Hawks hope Hjalmarsson can help

With Duncan Keith set to miss a fourth straight game tonight, the Blackhawks felt the need to shake up the defense slightly Tuesday by recalling rookie Niklas Hjalmarsson from Rockford to play against St. Louis at the United Center.

Hjalmarsson is expected to replace Aaron Johnson, who took a pair of hooking penalties in Monday's 4-1 loss to Minnesota that resulted in 2 power-play goals for the Wild.

Johnson also took 2 penalties Saturday at St. Louis, 1 of which led to a Blues power-play goal.

Hjalmarsson had 1 goal and 9 assists in 35 games at Rockford. He made the Hawks' roster out of training camp but suffered a rib injury on opening night against the Rangers in New York.

"I saw him in camp, and he's got good patience out there and sees the game well," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "He's a young kid with a lot of up side."

Keith took part in a full practice Tuesday, but the Hawks figured giving him another week to rest through the all-star break was the wise thing to do.

"Hopefully he can play coming out of the break," Quenneville said.

"I woke up today and felt better and I feel I'm getting there every day," said Keith, who suffered an apparent concussion last week against Buffalo.

The Hawks are 1-1-1 without their top defenseman and feeling his loss.

"As far as giving up chances, I don't think we've given up more," Quenneville said. "I think maybe our puck possession game and our attack hasn't been as crisp offensively with him not being out there a lot of minutes of the game."

Power aid: The Hawks worked on the power play against for a good portion of Tuesday's practice with it stuck in a 5-for-41 rut.

"A lot of it is trying to get more traffic and more shots," Brian Campbell said. "We're moving it around OK, but goaltenders have seen too many of our shots. There's almost no point in shooting it from the blue line if there's no one in front.

"I think we have to keep our work ethic up, too. I think sometimes we take it for granted. It's an honor to be out there."

Praising Marty: With 4 goals in the last five games and now 15 for the season, Martin Havlat has been the Hawks' only consistent scorer this month.

"I see an added dimension with his patience with the puck and taking it and making some plays in tight areas, which is good," Joel Quenneville said. "He's got a dangerous shot and it's sneaky. He's been very consistent."

Tip-ins: Dave Bolland was added to the sophomore roster for Saturday's Young Stars Game at all-star weekend in Montreal. ... Jonathan Toews will compete in the accuracy shooting event and Brian Campbell in the fastest skater field at Saturday's skills competition. ... Cristobal Huet starts in goal tonight against the Blues.