Thursday night’s game at the Stadium may not be meaningful to some, but to Blackhawks defenseman Frantisek Kucera his performance against Toronto could determine whether he plays Sunday in the playoff opener.
Kucera hasn’t played since being sidelined March 20 with a pulled groin muscle and wasn’t able to break back into the lineup when he was healthy because the blue-line group has been solid and steady.
“We’ve got to get him back in there Thursday,” Sutter said. “See how he plays and make a decision for the playoffs. We’re going to need him in the playoffs sooner or later.”
Final points: Jeremy Roenick will be looking for a goal Thursday. Roenick can hit 50 goals with one more and become the second Hawk ever to have two or more seasons of 50 or more goals. Bobby Hull is the other Hawk to be that prolific.
From a team standpoint, a victory against the Leafs would raise the Hawks’ points to 106. That would equal their total two years ago when they were first overall in the NHL. The Hawks haven’t reached more than 106 since consecutive seasons at 107 points in 1970-71 and 1971-72.
Two days off: Although the Hawks shift ahead a day to Sunday to accommodate ABC in opening the playoffs, the rest of their schedule doesn’t move. There is a game every other day in the postseason for teams, but the Hawks have two days between Game 1 in the first round and Wednesday night’s Game 2 at the Stadium.
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Storm warning: St. Louis seems to be on track to be the Hawks’ first-round opponent, just like last year. The Blues would have to lose to Tampa Bay to blow the chance.
The Hawks would do well to remember the Blues gave them plenty of trouble at the start of last year’s playoff series, scoring 10 goals combined to win Game 2 in the Stadium and Game 3 in the St. Louis Arena. The Hawks then started a tear that lasted through 11 straight victories, but the Blues still managed 19 goals in the six-game series.