Road Trip Ruminations: Kris Versteeg Shelved, Kane and Toews Come Up Big

The Blackhawks have embarked on their longest road trip of the season (and the longest in the entire NHL this year), an eight-game grueling trip back and forth across the continent and hitting some of the more difficult places to play.

It started out well for them, with a 3-2 win over the Ducks in Anaheim Wednesday night. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Adam Burish all scored goals for the Hawks in the victory, and Nikolai Khabibulin added a splendid night, stopping 36 of 38 shots that he faced in the game.

Coming off a bad stretch leading into the break, the Hawks needed to get things off to a good start, and beating a team in Anaheim that they don't beat there wasn't a bad way to begin.

Here are some other things that Blackhawks followers should be aware of in the coming days.

Swallowing a Bitter Pill

When I found out that Sidney Crosby was sitting out of last weekend's All-Star Game on a doctor's advice, my first thought was "why isn't Patrick Kane doing the same thing?"

I wrote an article detailing my opposition to his playing in the game, explaining that I felt like he was doing himself a disservice by subjecting himself to potential aggravation of the ankle injury that I felt was still bothering him during an eight-game stretch in which he only scored one point and the Hawks as a team went 3-4-1.

This point seemed to have picked up validity on Saturday night in the SuperSkills events, when Kane seemed a little uneasy on his skates while trying to perform under the intense glare of the Montreal sporting spotlight. He didn't appear to be visibly favoring the ankle, but I felt like he wasn't living up to his full potential in the event.

When the game itself dawned on Sunday, we didn't see much of Kane until later in the contest. Then, in the blink of an eye, he scored the type of goal that he is definitely capable of scoring when he is at 100%, and it made me gulp a little hard, thinking of the crow I may need to eat.

Then, when Kane scored a goal in the game tonight against the Ducks, I was then fully aware that his ankle problems may be a thing of the past, and I was willing to admit my inaccuracy with my assessment.

At this point, what I will say about the Kane injury and aftermath is that perhaps there was a psychological barrier between Kane's regular performance and the one he was exhibiting in previous games, perhaps an unwillingness to fully let fly on the ankle. After the ASG appearance, I think he may be over that, and ready to explode for more great plays in the coming weeks.

Speaking of Injuries...

Getting Duncan Keith back is a huge boost to the chances of the Blackhawks. No matter who gets more commercials, or more acclaim on a national level, Duncan Keith is the glue that holds his defensive corps together, and the "A" on his chest proves that.

His battle with the concussion was one that certainly made all Hawks fans search for breath, and certainly showed in the team's recent struggles.

Keith showed no ill effects from the injury, playing over 24 minutes and assisting on the game-winning goal in the second period. He also had a +1, which is the true measuring stick of his impact on the team. If he can continue to show prowess like this, he will be an integral part of any playoff aspirations that this team has.

In other boo-boo news, Kris Versteeg sat out tonight's game with the finger injury that sidelined him from the last period of the team's defeat at the hands of the Blues last Wednesday.The injury kept him out of the Young Stars game, and will likely keep him out of the lineup against the Kings Thursday.

Fun Facts About a Not-So-Fun Trip

The eight-game trek that the Hawks currently find themselves on is the longest road trip in the NHL this season. In addition, it only marks the first chunk of a stretch that sees the Hawks away from the United Center for 11 of 12 games. They will make a quick pit stop in Chicago on February 14th against the Stars before they play three more road games.

The trip also represents the second-longest road trip in team history, which is exceeded only by the nine game trip the team went on way back in the 1955-56 season. They have taken eight-game journeys two other times in team history.

Rumor Mill Starting to Churn

There have been plenty of names mentioned this season as possible scenarios for moving players to Chicago and out of the city, and with the trade deadline drawing ever nearer, a couple of names keep popping up.

Nik Antropov of the Maple Leafs keeps getting mentioned, and his $2 million salary is definitely reasonable, but his status as an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year will more than likely scare the Hawks away.

Doug Weight also keeps coming up, but nothing substantial has been rumored to be going on with the veteran player.

One More Thing

The Blackhawks are drawing an average of a 1.1 rating on TV this season, compared to a 2.3 for the Bulls, and this is surprising, considering the latter team's abysmal play this season. The Hawks are beating their co-tenants at the United Center with an average of about 22,500 fans per game, compared to 21,000 for the Bulls.

Also, congratulations are in order to the Flyers, Wild, and Capitals, as they are the only three teams who are beating their NBA city-sharers in TV ratings. Thanks to the Puck Daddy Blog on Yahoo! for that story.

The Blackhawks' next game will be Thursday night in Los Angeles against the Kings at 9:30pm CST. It can be seen on WGN, heard on 720 AM WGN, and also on NHL GameCenter.