Still no reliable power-play point man

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Blackhawks have been missing the point on the power play ever since Jason Williams went down with a groin injury in mid-November.

More specifically, they have missed Williams' presence there.

With Williams manning the left point on the power play for the first 20 games of the season, the Hawks had 21 goals.

In 24 games without Williams prior to Sunday, the Hawks had 13 power-play goals.

Searching for power-play point men has been frustrating exercise for coach Denis Savard, who along the way has given opportunities to Duncan Keith, Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Seabrook, Martin Havlat, Jonathan Toews, Andrei Zyuzin, James Wisniewski, Magnus Johansson, Jim Vandermeer, Cam Barker, Brent Sopel and Rene Bourque.

None of the 12 has delivered with any consistency.

"They've had some good nights and some not so good nights," Savard said. "The more repetitions guys like Byfuglien and Seabrook get the better off we're going to be down the road. They're still young."

Bourque, normally a winger, had been getting time at the point before Sunday because of his shot.

"He's a good shooter," Savard said. "He's had some good opportunities there. For now he fits there."

Williams should resume skating this week after suffering a setback last week, but there is no timetable for his return.

Let's make a deal: General manager Dale Tallon a few days ago was believed to be close to making a trade for a veteran defenseman to play the point on the power play.

A deal still could happen at some point this week, according to team sources.

Ready or not: The Hawks might not be completely convinced that Jack Skille is ready for full-time duty in the NHL, but the rookie winger has played well enough to stay, at least until the injury situation improves.

"He's played all right," said Denis Savard. "His wall work has got to improve. He's not quite there yet. He's a great skater and is a kid that gets there very quickly on defense, but there are a lot of new things for him and as a young player sometimes it takes time to grasp."

Skille appears to be ahead of Troy Brouwer, who was returned to Rockford last week after one game because his skating wasn't up to par.

Tip-ins: The plan still is to have James Wisniewski resume skating today. Wisniewski has been sidelined since Dec. 26 with a sprained knee. ... Dustin Byfuglien played only nine minutes, four fewer than Jordan Hendry, through two periods Sunday. ... Andrei Zyuzin and David Koci were healthy scratches again.