Hawks look to stay hot on 2nd trip to Western Canada

EDMONTON, Alberta - The Blackhawks swept Western Canada in December, but it won't be an easy trick to duplicate.

The Oilers will no doubt be remembering how the Hawks embarrassed them 9-2 on Dec. 16 when the two teams meet again tonight at Rexall Place.

Then it's on to Calgary, where the Flames have been playing as well as any team in the NHL. They should be looking for a little payback as well after 3 straight losses to the Hawks.

"I thought we had some good bounces go our way on that last trip, so we're going to have to work a little bit harder and be just as smart this swing out here to get the 2 points in every game," defenseman Duncan Keith said.

"It's going to be a tough three games," Brent Seabrook said. "We're going to have to bring our 'A' games out west and try to finish this part of the road trip strong."

The Hawks don't play the Canucks until Saturday, but the timing might be right to get them. Vancouver has lost its last nine games at GM Place to drop out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference.

Mats Sundin, who was supposed to help push the Canucks to new heights after signing as a free agent, has been a bust to this point. Looking slow and unable to keep up after sitting out nearly half the season, Sundin has 2 goals and 1 assist in nine games and is minus-6.

The Canucks are 1-5-3 with Sundin in the lineup.

"Nobody in that dressing room is taking this lightly," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault told reporters over the weekend. "We understand everybody's frustration and disappointment, but we're going to stick very close together and work as hard as we can to get back on the right track."

The right track is where the Hawks believe they are again after winning two of the first three games on their eight-game trip, including Saturday's impressive 4-2 victory at San Jose.

So where is the Hawks' confidence after that win over the Sharks?

"It's right back up there," Seabrook said. "That was a big win and we're excited to get on with the rest of the road trip. It's great for everybody to see we can beat these teams (like San Jose)."

The Hawks, so flat going into the all-star break, appear to have their mojo back.

"I think we realize we have to play hard and we've got to battle to win games," Keith said. "We're not just going to win on skill, especially in the second half here. Using our speed and our determination is what's going to get us wins and not relying on skill."

It will be interesting to see if Hawks coach Joel Quenneville comes back with Nikolai Khabibulin in goal tonight against the Oilers, even though it would be Cristobal Huet's turn to start.

Khabibulin has been the difference in both Hawks' wins on this road trip, and it has happened once before this season that Quenneville made the decision to ride Khabibulin.

That happened in November when Khabibulin started six of seven games and went 3-0-2 before getting hurt in the seventh game Nov. 26 in San Jose.

Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place, 8 p.m.

TV: Comcast SportsNet

Radio: WGN 720-AM

At a glance: The Hawks, 2-0 against the Oilers, spanked them 9-2 on Dec. 16 in Edmonton. The Hawks are 5-for-8 on the power play in the two games. The Oilers have lost two of three coming out of the all-star break, including a 10-2 home-ice drubbing at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 27.

Next: Calgary Flames at the Pengrowth Saddledome, 8 p.m. Thursday

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