Blackhawks' Sharp OK, but is Bolland?
Despite missing all of training camp after undergoing an appendectomy, expect to see Patrick Sharp used in all of the usual situations Friday night when the Blackhawks open the regular season against the Stars in Dallas.
Sharp will skate at right wing on the top line with Jonathan Toews, play the point with the first power-play unit and kill penalties.
“He looks like he's ready to go,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “We'll see how he is in games, how he's handling it. His workload, he'll be able to tell us by how he's playing, but going into games I'm not discounting how much he'll play. I think he'll play a full workload.”
That's good news for a Hawks team already feeling the injury pinch before the first puck is dropped.
Quenneville said center Dave Bolland and forward Ben Smith were questionable for Friday because of their injuries with left wing Viktor Stalberg already sidelined by a knee problem.
While the Hawks are calling it an upper-body injury with Bolland, it's believed to be another back issue bothering the defensive specialist, which certainly should be a major concern to the club.
Bolland underwent back surgery early in the 2009-10 season.
Quenneville again Wednesday said Bolland's injury was not serious.
“He skated there after (practice), tried it; he's questionable for the weekend,” Quenneville said. “Hopefully we get him in.”
Meanwhile, Smith still wasn't cleared for contact at practice Wednesday because of the concussion he suffered last week. Smith could not hit or be hit.
With left wing Daniel Carcillo also unavailable for the first two games while he serves a suspension, Quenneville said there could be a need to recall one or more players from Rockford for Friday and Saturday.
Among the possible recalls are centers Brandon Pirri and Marcus Kruger, two of the last cuts in training camp.
It doesn't appear as if Michael Frolik would center the third line in Bolland's absence, with Quenneville saying he “might” prefer to play Frolik and Bryan Bickell along the wall as wingers.
As for the top line, playing right wing is a change for Sharp, who has spent the majority of the last two seasons either at center or left wing because of the presence of Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa on the right side.
The right-handed shooting Sharp doesn't think playing the right side will take away one of his best weapons — the one-timer from the left circle.
“Maybe off the rush, that big, huge one-timer, but that only happens really once in a blue moon, to get a perfect setup line that,” Sharp said.
“I like to think I can shoot it off the right side equally as well and Jonathan, being a left-handed center, hopefully he comes to my side a little bit more. I'm sure I'll be moving all over the place, especially in the offensive zone.”
Quenneville obviously feels it's easier for Sharp to adjust to the right side than rookie Brandon Saad, who will remain at his natural left wing position in his first NHL game.
“I always played right wing, but Kane likes to play the other side and when I had success with those guys (Kane and Toews), I was forced to play the left side, which is fine with me,” Sharp said. “I think I've played enough of every forward position that I'm expecting anything.”
tsassone@dailyherald.com
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