Quenneville: We need another center

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville wasn't spilling any organizational secrets on Saturday when he admitted adding a center before Wednesday's trade deadline wouldn't be a bad thing.

The Hawks have been looking for a third center to go with Jonathan Toews and Dave Bolland since training camp. It's obvious the most recent experiment of using Kris Versteeg at center isn't working.

"I don't want to divulge secrets, but a centerman would be an area," Quenneville said.

The Hawks remain near the bottom of the league in faceoff percentage, which Quenneville would like to see upgraded.

"That's an area where we've got to be better," Quenneville said.

"Faceoffs is certainly a need. Our younger guys, we should expect them to improve as we go along, be it strength or technique or maybe getting a fair shake, but at the same time I think when we're down as far as we are in the league, it would be nice to start with the puck a little more."

Opinions are mixed when it comes to guessing how much trade activity there will be in the days leading up to Wednesday's 2 p.m. deadline.

"There's so many teams right now that have a realistic chance of making the playoffs," Quenneville said. "So many teams are close and I don't know if that helps or prevents a lot of movement.

"But certainly everyone would like to improve their hockey team if they can, and I think we're one of them. I like a lot of things about our team, but we're always looking to get better."

Khabibulin back 'soon': Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, sidelined since Feb. 11 with a groin injury, didn't practice again Saturday.

The Hawks expected Khabibulin to miss only a few days after he tweaked his groin in Atlanta.

"These injuries are tricky," Joel Quenneville said. "Sometimes with goalies you want to make sure that we're safe and use caution. He wants to get out there and skate, but let's make sure were ready before we get out there and skate."

Quenneville said Khabibulin would return soon.

"My soon is less than a week," he said.

Tip-ins: Patrick Sharp, who has missed the last two weeks with a sprained left knee, is "progressing," according to Joel Quenneville, but there is no timetable for his return. - Jonathan Toews' 3 power-play goals on Friday tied a team record last accomplished by Eric Daze in 2001.