Blackhawks happy to get Hossa back
The Blackhawks will get a much-needed boost offensively Sunday when Marian Hossa returns from an upper-body injury to face the Red Wings.
"Yeah, most likely, yes," Hossa said when asked if he would play against Detroit. "(Saturday) was a good day, good practice, good drills. It was a good test for me. I felt pretty good.
"We've got 15 games left, so it's going to be a great chase towards the end of the season to get the best (playoff position) as possible. Same for me; I'll try to get back ASAP and I'll just try to play my game."
Hossa will return to the first line with Jonathan Toews and Kris Versteeg.
"He certainly adds every piece you look for in a player," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "So all areas of our game should get enhanced with him in the lineup. He's excited about getting back, but you watch him skate and he just adds speed that's kind of been lacking in our team game, puck support and power play, penalty killing.
"He's one of the best players in the league. He's definitely going to make a difference."
Hossa's teammates are happy to have him back.
"He's a great player, and it's always nice when you have a full lineup," Patrick Sharp said. "Whether he plays or not shouldn't change the way the rest of us approach the game, but obviously adding a guy like Hoss will help."
Line shake-up:
Joel Quenneville shook up his lines Saturday, with the biggest change dropping slumping Patrick Sharp to the third line with Andrew Shaw and Brandon Saad. Sharp has just 1 goal in the last 11 games.
The second line was Bryan Bickell, Michal Handzus and Patrick Kane.
"Yeah, seems like whenever things aren't going well, the lines get jumbled around," Sharp said. "That's Q's department, so as players we go on the ice when we're told and you do our job the best you can."
Quenneville doesn't look at Sharp on the third line as a demotion.
"I think there's a number of guys right now that we really need, several guys, to add to our group," Quenneville said. "I think that we've had, over the last little while here, not a four-line game. We had that four-line game on our trip, the best game we've had all year, but we haven't seen it.
"We need to recapture that, and when one or two guys are out of sync, it's tough. It slows the whole process down of where you want to get to."
Keith, Hjalmarsson fine:
Defensemen Duncan Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson didn't practice Saturday but will play against Detroit. "They'll be fine," Joel Quenneville said.
The NHL's winningest coaches
Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville is about to join the 700 club for regular-season wins among NHL coaches. Here's a look at the top coaches in NHL history:
<b>1. Scotty Bowman</b>Total wins: 1,244
Seasons: 30
Teams: Blues (110), Canadiens (419), Sabres (210), Penguins (95), Red Wings (410)
<b>2. Al Arbour</b>Total wins: 782
Seasons: 23
Teams: Blues (42), Islanders (740)
<b>3. Joel Quenneville</b>Total wins: 698
Seasons: 17
Teams: Blues (307), Avalanche (131), Blackhawks (260)
<b>4. Dick Irvin Sr.</b>Total wins: 692
Seasons: 27
Teams: Blackhawks (45), Maple Leafs (216), Canadiens (431)
<b>5. Pat Quinn</b>Total wins: 684
Seasons: 21
Teams: Flyers (141), Kings (75), Canucks (141), Maple Leafs (300), Oilers (27)
<b>6. Mike Keenan</b>Total wins: 672
Seasons: 20
Teams: Flyers (190), Blackhawks (153), Rangers (52), Blues (75), Canucks (36), Bruins (33), Panthers (45), Flames (88)
Source: Hockey Hall of Fame