Hawks' Keith downplays early Norris Trophy talk

Duncan Keith measures up favorably to Zdeno Chara even though he is 8 inches shorter and 64 pounds lighter than the Boston Bruins defenseman.

Keith and Chara are equals in terms of what they mean to their respective teams as shutdown No. 1 defensemen.

Keith might have something else in common with Chara after this season if he gets voted the Norris Trophy, which goes to the NHL's best blue liner.

Chara won his first Norris last season and is having another strong year for the 22-13-7 Bruins. Chara and Keith will be in the spotlight Thursday night when the Blackhawks play in Boston looking for their fifth straight win.

The halfway point in the season usually is when trophy talk heats up, and Keith appears to be on many writers' shortlist of Norris candidates along with Chara, San Jose's Dan Boyle, Nashville's Shea Weber and Washington's Mike Green.

"It's definitely nice to be talked about like that, but I realize there's a lot of season left," Keith said Wednesday. "With so much season to go a lot of things can happen.

"I have to keep playing my best and trying to help the team win and focus on those things. The other things take care of themselves. I'm really not worried about those things."

A Chicago defenseman hasn't won a Norris Trophy since Chris Chelios in 1996, but Keith is having the kind of season that could find him joining past Hawks winners Chelios, Doug Wilson and Pierre Pilote.

Keith is plus-13 playing against the opposition's top line night after night and has 37 points to rank second on the Hawks in scoring. Keith averages 26:38 of ice time per game, second in the league by only one second behind Boyle.

"He's unbelievable with his vision on the ice and the way he can shut down top players," teammate Patrick Kane said. "The little plays he makes, it's really amazing what he does for this team. To be honest, I don't see too many guys better than him in the league today."

Kane says it makes him a better player trying to beat Keith in practice each day.

"If you watch him he kind of swings into guys," Kane said. "He doesn't go straight at guys, he swings into them and angles them. You're in a position where you can't stop, and if you keep going he's going to catch you and take the puck away from you every time."

Goalie Cristobal Huet has the best seat in the house to watch Keith and appreciates what he does shift after shift.

"He definitely deserves to be considered a top defensive candidate for the Norris," Huet said. "He's got speed, he's got vision and plays against the other team's best line every night with (Brent) Seabrook. He's been great for us. He's playing a lot of minutes and never seems he's having a night off."

Hawks coach Joel Quenneville thinks Keith has improved his game even from last season when he was plus-33 with a career-high 44 points.

"I think Dunc's having a real strong year," Quenneville said. "The pair with Seabs and him is really effective game in and game out. Their numbers shutting down top guys is amazing.

"Dunc has really improved his consistency and overall game. He's been a big factor for our team."

<p class="factbopxheadblack">Blackhawks game day</p>

<p class="News">Boston Bruins at TD Garden, 6 p.m.</p>

<p class="News"><b>TV:</b> Comcast SportsNet</p>

<p class="News"><b>Radio:</b> WGN 720-AM</p>

<p class="News"><b>What to watch: </b>The Bruins are coming off a 4-1 win at Ottawa on Tuesday without leading scorer Patrice Bergeron, who will miss at least the next two weeks with a broken right thumb. Left wing Milan Lucic remains sidelined as well. Goalie Tim Thomas has won 11 starts in a row.</p>

<p class="News"><b>Season series:</b> Hawks lead 1-0, winning 5-4 in a shootout Dec. 18 at the United Center.</p>

<p class="News"><b>Next:</b> Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center, 7 p.m. Saturday.</p>

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