Five key issues as Hawks get back to work
It's back to work Thursday for the Blackhawks, who will practice for the next five days before resuming their season Tuesday against the Islanders in New York.
The Hawks went into the Olympic break on a four-game winning streak, appearing tired at times, but now it's a 21-game sprint to the playoffs over the next six-plus weeks.
There won't be any chance to ease back into the grind either with the Hawks set to play four games in six nights starting in New York.
On top of that, the NHL trade deadline is Wednesday.
Here are five things to watch for with the Hawks' season about to resume.
1. The goaliesWhen we last saw the Hawks on Valentine's Day in Columbus, Antti Niemi was making a bid to unseat Cristobal Huet as the No. 1 goaltender.Hawks coach Joel Quenneville gave Niemi the last four starts before the break, and the first-year goalie responded by winning them all, including the last three in shootouts.Quenneville said at the time he simply was going with the hot goalie in Niemi, who has a 2.16 goals-against average and .913 save percentage compared to Huet's 2.29 goals-against average and .903 save percentage.Who starts Tuesday in New York? It might depend on what Quenneville sees in practice over the next few days.Either way we should know by the end of next week exactly where the goaltending situation stands.The Hawks have been rumored to be kicking the tires with a few goalies ahead of the trade deadline, but even if there is no deal for a goalie the guy who gets the starts in big games against Vancouver (March 5) and Detroit (March 7) should answer the No. 1 question.2. Fatigue factorHow are the Hawks' six Olympians going to react coming back from Vancouver and having to jump right back into the NHL season?Both Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews said while at the Olympics they don't feel it's going to be an issue.Quenneville certainly will allow his Olympians to miss as many practices as necessary and besides that the other top teams such as San Jose, Washington and Pittsburgh all are in the same boat when it comes to their best players coming back from the games.3. Who's healthy?The Hawks went into the break with Marian Hossa, John Madden, Brent Sopel and Ben Eager all nursing injuries.Hossa was OK to play for Slovakia in the Olympics, but the next few days of practice will show if Madden, Sopel and Eager are ready to resume playing.The good news is Adam Burish's return from a torn ACL suffered during the preseason is imminent.Burish was hoping to play as soon as Wednesday against Edmonton at the United Center. His energy could be exactly what the Hawks need to get them back into the swing of the season.4. Playoff seedingThe Hawks' first objective is to win the Central Division, and that clinching will happen sooner than later. They lead second-place Nashville by 16 points with 21 games to play, so do the math. The first division title since 1993 is going to happen.Winning the Western Conference and the President's Trophy are there for the taking as well. The Hawks trail San Jose by only 2 points in the West and are just 3 behind Washington for first place overall.The Hawks are through playing the Sharks, but the Capitals and Alex Ovechkin will be at the United Center on March 14.5. Trade deadlineGeneral manager Stan Bowman could have something significant up his sleeve, something minor, or nothing at all - only he knows what's going to happen before Wednesday.Bowman acquired defenseman Kim Johnsson before the break to bolster the back end, but there might be a need for another veteran defenseman, especially if Sopel's health for the playoff grind is a concern to the organization.Bowman has said twice in the last six weeks he is confident in goalies Niemi and Huet, but things can change. If the Hawks do indeed have interest in Florida's Tomas Vokoun or Dallas' Marty Turco, neither veteran would come cheap.Vokoun leads the league in save percentage (.931) and shutouts (7), but he has next year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $5.7 million.