Kane won't be at center anytime soon

Consider the Patrick Kane experiment at center officially over after one game.

Kane wasn't there for very long in Friday's exhibition win over Minnesota and finished the game at right wing, where he said he is more comfortable.

"I'll put it to rest for a bit and see where we're at," Blackhawks coach Denis Savard said Saturday. "He might play center for some shifts, I don't know, but right now, no. I've called timeout on it."

The plan now is for Patrick Sharp to play second-line center even after Savard said earlier in the week that he believed Sharp couldn't be the same big-goal scorer in the middle.

Sharp will play center in tonight's preseason game against the Dallas Stars between Kane and Kris Versteeg.

"He's played center before," Savard said, meaning Kane hasn't, at least not since his days in youth hockey. "I believe he's a better winger than a centerman, not that he can't play center.

"He's a better winger, there's no doubt in my mind about that, but if we're in a situation where he has to play the middle he'll play."

Test for Havlat: It's a week into training camp and Martin Havlat is happy with the progress of his surgically repaired shoulder.

The big test comes tonight when Havlat makes his preseason debut against Dallas.

"The last few days there have been moments when I fell down and got hit, and it felt good," Havlat said. "I'm still working on it, but it feels pretty good."

Havlat wasn't medically cleared to play until Friday, but Denis Savard decided to wait until tonight to play the veteran.

"He's doing well," Savard said. "I'll play him (tonight), but I'm not going to play him back to back. I think he's ready to go. He's really looked good the last couple of days and picked his intensity."

Havlat, who will skate on a line with Jonathan Toews and Andrew Ladd, missed the final 19 games last season because of shoulder surgery.

Injury report: Dustin Byfuglien, who has been slowed by a sore groin, skated Saturday and will return to practice today.

Denis Savard plans to play Byfuglien for the first time in the preseason Tuesday at Minnesota.

"We don't want to lose him for a period of time, so we're going to be careful," Savard said.

Tip-ins: Nikolai Khabibulin starts in goal tonight. - Igor Makarov, who has battled a sore knee, has resumed practicing. - Tonight's game against Dallas will be the first of two broadcast by WGN-AM (720) during the preseason. Judd Sirott's pregame show begins at 5:50 p.m.