For Chicago Blackhawks, it's all about staying fresh

They say that practice makes perfect.

Just don't tell that to the Chicago0 Blackhawks. Because they're not buying it.

Coach Joel Quenneville, whose team is at the tail end of playing 17 games in 31 days, has put his players through exactly one practice in 2016 - and that came 23 days ago.

The philosophy of keeping guys fresh for games certainly has paid off, as the Hawks went on a franchise-record 12-game winning streak, which ended Thursday in Tampa Bay.

"I think that they come ready for the games and focus on that," said Quenneville before the Hawks won 2-0 over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday at the United Center. "You come to the rink with a purpose in mind. Sometimes with fatigue you lose either that concentration or the energy."

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said he uses the same line of thinking.

"We've got a list that's three pages long of things that we want to work on," said Hitchcock, whose team played its 16th game in 30 days Sunday. "I'm sure Chicago does. But you can't work on it.

"You've got to decide whether you're going to have energy or structure with no energy, so we've opted for energy, just as the Hawks have. So, you just kind of close your eyes and hope like heck you've got better energy at the end of the day."

Quenneville expects the Hawks to get more practices in as the schedule lightens up in early March.

Catching up?

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock was asked if he has seen anything that makes him believe that his team is at a spot now where they can clear the mental roadblock that the Blackhawks have created.

"I don't think anybody catches a championship team until you beat them in a playoff series," said Hitchcock, whose teams have been eliminated in the first round the past three seasons. "You can talk all you want about regular season.

"But you have to beat them in a playoff series because there's an emotional gear that championship teams go to that not many teams can sustain. Just when you think you've got them, they come with another gear. … You've got to beat them in a playoff series before you can say anything."

Ow:

Andrew Shaw said he lost two bottom teeth when a puck hit him while he was sitting on the bench during the Hawks' 4-0 loss to Florida on Friday. Later in the game, a puck caught Shaw in the right eye.

"It was just a bad game," Shaw said.

Welcome aboard:

Jiri Sekac, for whom the Hawks traded Ryan Garbutt, didn't play Sunday against St. Louis. The speedy 23-year-old said he found out about the trade at 7 a.m. and his first thought was, "What?"

The Hawks are Sekac's third team since the beginning of last season.

"This team has a huge history and especially the last couple of years, this team was always good," he said. "I'm definitely very happy to be here because it's an honor to play for this team."