Samsonov, Perreault on thin ice?
There's no telling when Sergei Samsonov might get back in the Blackhawks' lineup.
The veteran winger was a healthy scratch for the fifth straight game Wednesday when the Hawks faced Columbus at the United Center.
Hawks coach Denis Savard sounded as if both Samsonov and Yanic Perreault are on short leashes because of their nonproductive play for the most part this season.
Samsonov was minus-6 with no goals in 10 games before his benching. Perreault was in the lineup against the Blue Jackets, skating on the first line with Robert Lang and Jason Williams, but Savard didn't exactly give Perreault or Samsonov ringing endorsements.
"I've still got to find a way to get them going," Savard said. "They're veteran players; they've been there before and they've done it. So I'm going to continue to send a message to them and hopefully they get it done.
"But we're still at Game 14, and I'm not waiting for them to go. At some point we're going to have to go with what we think is our best. We're trying to do that now, but if they don't start producing then the consequences have to be awarded."
The Hawks have at least four wingers at Rockford they feel are close to being ready to come up in Jack Skille, Troy Brouwer, Michael Blunden and Evan Brophey.
Brouwer is Rockford's leading goal scorer with 5.
Reservation please: Denis Savard said the idea of housing the team in a hotel the day of home games still is a very real possibility, perhaps even this weekend for games Friday against St. Louis and Sunday against Detroit.
"And it's not a threat," Savard said. "We've got to find a way as a group what's best for our team here. Hopefully that's not the case."
Savard said the players better start realizing there are no easy games, home or road.
"The thing our players have to understand, out of the other 29 teams there's a lot of parity," Savard said. "There's a couple teams that separate from the rest right now, but 26 or 25 are close.
"And on that particular night you have that intention to be the best that you can be, and you have to be able to win at this level."
Food for thought: Winger Martin Lapointe said he thinks the Hawks' record at home will go a long way in determining how quickly fans return to the United Center.
"We want to bring our fans back," Lapointe said. "One way to do that is to start winning some games at home. If you don't do that, you won't bring them back. That's one of our priorities."