Forwards Jeff Shantz and Steve Dubinsky will report to the Blackhawks from Indianapolis for practice Wednesday and may play Thursday against Vancouver. But their linemate, Sergei Krivokrasov, will be asked to play this weekend with the Ice before he is cleared to make the move out of the minors.
This is the second time this season Krivokrasov has been slated for a NHL promotion and been unable to come due to injury. His present problem is back spasms. However, the Hawks’ No. 1 pick from ’92 may join them next week.
The Hawks returned defenseman Keith Carney to the Ice.
Sense a pattern?: Special teams could have made a difference on the Hawks’ nine-game trip. Their 4-5 record would have been worse without a penalty killing unit that held the opposition to four power-play goals on 38 chances (89.5 percent). But it also would have been significantly better with a consistent power play, one that fizzled out by scoring four times in 30 chances (13.3 percent). Neither statistic was a surprise, since the Hawks rank second best in the NHL in killing penalties and 20th on the power play.
