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Will one win make a difference for Blackhawks?

For the first time in nearly a month, the Blackhawks won a game in regulation Wednesday by bolting to a 2-0 lead, fending off two comeback efforts and showing resolve and toughness in the third period to beat a solid, surging Penguins squad.

Impressive performances were turned in by Andreas Martinsen, Marcus Kruger, Alex DeBrincat, Jonathan Toews and Dominik Kahun.

Dylan Sikura and Carl Dahlstrom, who were called up from Rockford before the game, brought new, contagious energy. It should be a wake-up call to everyone that - other than the top players - nobody's job is safe.

It's time to keep shaking things up, and the Hawks certainly did that by placing underperforming D-man Jan Rutta on waivers Thursday.

Now that the Hawks' eight-game skid has ended and we're nearing the halfway mark of the season, I thought it would be a good time to do our first reader mailbag.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a question. We'll do it again in January.

Hawks looked good last night; do you think they can keep it up the rest of the season? @trixidia

You have been watching this team, right? While the win over the Penguins was nice and the 10-18-5 Hawks have shown flashes here and there, the fact is they don't match up well with many teams.

They close out December with Winnipeg (19-9-2), San Jose (16-11-5), Nashville (20-10-1), Dallas (16-12-3), Colorado (17-9-5) twice, Florida (11-12-6) and Minnesota (16-12-2). I'd say 8 points out of 16 would be a herculean effort.

Why are we judging defensemen on how many goals they're scoring? Shouldn't we be judging them on if they're stopping pucks? I know that's not a tangible thing to add, but if they don't stop pucks before the goalie, they're not playing defense. Right? @FroggieJ

This question likely popped up because I pointed out on Twitter that Duncan Keith and Henri Jokiharju are a combined 0-for-119 shooting. And that Keith is 2-for-250 since opening night 2017.

Look, absolutely the main job of a defenseman is to defend. But in today's NHL, it's also a must for blue liners to contribute offensively. Keith (14 assists) and Jokiharju (11) have done a decent job of that in terms of setting up their teammates, but they need to score as well.

The Hawks' blue liners have 13 goals, which actually compares favorably with division leaders Nashville (16), Calgary (15), Tampa Bay (14) and Washington (14). Now, if Keith and Jokiharju started hitting the mark once in a while, it would give opponents more to worry about.

Don't you think they should get rid of Artem Anisimov? Should they trade Brent Seabrook? They should get rid of Brandon Manning, don't you think? @DavidGa00551603

On Anisimov: Only if they can get a second pairing defenseman in return. Otherwise, I'd want him around, especially if they re-sign Artemi Panarin, which I do believe is a strong possibility.

On Seabrook: They can't trade him unless he waives his no-movement clause - a long shot at best.

On Manning: He has struggled and there are rumors they may be trying to deal him. Stay tuned.

Do they regret not keeping Scott Darling? If they could would they take him back? - Cat Jan

No and no. Darling was a great story during the 2015 Stanley Cup run and he put together a fantastic season in 2015-16 while backing up Corey Crawford.

But once he became a starter in Carolina, something happened. Only Darling can probably answer what that is, but he looked nothing like the goalie he did for the Hawks after signing a four-year, $16.6 million contract with the Hurricanes. His numbers there: 15-25-8, .889 save percentage, 3.17 goals-against average.

Are there additional projected Rockford call-ups in the next month or so? - Bob Millikan

Jeremy Colliton certainly seemed to indicate it was a possibility before Wednesday's game. I would love to see Winfield native Anthony Louis get a shot. He's 5-foot-7 and 151 pounds with an extremely high motor. Victor Ejdsell might deserve a look, and so might D-man Darren Raddysh. At the end of the season I'd find a way to get Colin Delia 5-10 games in net.

Do you see Jeremy Colliton being allowed to hire/bring aboard his own assistants next season? - Chris Frederick

Yes and I hope he does. Bring in like-minded, experienced assistants who A) are respected by the team's veterans and B) can help the young players develop as quickly as possible.

Where do you see 'Q' ultimately landing? St. Louis? L.A. Kings? Seattle? Somewhere else? Retirement? - Luke Stanbery

If Joel Quenneville decides to coach again - and I would say that's a safe bet - he'll want to go to a team that is well positioned to win a Stanley Cup. He's not going to the Blues, Kings or SuperSonics (Hey, it's a great nickname. Bring it back!).

My top picks would be Colorado and Winnipeg. Both squads are loaded with talent and maybe just need someone like Quenneville to put them over the top.

Blackhawks left wing Andreas Martinsen, center, is congratulated by teammates after scoring his first goal of the year and the first of the game in Wednesday's win over Pittsburgh at the United Center. Associated Press

Scouting report

Blackhawks vs. Winnipeg, 7:30 p.m. at United Center

TV: NBCSCH • Radio: WGN 720-AM

The skinny: This will be the third meeting between these two teams in the past two weeks, and the Hawks might be catching the Jets at the right time as they had to go to overtime to beat Edmonton 5-4 on Thursday. Winnipeg won on Josh Morrissey's goal 41 seconds into extra time. Blake Wheeler had 2 assists, giving him 35 on the season, and Patrik Laine scored his 22nd goal. ... Winnipeg leads the league in power-play conversions at 30.3 percent. ... The Hawks lost their previous two meetings to the Jets, 6-3 and 6-5. ... Patrick Kane has points in nine of the last 10 games (3G, 9A), and Alex DeBrincat has points in nine of the last 11 (4G, 5A).

Next: San Jose Sharks, 6 p.m. Sunday at United Center

- John Dietz

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