Move relieves some pressure from Chicago Blackhawks' D-men

Playing scared or looking over your shoulder every time you make a mistake is no way to play any sport.

But with the Chicago Blackhawks carrying eight defensemen most of this season, that's exactly what a few blue liners admitted was happening to them.

That all changed - for the time being, anyway - when Gustav Forsling was assigned to Rockford on Sunday. With only seven D-men on the roster, the Hawks now hope everyone plays looser and with more confidence.

Every defenseman except Duncan Keith has been benched thus far - even veteran Brent Seabrook, who didn't dress for the Hawks' 8-2 victory over Ottawa on Jan. 9.

Connor Murphy, who has sat out five times, said thoughts about being a healthy scratch would start to enter his head any time a rough game wound down.

"Sometimes when you're sitting there at the end and seeing how outplayed you were, that definitely seeps into your mind," Murphy said. "It's tough going home thinking about if you might be out or not the next time."

Coach Joel Quenneville sympathized with players worrying about one mistake costing them their jobs.

"I always felt that having eight around here, that there is a little bit of that," Quenneville said. "I understand it and it's not easy for some of the guys that were in it."

Murphy was paired with Michal Kempny on Monday against Tampa Bay as Jan Rutta earned his fifth healthy scratch in the last 14 games. Jordan Oesterle (25) and Kempny (23) have sat out the most, but Oesterle has now played in 17 straight games.

Murphy and Cody Franson, who have 850 NHL games between them, both said they hadn't played on a team that carried eight D-men for this long. Both understood how tough it was on the coaches, but Murphy said it's up to each player to earn consistent ice time.

"If you're not playing to the satisfaction of your boss, then you're not going to be put on the ice or in the lineup," Murphy said. "That's a pressure you just have to handle, and you just hope to not have a bad game and risk the chance of being taken out.

"You want to do as many things in your power to keep yourself playing."

Slap shots:

Tommy Wingels and Lance Bouma did not play vs. Tampa Bay. It was Wingels' fourth healthy scratch of the season and Bouma's first. … Tanner Kero has 4 goals and 4 assists in the last seven games with Rockford. … Passes for the 11th annual Blackhawks convention go on sale Jan. 26 at chicagoblackhawks.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. The convention will be held from July 27-29 at the Hilton Chicago.

Sitting out

Times Blackhawks defensemen have been a healthy scratch this season:

Duncan Keith 0

Brent Seabrook 1

Gustav Forsling* 2

Erik Gustafsson 4

Jan Rutta 5

Connor Murphy 5

Cody Franson* 11

Michal Kempny 23

Jordan Oesterle 25

* Denotes currently in Rockford