Canada's Yzerman likes what he sees from Hawks
Team Canada general manager Steve Yzerman scouted Friday's game but offered no hints as to which Blackhawks might make his 23-man roster for the Vancouver Olympics.
Defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook and center Jonathan Toews are considered strong candidates to play for Canada. And Yzerman didn't count Patrick Sharp out of the mix.
"They've all had very good seasons and they're on a very good team that's playing well and doing a lot of good things with good habits," Yzerman said. "We'll continue to watch, and they're all in our discussions as we try to finalize the roster."
Yzerman admitted the fact Keith and Seabrook play together as partners is a factor in their favor with only one day of practice time scheduled between when the NHL season goes on break Feb. 14 and the first Olympic games on Feb. 16.
"I think it's a good option," Yzerman said. "They play very well together and they're one of the better teams in the league again this year. They play against the other team's top players all the time, so it's something you have to give good consideration to.
"There's so little practice time and preparation so you know you have two guys who are familiar with one another. Now having said that, I look at some of the right-handed defensemen (which Seabrook is) and there's a tremendous group to pick from. So the debate is between picking two players that are familiar with one another and fill a role or potentially picking a player who you might think is a better player."
No goalie rotation: Coach Joel Quenneville has no plans to rotate his goaltenders despite Friday's decision to start Antti Niemi against Boston with Cristobal Huet coming off a shutout of the Blues.
"We've got some busy games here, we've got some big games, tough games. And it gives him a little chance to play because he not only deserves to get a chance to play because he's been playing so well, but it's a good little balance with the workload with Huey as well," Quenneville said.
Quenneville has alternated starts now in the last three games and it's likely to become four with Huet expected to play Sunday night against Detroit.
"I still think the rotation might be that Antti gets a little bit more ice time along the way, but Huey's going to play close to his normal share," Quenneville said.
Tip-ins: Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson didn't play Friday because of the flu. Jordan Hendry filled in. ...
Left wing Bryan Bickell was recalled from Rockford when Ben Eager was unable to play. Eager, apparently banged up in the St. Louis game, was unable to go despite participating in the morning skate. ... Patrick Sharp's second-period goal Friday was his fourth in the last 20 games. ... The Hawks will honor Trou Murray (Jan. 14) and Eddie Olczyk (April 11) with Heritage nights.