Bickell hoping to help Blackhawks in NHL playoffs
Lying in his hotel bed in Charlotte after yet another game playing for the AHL's Rockford IceHogs, Bryan Bickell felt his phone vibrate.
He looked, saw "Mark Bernard" on his display and realized this was the call he had been hoping to get from the Blackhawks' director of hockey administration.
"I kind of thought the weeks going into this that this day could come," Bickell said.
It's the third time this season the Hawks recalled Bickell from Rockford, where he has been in exile since Jan. 17. The 6-foot-4, 223-pound forward has appeared in 23 games with the Hawks and has yet to score a goal.
Now, he will attempt to recapture his NHL game with the most important time of the season on the horizon.
"I'm excited to get this train back on track and be a force," Bickell said, "and I know I've got a lot of games left in me. I want to make every game like it's my last."
Bickell will play in tonight's critical showdown with the Blues at the United Center. He skated at left wing on the third line in morning skate with Andrew Desjardins at center and Dale Weise at right wing. Bickell knows he can't ease his way into the lineup if he hopes to earn coach Joel Quenneville's trust for the playoffs.
"Yeah, I think every game's got to be real good from the situation I was in this year," Bickell said.
Quenneville said the Hawks can use Bickell's big shot, big hits and big presence, but the coach wants consistency, which has been missing since the 2013-14 postseason.
Bickell seemed at ease during morning skate and was smiling during most of his time on the ice.
"Well, it's good to see him," Duncan Keith said. "He's got a full head of hair now. He's a new man."
While Keith added he hopes Bickell can contribute to a deep playoff run, the Hawks' defenseman also tempered expectations.
"I know Bicksy's a good guy and he cares and he wants to get there and be like that, be that force in 2013," Keith said. "You know, we need him. We're all excited and he's excited.
"(But) I think one step at a time rather than expecting him to come back and be up here and all of a sudden just be that huge force. Baby steps and work it in slowly, and get that confidence back and then anything can happen."
Hossa update:
Marian Hossa was on the ice Thursday for the first time since suffering a leg injury against Boston on Sunday. He won't play against the Blues, and is questionable for Saturday's season finale at Columbus.
Hossa, who needs just 1 goal to hit 500 for his career, said it's more important to be healthy for the playoffs than trying to score "one goal."
So, was he worried after he was hit by the Bruins' Frank Vatrano at center ice?
"I would by lying to say (I was) not," Hossa said. "There was kind of like an innocent collision. The way my lower body reacted to it, it was scary at the beginning. But that was a good sign pretty quick I'm back on the ice (Thursday)."
Other injuries:
Artem Anisimov and Andrew Shaw were not on the ice Thursday morning as the Hawks prepared to take on the Blues, and both seem unlikely to play Saturday at Columbus. Coach Joel Quenneville said both players should be fine for the playoffs.
Lines:
These were the lines at morning skate today:
• Andrew Ladd-Jonathan Toews-Richard Panik
• Artemi Panarin-Teuvo Teravainen-Patrick Kane
• Bryan Bickell-Andrew Desjardins-Dale Weise
• Brandon Mashinter-Marcus Kruger-Tomas Fleischmann
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