Are the Blackhawks really getting healthy?

The Blackhawks are getting healthy, or are they?

With Dave Bolland's bad back a potentially long-term problem, the injured Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Ben Eager can't play soon enough.

Toews and Eager could return from their concussions Monday against Los Angeles at the United Center, while Hossa's much anticipated debut is only a couple of weeks away.

The return of Bryan Bickell to Rockford on Saturday after he played a strong eight minutes in Friday's 4-3 loss at Colorado served as a pretty good indicator that either Toews or Eager, and possibly both, play Monday.

Toews has been out six games with the Hawks going 3-2-1, but the captain has been missed greatly in a lot of areas.

"We definitely can use Hossa and those guys, (Adam) Burish, Eager and obviously Toews," defenseman Duncan Keith said. "Those guys mean a lot to our team, but I like the way we've been fighting through it."

It seems as if every team in the NHL has had to deal with a serious injury this season, so the Hawks are not alone. They've played well for the most part, sitting at 8-5-2, but there's no doubt they have left a number of points on the table that could cost them at the end of the year.

The Hawks will continue to monitor Bolland's back while deciding if the best thing would be to shut down the center for a while.

Bolland has been taking cortisone shots for the pain in order to play, but that can't keep happening. The club has discussed surgery for Bolland, which could knock the No. 2 center out of the lineup for as long as two months should the Hawks decide to go that route.

Bolland missed Friday's game at Colorado - the second time he has sat out because of his back after being idle for much of training camp.

"Bolly's been hurt most of the year, so hopefully he can get a little rest here," Keith said.

Bolland hasn't been himself skating-wise even when he has been able to play, with just 2 goals and 4 assists in 13 games.

Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said Friday the team would see how Bolland's back responds over the next few days when asked if the center could make it through the season with his back in the condition it is now.

It wasn't a great road trip for the Hawks with just 1 point in games at Phoenix and Colorado, but now comes a four-game homestand of vital importance.

After these four games, the Hawks depart on their annual circus road trip, a six-gamer against many of the better teams in the Western Conference.

The eight-round shootout loss to the Avs left a bad taste considering the Hawks had five chances to win it, but Patrick Sharp, Tomas Kopecky, Andrew Ladd, Cam Barker and Troy Brouwer all failed to beat goalie Craig Anderson.

"We were really trying to work him side to side and change it up," Brouwer said. "He's a good goalie with quick feet and quick hands."