Darling excited for swift return to net

Nobody would say exactly how Scott Darling came back so quickly from an upper-body injury that was supposed to cost the Blackhawks' goalie three weeks, but he is certainly thrilled to be on the three-game road trip that begins Tuesday in Montreal.

Darling wouldn't go into details of what happened as the team closed out its morning skate on March 3 before taking on the Islanders that night. It was strange that he didn't come into the dressing room, however, and reporters were told of the injury after the game.

"It definitely didn't feel good and I knew something was wrong," Darling said. "I got right off the ice, and the doctors assessed me and checked me out, and knew what it was pretty quick."

Darling isn't concerned about regaining his form when coach Joel Quenneville calls his number.

"I've been working hard the last couple days since I've been on the ice with Jimmy (Waite)," Darling said, "and fortunately it wasn't too long. It's not like I missed a month or two. Hoping to just jump back into it."

Must be better:

During most of February, almost nobody on the Hawks was hotter than Nick Schmaltz, but the rookie winger has stumbled a bit lately. Not only has Schmaltz not recorded a point in the last three games after missing two contests due to illness, but he also committed a turnover Sunday that led to a Mikael Granlund goal early in the third period.

That slip up allowed Minnesota to close the gap to 3-2 in a game the Hawks would go on to win 4-2, but coach Quenneville moved Schmaltz to the fourth line for a shift and then sat him for over nine minutes.

"The past few games I think I can be a little better," Schmaltz said. "But for the most part I think I'm playing pretty well with the puck and coming back and playing hard in my own end. Hopefully I can continue to get better and not be satisfied."

Quenneville did play Schmaltz with Jonathan Toews and Richard Panik again later in the third period, then had him on the ice for almost two minutes with the Hawks on the power play at the end of the game.

Slap shots:

The Hawks on Monday signed Anthony Louis to a two-year deal that runs through the 2018-19 season. Louis, a sixth-round pick by the Hawks in 2013 and a Winfield native, will report to Rockford. He just finished his senior season at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, posting career highs in goals (14) and points (39). … The Hawks are 37-2-0 when the score 3 or more goals. … Last Friday in Detroit, Duncan Keith became the eighth player in franchise history to play 900 games with the Hawks.

He said it:

"It's cool. You can take for what it is - I mean it's a small sample size. But it's definitely cool to see your name alongside those other guys."

Scott Darling on leading the league in save percentage through Sunday's games