Quenneville credits players for line changes

If there's one thing we know about Joel Quenneville, now well into his second season as Blackhawks coach, it's that he isn't afraid to experiment with line combinations.

"I think most guys on our team can play with one another," Quenneville said. "We all have the same rhyme or reason how we have to play.

"We have very interchangeable lines and combinations of players. We're very versatile in making up lines, and I think as a coach it's a fun thing to have."

Often the way Quenneville sets his lines to start a game isn't the way they look at the end.

"I think you start a lot games and have an idea what you're looking for and sometimes it's just not happening," Quenneville said. "Sometimes you mix it up and get a little spark."

Kris Versteeg was back in the lineup Thursday at Calgary after missing one game with an upper-body injury. Quenneville had him at center between Patrick Sharp and Dustin Byfuglien.

About the only line that hasn't changed all that much is the fourth line, although Quenneville has searched for the right mix there at times this season to make up for the loss of Adam Burish.

Lately the fourth line has been Colin Fraser centering for Ben Eager and Tomas Kopecky.

"That line this year hasn't been as productive as we saw last year, but I think it's trending in the right direction," Quenneville said.

Growing up: Even before turning 21 Thursday, Patrick Kane has been noticeably more mature in the aftermath of his arrest last summer for an altercation with a taxi driver in his native Buffalo.

"Everything I do since the incident, like an interview, I try to treat it like it's going to get publicized," Kane said. "Obviously, at 21 you think you have a little more freedom, but at the same time you definitely want to be responsible for what you do."

Tailing off: After scoring 4 goals in the Hawks' first seven games, Dustin Byfuglien has become less of a factor in games.

Byfuglien had just 2 goals in his last 12 games before facing the Flames on Thursday.

"Buff had a real good start to the season and I think it's been OK (since then), not at the same pace as we saw last year in the playoffs," Joel Quenneville said. "We want him to recapture the quickness and being hard to play against and being a presence at the net."

Byfuglien's inconsistency certainly isn't helping his chances of being named to the U.S. Olympic team.