Blackhawks notes: Video lessons
Blackhawks coach Denis Savard kept his top two lines off the ice Thursday for a video session to review some of the details he feels is lacking in their respective games.
Attending the tape session were Martin Havlat, Robert Lang, Dustin Byfuglien, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp.
"If we're going to get to the playoffs, these guys are going to get us there," Savard said. "We have to realize in certain situations we can make plays and in certain situations there aren't plays to be made.
"These six guys, until they do it consistently, we won't get there. I need them to go back to the page we're on."
Savard decided on the video approach because that's how he learned from his mistakes as a player.
"I think we think alike on the ice, and when I was a player I had to see it to understand," Savard said.
"I think it was a good session for all of us," Kane said. "When you see it on video it helps a little bit. He just feels that if we get better it can help the team make a push here."
Attention to detail: Even after Wednesday's 6-3 win over Los Angeles, Denis Savard wasn't happy with the total performance and detailed what the Hawks need to work on to eliminate turnovers and scoring chances against.
"There's so much - recognizing time and space, our shift lengths, our third guy not being high, turnover with no reason," Savard said. "You can't do that. In this league you can't afford to give up chances like that.
"There's lot for us to learn because we have to make that choice. It's a tough choice to make and it's hard, but it's the only way to become a contender in this league, by playing together, recognizing situations and recognizing your time and space, clock, the score."
The players know their game is not where it should be despite the win Wednesday that ended their four-game losing streak.
"We're still not back where we want to be, but we're on the right track," Jonathan Toews said. "We haven't been playing like we could, but sometimes you go through that. We hit a little speed bump, but you keep working and doing the little things right and not take anything for granted and we're going to come out a better team for it."
Tip-ins: Denis Savard said Nikolai Khabibulin would start in goal Saturday at Buffalo with backup Patrick Lalime getting the call Sunday against Florida at the United Center. … Defenseman Duncan Keith sat out practice Thursday to rest after playing 27 minutes against the Kings. … The Hawks won 32 of 48 faceoffs from the Kings with Jonathan Toews going 10-2 and Robert Lang 14-4.