Hawks make changes

Here's what you will see tonight when the Blackhawks face the St. Louis Blues at the United Center:

• Patrick Lalime starting in goal for the second straight game with Nikolai Khabibulin watching from the bench.

• Adam Burish moving to center on the fourth line replacing the injured Kevyn Adams.

• Sergei Samsonov back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the last five games.

Here is what you won't see: Martin Havlat back on the ice, even though he practiced with contact Thursday for the first time since injuring his right shoulder on opening night and looks dangerous.

Havlat is close to returning following Thursday's encouraging workout. All he needs is to be formally cleared by the team doctor and perhaps one or two more hard practices.

"It's not strong enough yet," Havlat said of his shoulder. "We're making a little progress day by day. It's still not in place for a couple movements I want to do.

"When I come back, I want to play and help the team as much as I can. If I come back 50 percent, I can't be the player I know I can be."

Coach Denis Savard said Havlat would play as soon as the winger feels he is ready.

"Hopefully this kind of practice will give him some peace of mind that he's fine, possibly," Savard said. "His conditioning is not his issue. It's more of a confidence thing for him, to know that he can. In his mind he might need a couple more of those kind of practices."

Lalime starts again after beating Columbus 5-2 on Wednesday to run his record to 3-1. Khabibulin spent extra time on the ice at practice Thursday working to get his game back in order.

"Habby's our guy; he's our No. 1 (goalie)," Savard said. "I watched his practice today and was happy with how he practiced.

"Pat's played well, but Habby's not out of this picture at all. He hasn't played bad; it's just that when you look at numbers they're not there."

Khabibulin is 5-6 with a 3.10 goals-against average and .885 save percentage. Lalime's goals-against average is 2.38.

Adams had an MRI on Thursday, but the Hawks weren't expecting better news than what they first feared Wednesday -- that the veteran center would be lost for the season with torn knee ligaments, including the anterior cruciate.

A torn ACL usually means 4-6 months of rehab.

"Can we replace his leadership? Probably not, to tell you the truth, he's that important to us," Savard said. "But we have strong leaders in the room."

Burish is emerging as one of them, and he will be stepping into Adams' spot at center on the fourth line. Burish has played wing all season, but his background is at center in the minors and at the University of Wisconsin.

"I've watched him take faceoffs at practices and he can play there," Savard said. "He's like (Patrick) Sharpie; he can play anywhere. The only thing he's going to find not playing that position for a while is playing center you have to cover a lot more ice."

Burish's versatility is one of the reasons he's on the team.

"I played there in the minors and in college," Burish said. "At this level, it's all about filling a role."

To replace Burish at left wing on the fourth line, Savard said Samsonov would play for the first time in six games.

"I think he's going to play really well; it's a gut feeling I got," Savard said. "The way he has practiced, the way his body language has been, the way he has acted around his teammates, he's a real pro."

Scouting report

Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues at the United Center, 7:30 p.m.

TV: None

Radio: WSCR 670-AM

The skinny: The Blues haven't played since Sunday and spent much of the week trying to figure out a way to score more. They rank 23rd in the NHL in offense after losing 3-0 at Columbus on Sunday and 3-2 to the Hawks on Saturday. Coach Andy Murray may split up his top line of Keith Tkachuk, Paul Kariya and Brad Boyes, who have combined for 17 goals in 13 games, or 51 percent of the team's offense. Lee Stempniak, who led the Blues with 27 goals last season, has just 1. Defenseman Erik Johnson, the first pick in the 2006 draft, is expected to return from a fractured foot.

Player to watch: Erik Johnson. The Blues took the big defenseman first overall in 2006 with the Hawks getting Jonathan Toews two spots later.

Next: Detroit Red Wings at the United Center, Sunday

-- Tim Sassone