Chicago Blackhawks Welcome Back Hossa, Stalberg...and Turco

The Chicago Blackhawks matched their longest win streak of the season Sunday night with a 4-1 victory over Columbus.  The game was eventful for the return of two veteran players.  One had been away from the ice.  The other had been MIA from the crease.

Marian Hossa was back from a lower body injury that kept him out of the lineup for a month, while Marty Turco notched his first win since shutting out Edmonton back on Nov. 17.  The Blackhawks have now won four in a row over the holidays.

Both returns were announced with a flourish and are crucial to the Hawks fortunes.

Hossa tallied a pair of assists and skated strong, much to the pleasure of United Center faithful.  Turco, stepping into the crease in response to Corey Crawford's bout with the flu, stopped 14 first-period attempts by the Blue Jackets.  He stopped 26 shots on the night.

The significance of Hossa and Turco getting back into the lineup and contributing to the win is obvious.  The returns of Hossa and Viktor Stalberg (who was plus-1 in 11:41 of ice time) leave Patrick Kane as the only Blackhawk still on the injury list.  Adding another potent scorer to a lineup that has stepped up in that department can only add to Chicago's depth.

I feel that Turco's return to the win column was equally important.

Whether Turco is the starter or the backup (right now it's the latter), he needs to be confident in goal.  The team, in turn, has to sense that confidence and trust that he can make the tough saves.  Yes, the team defense was good in front of him for a change, but Turco turned Columbus away several times in the first period when the game could have gone in a different direction.

After three losing efforts and seeing a changing of the guard in net, this was a huge win for the 35-year-old veteran.  I would think that tonight, coupled with Crawford's illness, would earn Turco a start in St. Louis on Tuesday.

Both Crawford and Turco need to give us the chance to win every night, now that every point is crucial in the Western Conference standings.  The Blackhawks have to get consistent play in net to win.

So yes, Hossa and Stalberg returning to the lineup was a shot in the arm. 

And if this signals a return to winning form for Turco, so much the better.