Hawks turn to road for turnaround

An eight-game road trip might be reason for some teams to dread what's ahead, but the Blackhawks sound as if they're actually looking forward to it.

The Hawks reached the all-star break in a 1-2-1 skid and think the road might be where they can rediscover the magic of their 10-1-1 December.

"I think this might be a blessing in disguise. Maybe playing at home for such a long time we were getting a little cute," defenseman James Wisniewski said Monday. "We were taking for granted that we were just going to throw our sticks on the ice and get 2 points.

"I think maybe going on the road we can get back to what got us here in the first place, which is hard work, using our speed and our tenacity. We need to simplify our game and turn this thing around."

There are fewer distractions on the road for certain, which the Hawks hope to use to their advantage starting Wednesday night in Anaheim.

"It was good for the guys to get a way for a little bit, but now it's time to play hockey," Wisniewski said. "It's all business and we all need to step up our game. "Going on the road, everything is about hockey. We eat, sleep and play hockey. We get on the plane, fly to the next city and practice, then play hockey again."

The Hawks will have Duncan Keith back on defense for the start of the trip, which is good news.

"I feel great," said Keith, who missed the four games before the break with an apparent concussion. "I worked out over the break and feel I gained some of my strength back. I'm ready to play and go at it."

"It's going to be nice to have him back in our lineup because he plays a lot of quality, important minutes," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

The news isn't as encouraging for Kris Versteeg's return. Versteeg injured his pinkie finger last Wednesday when he was slashed by St. Louis' Keith Tkachuk. He won't play Wednesday and might miss the first leg of the trip.

"We'll re-evaluate him (today), but I would say he's questionable, or doubtful," Quenneville said of Versteeg's status for the Ducks.

The Hawks recalled Pascal Pelletier from Rockford to replace Versteeg.

The Hawks and Ottawa are the only two NHL teams with eight-game road trips this season.

"Certainly it's going to be a good challenge," Quenneville said. "We went into the break on a tough note and are looking for a response coming out of it. We're going into some really tough buildings and important games in every situation."

Quenneville hopes his team can rediscover its offense as well on the road. The Hawks have scored 14 goals in the last eight games, with the power play in a 5-for-44 funk in the last 10.

"Scoring hasn't been as effective as it was for a long stretch there," Quenneville said. "I think we need our special teams to be important."

Patrick Kane hasn't scored a goal in 12 games, but he did get one in Sunday's All-Star Game, which encouraged Quenneville.

"I said the same thing watching it, that it will help him," the coach said. "I think that will alleviate a little bit of him being comfortable in that (scoring) area. We need some production from him and from the power play."