Saad back with Kane, Schmaltz as Blackhawks top Blue Jackets

All hockey coaches love to get production from their third and fourth lines.

After all, the deeper a team is, the more likely it will experience long-term success.

That's why Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville has been known to put a big name like Patrick Sharp (in 2015) or Marian Hossa (2016) in his bottom-six forwards.

It's also where Brandon Saad found himself during the second half of this training camp. But after a lackluster week, Quenneville moved Saad back up with Nick Schmaltz and Patrick Kane during the Hawks' 4-1 victory over Columbus at the United Center on Saturday.

The move paid off, too, as Saad scored his first goal of the preseason at 8:23 of the second period.

"We tried him on another line to see if there's more balance that way," Quenneville said. "We had some different looks with it. But playing with Kaner and Schmaltzy, there's a lot of speed, lot of possession. It puts him in a way better spot to be productive."

Which is exactly what Saad needs to be this season. Especially after scoring just 18 goals - and 12 in the last 76 games - in 2017-18.

Saad from scored right in front of the net after receiving a crisp pass from Schmaltz. Their line finished with 12 shots on goal, led by Kane's 6.

"There were a lot of dangerous looks; potential odd-man situations; good in-zone movement," Quenneville said. "Kaner has the puck has a lot. Schmaltzy had good speed. Saader scored a nice one (and) could have had a couple more."

Ward better:

After allowing 6 goals in his first United Center appearance Tuesday, Cam Ward stopped 16 of 17 shots during the Hawks' victory over Columbus. The Blue Jackets' roster was made up almost entirely of AHL players, however. They managed just 2 shots in the first 17 minutes.

"It was a good test for me because anytime that you don't (see many shots), it's a test mentally to stay in the game and be ready," Ward said. "Because in this league, all it takes is one chance and it could be in the back of the net. So yeah, real pleased."

The Hawks' goals came from Brent Seabrook (on the power play), Artem Anisimov, Brandon Saad and Patrick Kane. Forward Luke Johnson did not play due to flu-like symptoms.

Crawford update:

Corey Crawford had another "great day" on the ice, according to Joel Quenneville. Crawford continues to work out for about 30-35 minutes before his teammates practice. Saturday's session included fending off Gustav Forsling and Dylan Sikura on mini-rushes in front of the net.

Quenneville expects Crawford to practice with the team "Monday (or) early next week."

Bad skate, bad game?

During a drill at the beginning of Thursday's morning skate, an irritated Joel Quenneville unloaded a few expletives to try to get his players more focused.

That night, the lethargic and sloppy Hawks dropped a 2-1 preseason decision to Ottawa.

So does a bad skate often translate to a bad game? Quenneville says no.

"I never handicap morning skates to the effectiveness at night," the coach said. "But sometimes you can see going into games - (if there are bad) practices leading up to it - you're going to probably be just ordinary. When you have really crisp practices, not counting morning skates, you can get a pretty good feeling what's going to come next."

Slap shot:

The Blackhawks assigned forward Dylan Sikura and goalie Colin Delia to the Rockford IceHogs after their game against Columbus.