Hawks' return to work brings change

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville believes if something is not working try a different approach.

So when the Hawks resume their season tonight against the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center, there will be some familiar faces in new places.

Patrick Sharp is going back to wing on a line with Jonathan Toews and Andrew Ladd, while Dave Bolland moves up the depth chart to center for Patrick Kane and Martin Havlat.

And on the power play Dustin Byfuglien will move from in front of the net to one of the points with instructions from Quenneville to use that big shot of his.

It's an obvious attempt by Quenneville to get his best players out of their slumps, starting with Sharp, who believes returning to wing will lead to more scoring chances.

"It feels good to be back there," Sharp said Tuesday. "I feel I can contribute more offensively and now it's just a matter of doing it. I can use my speed a little more and challenge defensemen 1-on-1, which I like to do. I've been talking about it for a while and now it's time to show it."

Quenneville has used Sharp at center out of necessity up until now with the Hawks short at center.

"We got through a long stretch of games with him at center where we were having success and we didn't want to mix it up too much," Quenneville said. "I know he wants to try the wing and we want to try him on the wing, but our options haven't been great as far as having some other options as far as who can play center, so on a need basis we've been forced to keep him there."

While it's difficult to find fault with too much of what the Hawks have done with them sitting at 25-12-8 and in fourth place in the Western Conference, their work is barely half complete.

Quenneville speaks of his team needing to get better, and it's the truth with a tough playoff scramble ahead.

The youngest team in the NHL is going to be tested like never before over the final 37 games, and it's going to be up to the Hawks' better players to respond to the challenge.

Here are five Hawks who need to be better than they were heading into the all-star break.

Patrick Sharp: After scoring 18 goals in the Hawks' first 32 games, Sharp has only 2 in the last 13.

He has quietly voiced a desire to return to wing, and now he's getting his wish. As the Hawks start an eight-game road trip tonight, they need Sharp to show the way, and he knows it.

"I've been counted on in a lot of different roles, but mostly for putting the puck in the net, and I haven't been doing that lately," Sharp said. "I certainly feel responsible for not helping the team as much as I can.

"Definitely, I need to pick up my production level a little bit and maybe this is a way of Joel trying to get me going a little bit. I plan on responding this road trip and we'll see how it goes."

Dustin Byfuglien: The Hawks are going to need a physical presence down the stretch as the games get tighter, which means Byfuglien must be more of a difference maker than he has been over the first 45 games.

Byfuglien has 9 goals but has scored 4 of them in two games. He hasn't scored a goal in 35 of his 42 games.

Brian Campbell: With huge contracts come huge expectations. Campbell is the highest paid Hawk at $7.1 million a year and was excellent through most of December. But he reached the break with 1 goal and 2 assists in the last 10 games and his struggles have affected the power play.

Jonathan Toews: There's no denying the 20-year-old captain has a lot on his plate, but now is the time of the season when No. 1 centers on playoff contenders must stand up and make a difference more than occasionally.

Toews has been up and down offensively for much of the season and lately his goal scoring again has tailed off with 5 goals in his last 20 games.

Aaron Johnson: He was one of the Hawks' most dependable defensemen until he hurt his ribs Nov. 25 when San Jose's Mike Grier drilled him into the boards. He hasn't been the same since, looking a step slow and taking bad penalties.

Don't think Johnson is a key? He hasn't been a minus player in any of the 26 games he has played.

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