'Not good' concerning Khabibulin

If the Blackhawks are serious about making a run for the playoffs over the final five weeks of the season, their hopes took a hit Saturday.

In just two words, Hawks coach Denis Savard summed up the prospects for the return of injured goalie Nikolai Khabibulin anytime soon .

"Not good," he said.

The plan Saturday was to have Khabibulin test his aching back on the ice at the United Center before the rest of the team came out for practice.

It didn't take long to realize it was time to come up with a Plan B.

"He was on the ice for two, three minutes," Savard said. "We're going to have our doctor look at him (today) and possibly get a shot on Monday, see if there's any reaction that's going to help him.

"But not good."

B&B to rest: A couple of high energy guys -- Dave Bolland and Adam Burish -- will be out of the Hawks' lineup today against Vancouver.

Bolland will miss the game due to a hip flexor.

"He's pretty sore," coach Denis Savard said. "We're not going to play him (today). We want to make sure that he's OK for probably Tuesday or Wednesday."

Burish will be absent after picking up an instigator penalty in the final minutes of Wednesday's loss at Dallas -- an offense that brings with it an automatic one-game suspension.

Adams' family: It's not all gloom and doom for the Hawks. Things were brightened considerably Saturday with the return of Kevyn Adams to his first full practice since suffering a horrific knee injury that required major surgery in November.

Adams' return is way ahead of initial projections.

"For him to keep going like that and to stay committed; that's him, that's his character," said rookie forward Patrick Kane. "It's good to see him back."

Adams could be all the way back in the lineup by next weekend.

"As far as he's concerned, he could play (today)," Denis Savard said. "But we need to do some battle drills and game situation stuff for him so that when he comes back he's ready to go."

Defense doesn't rest: Denis Savard expects a much better defensive performance today after a less-than-stellar effort by his blue liners in Wednesday's 7-4 loss in Dallas.

"We were not very good," Savard said. "We had some breakdowns, were forcing the issue when we didn't need to.

Savard spent a majority of Saturday's practice focused on defense, letting his guys know -- in no uncertain terms -- what he expects against from them against Vancouver and beyond.

"We showed them a lot of respect, No. 1," Savard said of Dallas. "The second thing was we didn't finish our checks -- that's what cost us the game."

Eager to return: After missing a couple of months due to the lingering effects of a concussion, Ben Eager will be back on the ice against Vancouver.

"I rested a lot and I did some treatment for vertigo and that seemed to help a lot," Eager said. "I feel back to normal."

Tonight's faceoff

Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks at the United Center, 2 p.m.

TV: None

Radio: WSCR 670-AM

The skinny: Denis Savard expects to face an angry bunch of Canucks today after Vancouver blew a 2-goal lead in the third period Friday en route to a 3-2 overtime loss to Columbus. The depleted Hawks will be without Nikolai Khabibulin, Martin Havlat, Brent Sopel, Robert Lang, Adam Burish and Dave Bolland.

Player to watch: Patrick Lalime. The Hawks goalie, who figures to shoulder much of the load the rest of the season, didn't get much support in Wednesday's loss to Dallas. He'll be a key cog down the stretch.

Next: Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center, 7 p.m., Tuesday

-- Mike Spellman