Blackhawks feeling fresh after time off

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- After a couple of days of R&R in Las Vegas, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville wasn't sure what to expect when his team returned to the ice for practice Tuesday in San Jose.

He was pleasantly surprised.

“I was going into today's practice curious how we were going to be,” Quenneville said, “and thought we were better than expectations.”

Maybe that break was just what the Hawks needed.

“It's been crazy, pretty busy the past two months,” Dave Bolland said. “It's good to get away from the rink and think about other things. It's good to get your mind off it.”

“I think it was a very productive couple of days,” Quenneville said. “It was a fun to get away and now we have to remember how we went into that trip the way we played in Vancouver (a 7-1 victory) that's got to be out mind-set.”

Keith's No. 2:

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith are the leaders in the first week of voting in the 2011 NHL all-star fan balloting with 118,755 and 82,968 votes, respectively.

“No, I didn't see that wow,” Keith said following practice Tuesday. “That's pretty neat. When the fans think of you like that it means a lot to get that many votes.”

Rounding out the top five are team captains Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings with 80,723 votes, Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals with 80,169 and Jonathan Toews of the Blackhawks, third among forwards, with 79,953.

Also among forwards, Patrick Kane is fifth, Marian Hossa eighth and Patrick Sharp, as a write-in candidate, 23rd.

More than 3.62 million votes have been cast to date.

He said it:

Dave Bolland on the revenge factor the Sharks will have Wednesday night against the Hawks: “It's the same when we got knocked out by Detroit two years ago that's revenge. You know when you go up against Detroit that you're always going to battle against them.”