Rookie van Riemsdyk an option for Game 6
Joel Quenneville didn't say rookie defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk would play against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6, but it's what he didn't say Tuesday that raised eyebrows.
Quenneville didn't rule out the possibility of van Riemsdyk, 23, making his NHL playoffs debut in the Western Conference final Wednesday night at the United Center, despite two injuries that kept him off the Hawks' roster since November.
Van Riemsdyk, who won a starting spot out of training camp and played 18 games with the Hawks, is coming off the most recent injury, which ended his recovery stint with the Rockford IceHogs and required surgery on his right wrist. He also had his left kneecap surgically repaired.
"We'll see," Quenneville said. "Look forward to talking to him. He skated (Tuesday). We'll see how he is. He's going to skate with us in the morning."
The Hawks are in a tough spot with their fifth and sixth defensemen. Kimmo Timonen, 40, is a shadow of his former self and 28-year old Kyle Cumiskey is struggling with the size and physicality of the Ducks. David Rundblad struggled mightily in Game 1.
Van Riemsdyk earned the role of fifth defenseman prior to his fractured kneecap and garnered some trust from Quenneville. The question is whether he's physically and mentally sharp enough to make a difference.
Bickell still struggling:
It was a four-word response that said all you need to know about Joel Quenneville's thoughts on Bryan Bickell's turnovers that led to a quick demise for the Hawks in overtime Monday.
Asked what Bickell could have done better on his attempt to put the puck into the Ducks' zone for a line change, Quenneville didn't mince words.
"Get it past him," he said.
Pressed further about whether Bickell was at fault for the goal, Quenneville didn't let him entirely off the hook.
"It's a play," he said. "We talk about getting the pucks behind them and in deep. I'm sure he feels bad. They had to make a couple plays after that to put it in the net."
Bickell hasn't scored a goal in 18 straight postseason games dating back to last season's loss in the Western Conference final against the Los Angeles Kings.
Hossa's goal slump continues:
Marian Hossa, once a prolific goal scorer, is struggling mightily to put the puck in the net again.
During 19 games of last season's playoffs, Hossa scored 2 goals on a team-high 75 shots (2.7 percent), and he has 2 goals on 50 shots in these playoffs (4 percent) that includes an empty-netter. His shots tally is second behind only Patrick Sharp's team-high 51, so once again Hossa is getting pucks to the net.
They're just not beating goalies. Combined over his past 36 playoff games, Hossa has scored on 3.2 percent of his 125 shots.
"He gets a lot of good looks," Quenneville said. "That line gets a lot of good looks. The scoring area, that's where we've got to find a way. Some guys it goes in a lot easier than other guys. Some guys have that patience, they see the options quicker, or they can pick that option quicker. But him, he scored in the past. We expect him to be scoring going forward."