Hawks' goal for Bolland? Many more goals

Getting 2 goals from Dave Bolland might be considered a bonus for the Blackhawks this season, but that could change in the future.

Bolland, who scored twice in Wednesday's 3-0 win over Minnesota, has above-average skill, which the Hawks believe will show up more and more as he gains experience.

In his final season of junior hockey two years ago with the London Knights, Bolland had 57 goals and 73 assists in 59 games.

"In London he put up some big numbers," said teammate Patrick Kane, who arrived in London the year Bolland left. "I watched games and he seemed to dominate. He's got such a good shot and such a quick release, he should be able to score a lot of goals at this level."

Bolland believes the offense will come in time, and so does Hawks coach Denis Savard.

"He's got some skill and he's smart -- a very, very smart player," Savard said. "He reads the play well, and defensively he's solid. He's going to get better and he's going to get strong and more confident. Hopefully this summer we can put 10 pounds on him."

Bolland's smarts earned him the spot up top when the Hawks had a brief 5-on-3 power play against the Wild.

"I've used a lot of people up there, but I saw enough of him in that situation to keep him there for as long as I'm around," Savard said.

Hitting the wall: As pleased as the Hawks were with Jason Williams' return to the lineup Wednesday, they expect him to have some rough spots for a little while.

"It's going to be tough, like you're seeing with (Jonathan) Toews right now," Denis Savard said. "It's tough for him now, and (Williams) is going have to get over the hump now, too.

"With Toews, the adrenaline going for a while and the kid is trying his heart out, but it catches up to you when you've been out that long. Willy is going to go through the same stage here where he's going to play decent for us for four or five games, then you have to expect some kind of drop.

"You can skate all day and be in the gym all day, but the bottom line is you have to play games."

Tough decision: It wasn't easy for Denis Savard to make Martin Lapointe a healthy scratch Wednesday for the first time in his career with the Hawks.

Lapointe sat as Jason Williams returned to the team after recovering from his sports hernia.

"It wasn't because of his play," Savard said. "With two games in two nights, I want to keep him fresh and I'm going to need him down the stretch here. He understands. It's tough to sit one of your leaders out."

View from afar: You can bet the Hawks noticed on Thursday when Buffalo defenseman Brian Campbell turned down a three-year contract offer from the Sabres that was worth less than $6 million a year.

If Campbell hits the market as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, the Hawks will be very interested in his services. It's obvious the bidding for Campbell will start at $6 million a year and likely go much higher.

Scouting report

Blackhawks vs. Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center, 3 p.m.

TV: Comcast SportsNet

Radio: WSCR 670-AM

The skinny: The Kings are last in the Western Conference, but the Hawks should be wary. Including that 9-2 drubbing on New Year's Day, the Hawks have lost two of three to the Kings, who beat the Blues 5-1 on Thursday. The line of Alexander Frolov, Patrick O'Sullivan and Mike Cammallari combined for 11 points against the Blues. Frolov had 3 goals and O'Sullivan had a goal and 4 assists. The Kings will be without Rob Blake (ankle), Derek Armstrong (knee) and goalie Jason LaBarbara (groin). Kyle Calder was a healthy scratch against St. Louis.

Player to watch: Patrick Lalime. The Hawks' backup gets the start with Nikolai Khabibulin sidelined by back spasms.

Next game: Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center, 7 p.m. Sunday.

-- Tim Sassone