Line changes pay off for Blackhawks

ST. LOUIS - Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville believes switching line combinations when necessary is healthy for a team and keeps things fresh.

Quenneville pushed the right buttons in shuffling the deck Saturday with the Hawks in the midst of a three-game losing streak.

Quenneville put Patrick Sharp on the first line with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, and the line got 2 goals in the first period - the only goals the Hawks needed to beat the Blues 2-1.

Sharp scored at 5:33 with Toews assisting, then Toews made it 2-0 at 15:51, set up nicely by Kane.

"(Friday) night we tried to change the lines a little bit and we didn't like the way it went," Quenneville said. "Tonight we had balance in all the lines and that (first) line was productive for us and got us the lead."

John Madden centered for Troy Brouwer and Dustin Byfuglien while Dave Bolland started the game between Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky. Colin Fraser skated between Andrew Ladd and Kris Versteeg but also took some shifts with Hossa and Kopecky.

Ben Eager sat out with what Quenneville called a lower body injyry.

Wear and tear: Are Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook playing tired? It's understandable considering the big minutes they log on defense.

Keith is one of the NHL's leaders in ice time at 26:41 a game while Seabrook plays almost 24 minutes a night.

Seabrook was a minus player in five of his last 10 games going into the weekend, but he was a force Saturday against the Blues with 5 hits and 3 blocked shots.

"I think they've had stretches this year where they've been phenomenal and there have been some stretches where they're still effective in a lot of ways," Joel Quenneville said. "You still appreciate the consistency they give us."

Fact of the matter: The numbers certainly back up Patrick Kane's claim that what once were penalties for four seasons, such as those stick related and those regarding interference, are being let go by referees this season.

The Hawks entered the weekend on pace for 286 power plays. They had 360 last season and totals of 365, 364 and 417 in the three seasons prior to that.

The Hawks were on pace to be short-handed 187 times. In the four seasons before this one they were short-handed 330, 385, 443 and 547 times.