Now that the circus elephants have made their annual trek down city streets and into the United Center, the Blackhawks have embarked on their own trek — a six-game trip.
The 10-7 Hawks, who have won three straight home games, visit Columbus on Wednesday night in the first of three consecutive games against division foes. Nashville awaits Thursday and Detroit on Saturday.
“We have two teams we play this week that are one point behind us and we want to make sure they stay back there,” veteran winger Jason Williams said Tuesday of the Predators and Blue Jackets, who trail the second-place Hawks in the Central. “We have to continue to get better every game. We’re addressing the things that need to be addressed and we’re making ourselves better every day.”
The Hawks are 4-2 on the road with victories in Detroit, Toronto, Dallas and St. Louis. Despite being away from their homes and the United Center, players believe life on the road for extended periods can help them maintain focus.
“You’re on the road to play hockey — that’s what you do,” defenseman James Wisniewski said. “You eat, sleep, wake up, play a game, fly to the next town, sleep, eat [and] play a game again. We need to come together and be a tough road team.”
Lalime to start
Patrick Lalime will get the start in goal against the Blue Jackets despite Nikolai Khabibulin’s strong effort Sunday night in the Hawks’ 3-2 victory over the Red Wings.
Lalime was in goal when the Hawks defeated Columbus 5-2 on Nov. 7, while Khabibulin lost to the Blue Jackets on Oct. 23.
“Whenever I get the call, I want to make the best of it,” Lalime said. “Columbus the last few games, they’re [not] doing too well, so I’m sure they’re going to come out strong.”
Still idled
Winger Martin Havlat will make the trip but is not expected to play in at least the first three games as he recovers from a shoulder injury. The Hawks have four days off before the second leg of the trip in western Canada, and Havlat expects to undergo a strength test during that span that could be the last hurdle in his recovery.
“Hopefully the shoulder is going to be strong enough to practice with real contact and do all the battle drills,” Havlat said. “When I do that and I get the OK, it will be soon after that. I’m having good days and bad days, but I’m getting there.”
Anatomy of a hockey fight
Patrick Sharp, who drops the gloves once or twice per season, wasn’t sure why he found himself trading punches Sunday with Detroit’s Tomas Kopecky .
“I don’t know,” Sharp said Tuesday when asked the reason for the fight. “He asked me to fight and I was more than willing to go. I thought he was trying maybe to draw me into a penalty or something, but he dropped his gloves. It was exciting with the big crowd there and everybody seemed to enjoy it and I had fun doing it.”
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ckuc@tribune.com
