Hawks getting healthy at right time

There are two ways to look at the Blackhawks' road trip that ended with Sunday's 2-0 loss at Vancouver.

The pessimists would point out the Hawks lost four of the six games.

The optimists would say it was a 2-2-2 trip with the Hawks gaining 6 out of a possible 12 points, thanks to an overtime defeat in Nashville and a shootout loss at Edmonton.

Considering injuries and a flu bug that swept through the team in the last week, call it a good trip for the Hawks. The end result was they came out of it .500, battled each night and, most importantly, kept pace in the ever-tightening Western Conference standings.

"What you saw on this road trip is what the Blackhawks are all about now," coach Denis Savard said. "We've got skill and we've got character.

"We're going to battle. If teams want to battle, we'll battle with them."

The Hawks (12-9-2) now come to one of their most critical points in the season -- a stretch where they play 10 of the next 13 games at the United Center, and they've won three in a row on home ice.

The Hawks appear to be getting healthy at the right time, with at least two of their key regulars expected back in the lineup Wednesday when the Tampa Bay Lightning comes to town.

• Martin Havlat: Sidelined since opening night with a right shoulder injury, the Hawks' leading scorer from 2006-07 will return against the Lightning after 22 games on the shelf.

Havlat is expected to skate on the first line with Robert Lang, which should help the veteran center who has gone nine games without a goal.

The Hawks need to score more goals 5-on-5, and having the dynamic Havlat back should help greatly.

"It should give us a big boost," Savard said. "It's going to give us another threat."

• Jason Williams: The versatile forward has missed the last four games with a groin strain and may or may not be ready to play Wednesday. A lot may depend on how Williams feels at today's practice.

Perhaps the most underrated Hawks forward, Williams has 7 goals and 18 points in 19 games and his absence has been felt.

• Patrick Sharp: Knocked off his feet by the flu, Sharp couldn't play Saturday in Edmonton or Sunday in Vancouver, and he was missed in both losses.

Savard could have used Sharp in the shootout against the Oilers. Instead he went with Yanic Perreault in the second slot after Patrick Kane, and Perreault missed the net on his try.

The Oilers scored on the next shot to end the game without Savard ever getting to use Jonathan Toews.

In the 2-0 loss to the Canucks, the Hawks were short-handed nine times and could have used Sharp, their best penalty-killer.

• James Wisniewski: There was no word from the Hawks on Monday about the severity of the deep cut above the left eye that knocked Wisniewski out of the game in the first period at Vancouver.

Wisniewski also hit his head hard against the glass on the check from Matt Cooke, which could be a concern.

The Hawks have plenty of depth on defense, but Wisniewski leads all Hawks defensemen with 5 goals and his spunk is a key ingredient on the blue line.