Havlat, Kane, Toews -- together at last
The temptation has been there for Blackhawks coach Denis Savard ever since Martin Havlat returned from his shoulder injury.
And on Friday, Savard decided to go for it -- so he put his three most skilled players on the same line. Havlat skated with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in the 5-3 loss to Anaheim and the trio is expected to stay together for tonight's game against the Calgary Flames at the United Center.
"It's a lot of skill," Savard said. "The three of them are great players, and I think it's going to work out beautiful."
Most of Savard's decisions with line combinations have been made to spread the offense, but the emergence of Dustin Byfuglien as a dangerous forward has allowed his coach to try other things.
Byfuglien played with Robert Lang and Tuomo Ruutu for much of the Anaheim game and was one of the strongest offensive players on the ice with 7 of the Hawks' 42 shots on goal.
Patrick Sharp anchors the third line, which gives the Hawks the kind of balanced attack Savard seeks. Sharp leads the team with 13 goals.
Toews and Kane had moments where they clicked with Havlat, though once Toews passed up a good shot and looked for Havlat instead with the play breaking down.
"It's pretty easy to play with Marty because he's such a great player," Toews said. "Hopefully we can do some good things if we stay together."
Injury update: The Flames got some good news on Saturday when tests showed defenseman Robyn Regehr did not suffer a broken foot in Thursday's loss to Pittsburgh.
Regehr has a deep bone bruise and is questionable for tonight's game against the Hawks. The Flames have lost five of their last six.
Tip-ins: With Edmonton forwards Jarret Stoll and Raffi Torres healthy scratches on Friday against St. Louis, the Hawks are wondering if they might be available… Tonight is the third home telecast of the season and so far the Hawks are 2-0… Rookie Patrick Kane picked up his 21st assist on Friday but has gone 11 games without a goal… Jonathan Toews, who has struggled on faceoffs, won 11 of 13 against the Ducks.