Hawks' Hossa: A few losses not a bad thing

Marian Hossa said what others have been thinking: that maybe those two tough losses last weekend weren't the worst thing to happen to the Blackhawks.

"We were in a long winning streak and I think it's good when you lose a game once in awhile because you're going to appreciate winning even more," Hossa said. "Right now we're more hungry."

The Hawks had been making it look easy until the third period against Minnesota on Saturday, when a 5-1 lead suddenly turned into a 6-5 loss in a shootout.

Losing 3-1 to Anaheim on Sunday wasn't as dramatic, but the Hawks did outshoot the Ducks 43-12.

"It should create an appetite that we need to win and we need to be better and more aware that little things can creep into our game," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

Packing up: The eight-game road trip that always seemed so far off is finally here for the Hawks.

"It's a lot of hockey in some tough buildings and it could be a good measuring stick of how we end up at the end of the year, how we fare on this trip," Joel Quenneville said.

The Hawks are 11-6-3 away from the United Center, which they won't see again until Feb. 3.

"Playing on the road is something we have to take care of and be better at," Quenneville said. "I think we can improve our record on the road.

"We need to take each game as a challenge and try to get some momentum early and go from there. This is going to be like a playoff run to the end of the year. Trying to stay there is going to be a huge challenge for us."

Injury report: After missing Sunday's loss to Anaheim with what he called a tight groin, Marian Hossa returned to the lineup Thursday against Columbus.

"It was getting tight (Saturday) in Minnesota and I felt (playing Sunday) would make it worse," Hossa said. "I knew we were going to have three days (off) afterward, so it was a nice time to heal. Now I'm back to normal with the groin and feel good."

Cam Barker missed his fifth straight game with an upper body injury.

Blunk extended: In a logical follow to president John McDonough's contract extension, the Hawks announced Thursday a contract extension for Jay Blunk, senior vice president of business operations.

"Jay deserves a tremendous amount of credit for what has gone on with the Blackhawks business operations over the past two years," McDonough said. "He has brought that area to a higher level and will continue to use his innovative and aggressive style to make us better and stronger."

Help for Haiti: The Hawks donated proceeds from Thursday's 50/50 game night raffle to the Haiti Relief Fund.

The club also is encouraging fans to text 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross. The $10 is automatically added to your cell phone bill.