Burish's formula for success on home ice: play like wild animals
The Blackhawks don't want to be merely a good team at the United Center. They want to be one of the NHL's best clubs at home.
"What do you have to do? I think you've got to play like wild animals," Adam Burish said. "You've got to play mean, tough and in your face. If they want to get to the net, they're going to pay a price to get there.
"People always say the old Chicago Stadium was hard to play in. Well, look at the group of guys they had. They had a bunch of hard-nosed guys that were willing to make it real difficult on guys. We have the personnel in here to do that. If we have that mentality, that we're not going to give you one inch without paying a dear price for it, with the crowd here as loud as it gets, this is going to be a tough place to play."
The Hawks found out how tough it was to play in difficult buildings last weekend, losing games to the Rangers at electric Madison Square Garden and to the Capitals at the amped-up Verizon Center. Burish thinks the United Center has an atmosphere all its own.
"When the crowd here roars it's a different roar than any building," Burish said. "It's a mean, Chicago roar, a deeper roar."
Hawks coach Denis Savard reminded his players at practice Sunday and again on Monday what it's going to take to succeed at home.
"It's got to be just a big red wave all night long for 60 minutes," Savard said. "Get our crowd into and take advantage of what we have here. It's a great crowd and great fans. Get some pucks in deep and start some bodies flying."
Power play shuffle: With the power play 0-for-8 in the first two games, Martin Havlat was off the first 5-on-4 unit Monday against Nashville.
Denis Savard wanted Dustin Byfuglien's right-handed shot on the left side over the left-handed Havlat.
"It's got nothing to do with Marty," Savard said. "It's just that his stick on that side of the ice, he's not a threat. We feel we have a lot more success with Buff in that position."
Havlat did score a first period power-play goal during a two-man Hawks advantage.
Goalie plan? After saying since July 1 that the best goalie would play, Denis Savard's decision to start Cristobal Huet in Monday's opener was puzzling in light of Nikolai Khabibulin's string showing at Washington.
Savard said he might alternate his two goalies early in the year.
"Why not?" Savard said. "Probably for a little bit I might alternate, I don't know that. But (Monday), for me, it's the right call to do. I felt it was (Huet's) turn to come out in front of his new fans and go from there."
In and out: With Niklas Hjalmarsson still sidelined by bruised ribs, defenseman Aaron Johnson was recalled from Rockford and skated with Brian Campbell.
Matt Walker was a healthy scratch.