Former Blackhawk Bickell called up to play Tuesday

Blackhawks fans who have followed Bryan Bickell's tumultuous season will be happy to know that the big forward got some great news Sunday night: He was called up by Carolina from its AHL franchise and is expected to play at Minnesota on Tuesday.

It will be Bickell's first NHL game since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November.

"Through all of this, it's been a lot of ups and downs, but it's nice to get some games in and play some hockey again," Bickell told NHL.com.

Bickell found out he had MS on Nov. 10, two days after he was forced to leave practice because of numbness in his right arm and leg.

"I was like, 'This is not normal. This is something I've never felt before,'" Bickell told the Daily Herald in February.

Bickell began practicing with the Hurricanes in early February, and was later assigned to the Charlotte Checkers. He played 10 games in the AHL and is now ready to lace up his skates for the Hurricanes once again.

"After getting diagnosed and that first month not knowing if I was ever going to play hockey again, it was tough to do everyday stuff and stuff like that, but to see the progress from where I was to where I am now is definitely special," Bickell told NHL.com. "It will be nice to feel good and to play, especially in Minnesota because of the Harding thing, too."

Bickell was referring to Josh Harding, the former Minnesota goaltender who was diagnosed with MS in 2012 and was able to continue his career. He stopped playing after the 2013-14 season.

Bickell told the Daily Herald he hopes to keep playing next season.

"We'll see how this progresses through the rest of the season," Bickell said. "If everything works out and I can still play, I'm sure I'll be playing longer. … We're taking it a little bit at a time and reacting from there and seeing where this road goes."

Slap shots:

With 5 goals in four games, Artemi Panarin was named the NHL's No. 1 star of the week. Washington's Marcus Johansson (G, 8A) was the second star, and Edmonton's Cam Talbot (3-0-0, 1.66 GAA, .946) was the third star. … Going into Monday's games, Niklas Hjalmarsson is fourth in the league with 181 blocked shots.