Blackhawks' Campbell 'shocked' by firing of Panthers coach

Shock.

That was Brian Campbell's reaction when his wife told him the news that the Florida Panthers had fired head coach Gerard Gallant on Sunday.

Campbell played for five seasons in Florida, the last two for Gallant, who signed a two-year extension in January and was a finalist for coach of the year after leading the Panthers to a division title.

"I didn't see it coming. I was really shocked," said Campbell, who will face his former team when the Hawks host the Panthers at the United Center on Tuesday. "He signed a contract, it seemed like they like him. The players liked him. I don't know what happened there."

Florida (11-10-1) will now be coached by general manager Tom Rowe, who told reporters there was a "philosophical divide" in how management wanted the team to play compared with how Gallant thought they should play.

Said Rowe: "My focus is solely on turning our season around, fixing our special teams, and securing a playoff berth."

The team would not qualify for the postseason if it started today.

Campbell said Gallant was a players' coach who ran short, hard practices and stayed on an even keel most of the time.

"I feel bad for him," Campbell said. "They're above .500. No team's where they want to be, but he's done some good things there."

Injury update:

Jonathan Toews (upper body) is questionable to play Tuesday against Florida at the United Center. Toews missed the last two games after getting hurt in Winnipeg last week.

Trevor van Riemsdyk, meanwhile, practiced for the first time since he was hurt at Columbus on Oct. 21.

"It's awesome to get back out there with the guys," van Riemsdyk said. "You miss them when they're gone for this long."

Coach Joel Quenneville said he liked what he saw out of the young defenseman, but it will be a couple of days before the coaches decide when van Riemsdyk can be activated off injured reserve.

Face it:

Through 21 games, the Hawks were winning 49.6 percent of their faceoffs, a number that would currently rank them 16th in the NHL. The last two games, though, the Hawks played without Jonathan Toews and won just 31.2 percent of their draws. They now rank 29th in the league at 47.9 percent.

"We know how good Johnny is - as good as anybody is in the league," Joel Quenneville said. "So we certainly miss that aspect of it and the other guys (need) to know that we need to be improving. But not just the centermen; we need help."

Slap shots:

Scott Darling was sick and did not practice Monday. Goaltending coach Jimmy Waite filled the second goal. … Marian Hossa and Artem Anisimov also did not practice. Neither player is hurt.

Scouting report

Blackhawks vs. Florida Panthers at United Center, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

TV: Comcast SportsNet Radio: WGN 720-AM

The skinny: The Panthers, citing "philosophical differences," fired coach Gerard Gallant on Monday. Tom Rowe, the team's general manager, will take over as coach. ... Jonathan Marchessault is Florida's leading scorer with 10 goals and 7 assists. Marchessault is a 5-foot-9, 174-pound center who scored 7 goals in 45 games for Tampa Bay last season. ... Hawks defenseman Brian Campbell will play his former team for the first time. "I've still got some really good friends on the team and I want to see them do well," Campbell said. "Obviously not tomorrow. I'm going to be ready to go, I know that." ... Corey Crawford starts in net for the Hawks.

Next: home vs. New Jersey Devils, 7:30 p.m. Thursday

- John Dietz