Seabrook welcomed much-needed time off

If there was anyone who desperately needed the day off Wednesday, it was Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook.

And not just because he leads the Hawks in ice time, averaging more than 26 minutes a game in the playoffs.

No, the perpetually solid defenseman needed the day off as much to rest his head as to rest his body after a tough start against Detroit in the first two games of the Western Conference finals.

"Both, I think," he said, when asked Thursday if the time off was better for his mind or body. "It was good to have it. The other night, with those mistakes and turnovers ... it was good to forget about it and try to move on."

After being a force early in the postseason, Seabrook has been on the wrong end of a few key turnovers in the first two games against the Wings. The first came in Game 1 and resulted in a Dan Cleary goal that tied the game at 1-1.

"We've had some tough bounces, but we have to prepare for that," he said. "We have to make the right play, the smart play and focus all the time."

In Game 2, Seabrook failed to get the puck in deep and Cleary struck again, stealing the puck and beating Nikolai Khabibulin on a breakaway. And then in overtime, Hawks defenseman Brian Campbell gave up the puck at the Detroit blue line resulting in Mikael Samuelsson finishing off a 3-on-1 breakaway with the game-winner.

"Tazer won both those draws and they were good ones to win," Seabrook said. "We've got to generate some offense off that and not give up breakaways."

To add injury to insult, Seabrook was still feeling the effects of a shot he took to Sector 1 in the second period of Game 2.

"It was not in a very good spot," he admitted, wincing at the thought.

His blue-line partner Duncan Keith, who is averaging almost as much ice time as Seabrook, did not skate with the team Thursday but will be in the lineup tonight for Game 3.

"Duncs plays a lot of minutes," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "He's not a big guy and it's a long season, so we want to make sure we keep his energy up the best we can."

Seabrook's teammates have no doubt things will turn around for him beginning tonight at the United Center.

"Anytime we struggle as a team, everyone seems to bounce back, so we're expecting him to be at his best in the next game," said forward Andrew Ladd. "He's been great all year for us and moving forward we're expecting him to be the same way."