Pahlsson shows why Hawks got him

It was a tailor-made situation for Sammy Pahlsson on Wednesday night at the United Center.

With his team in need of some grit, some experience and perhaps some leadership - all qualities the Blackhawks saw in the 31-year-old center when they acquired him from Anaheim at the trade deadline - the former Stanley Cup champion came through big time, scoring the eventual game-winning goal to kick-start the Hawks following a pair of ugly losses to Vancouver and Montreal.

"It's always nice getting a goal, and getting the first one is a little extra," said Pahlsson, who picked up his first assist the previous night in a loss to Montreal. "It ended up being a big goal, too."

Did it ever.

In their last 2 losses, the Hawks had fallen behind early and never recovered. They weren't going to take that route again.

"We just wanted to be ready from the start," Pahlsson said. "We got scored on pretty good the last few games. We had to play good today. It was a good win for us. A good bounce-back game after some not-so-good games."

Filling in for the injured Dave Bolland on a checking line with Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd, Pahlsson helped lead a defensive clampdown on the Blues - just the kind of effort they'll need come playoff time.

"We're looking at him as being a shutdown guy who's hard to play against. That's what we appreciated about him with Anaheim," coach Joel Quenneville said. "He was real good tonight."

Courtesy of a battle with mononucleosis in January, it has taken Pahlsson awhile to round into form. Wednesday night was just his eighth game in a Hawks sweater. But he says his lack of action can no longer be an excuse.

"I feel pretty good; it's getting better and better every game," he said. "I can't really blame that anymore. I should be in good shape.

"If I play bad it's because of something else."