach Joel Quenneville said that while it's possible Carcillo will return for Sunday's game against Dallas, the veteran winger definitely will be going on the road when the team begins a six-game trip next week.
Carcillo, who said he's feeling good, can't seem to escape the injury bug. He tore the ACL in his right knee on Jan. 2, 2012, on a play in which he was suspended for a hit on Edmonton's Tom Gilbert, and he also missed a month after injuring the other knee a year later.
Carcillo was asked if the hockey gods hate him.
"We play a fast game, man," he said. "Nobody's exempt from injuries. Just because I got hurt two years ago doesn't mean I'm not going to get hurt this year or someone else isn't going to get hurt. That's just the way it goes."
Hot sellers:
The NHL released the list of top-selling jerseys for October, and four Blackhawks were in the top 20.
Patrick Kane holds the top spot, followed by Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and the Hawks' Jonathan Toews.
Rounding out the top five were the Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist and Washington's Alexander Ovechkin. The other Hawks in the top 20 were Marian Hossa (15th) and Corey Crawford (17th).
Tip-ins:
The Blackhawks came into Tuesday's game ranked first in penalty kill (91.1 percent), with Tampa Bay ranking third on the power play at 26.4 percent. … The Lightning had not lost to the Hawks since the 2009-10 season. … The Hawks were averaging just 7.9 penalty minutes per game, third best in the NHL.