Beyond the Stars: Chicago Blackhawks' 5 Key Role Players Showing Signs of Life

The Chicago Blackhawks are on top of the NHL right now, thanks to welcome contributions from unlikely sources.

It's no secret that the foursome of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp have carried Chicago at times. All four are among the league leaders in scoring.

Heading into last Wednesday's showdown in Minnesota, however, there were concerns with a lack of secondary scoring.

Since then, the Blackhawks have gotten solid performances further down their bench. This has helped Chicago stay on the winning side of the ledger in nine of their last 11 games, including five in a row.

The 'Hawks capped an impressive weekend at the United Center Sunday night, besting Calgary 4-2 despite playing without Brent Seabrook for most of the contest.

When the 'Hawks stars lead the way, this team is good. When the 'Hawks receive secondary support throughout the lineup, they're dangerous.

Here are five players who made some big contributions over the last few games.

Dave Bolland

Bolland and the checking line stepped up their play over the weekend in wins over Anaheim and Calgary.

The Rat had a goal taken off the board Friday night but got one that counted in the 4-1 win over the Ducks. He added an assist on Sunday.

Frolik, for his part, got his first goal with a goalie guarding the net since November 6th with a tally in Minnesota, and Bickell has managed to stay out of the team box the last three games. He also dropped the gloves with Cory Sarich in the third period of the Calgary game.

Niklas Hjalmarsson

Hjalmarsson was a big reason the 'Hawks were able to keep a lid on the Flames with just five defensemen for the final 45 minutes of Sunday's game.

He added three blocks Sunday and is tied for the league lead in that category with 89 on the season.

Hjalmarsson has also pitched in on the offensive end, scoring his first goal since last March to open the scoring for Chicago.

He's notched three points in his last five games.

Jamal Mayers

The fourth line has provided energy and some scoring punch recently, thanks largely to Jamal Mayers. He has three points in his last three games.

His line opened the scoring Friday when Mayers came around the net and got the puck past Jonas Hiller. He came out of that game one assist short of a Gordie Howe hat trick. That assist came Sunday with a nice pass to Steve Montador for Chicago's first goal.

John Scott

As a guy who has hammered Scott's on-ice abilities since he joined the team, I am compelled to give the Murdersaurus a tip of the cap for his last two games.

The second star honor may have been a bit much on Friday night. On the other hand, it was nice to see him get a moment to shine. He did start the chain of events that led to Mayers scoring against the Ducks, earning him his first point of the season.

He also dropped the gloves for the first time, whipping Sheldon Brookbank.

He was a forward Friday and had a hand in several good shifts from the fourth line. He also got the traveling belt the team awards after every game.

On Sunday Scott played over 11 minutes on a shorthanded defensive unit and was a plus-two on the evening.

Marcus Kruger

Kruger is a plus three during the 'Hawks' five game win streak and is doing a decent job of centering the second line.

The rookie has notched points in three of his last four games.

Guys like Kruger, Mayers, Montador, and Hjalmarsson helping out on the score sheet is key to the 'Hawks sustaining their run as we approach the halfway point of the season. With a favorable schedule ahead, Chicago can stay on it's current roll if some of the lesser names can continue to chip in.