Hawks' Havlat wastes no time

Martin Havlat claimed it would take some time for him to get back in game shape.

Yeah, right.

It took less than a minute Wednesday night for Havlat to remind everyone that when healthy he is one of the most explosive and dynamic offensive players in the world.

In his return from a shoulder injury he suffered opening night, Havlat scored 43 seconds into the first period.

He added a second goal in the second period to help send the Blackhawks to a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"It was nice to score right away, but it was a great night for everybody," Havlat said. "I just wanted to come back tonight and be helpful."

A crowd of 11,122 at the United Center roared on Havlat's first goal, a backhander from the left side tucked under the crossbar and just inside the right post.

"Not many guys in this league can do this, take it all the way out to his backhand and roof it," Hawks coach Denis Savard said.

"That's a pretty impressive play," teammate Patrick Sharp said. "You think a guy might be rusty, but he put it right where only a few guys can.

"We didn't know what to expect. He hasn't played in a long time and everyone was going to give him a little slack there, but 30 seconds in he scores a highlight-reel goal. He's a great player, our top offensive weapon."

Hawks goalie Nikolai Khabibulin made sure Havlat's goals held up with a strong effort in his first start against his former team since he left as a free agent.

Not only did Khabibulin make 21 saves, beaten only on a power play after it was 4-0, he added 2 assists on third-period goals by Sharp and Jonathan Toews.

"I don't think I ever had 2 assists before," Khabibulin said. "But stuff like that I'm not really paying attention to.

"It's always kind of nice to beat your old team, but unfortunately they don't give extra points for that."

The Lightning has had goaltending issues since Khabibulin left, and Wednesday was no exception. Starter Johan Holmqvist was pulled after allowing 3 goals on 10 shots through two periods.

The Hawks scored twice in the first six minutes, jumping on the Lightning and taking the play to them physically.

"I was really concerned because coming off a road trip, it's a very tough game the first game back," Savard said. "I talked to our guys about it and they really gutted it out -- probably so far the gutsiest performance from our team.

"Obviously the presence of Marty in the lineup really helped us."

Havlat's quick goal was exactly what the Hawks needed in their first game back from the road.

"I kind of sensed something was going to happen on that first shift," said Patrick Kane, who dished out 3 assists in another dazzling performance. "He's a great player and he kind of lifts up the whole team, especially when he scores that early in a game."

Dustin Byfuglien also scored for the Hawks, 13-9-2 with a four-game winning streak at home.

"We're going to make this building special coming up," Savard said.