Joel Quenneville On A Trevor van Riemsdyk Return: 'We'll See'
(CBS) A day after his team's lack of defensive depth was again evident in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville was non-commital if rookie defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk could return for Game 6 on Wednesday night. Van Riemsdyk has been out since having surgery on his injured right wrist in early April but has been cleared by doctors for a comeback.
"We'll see," Quenneville said Tuesday after the Blackhawks returned from the West Coast. "I'm going to look forward to talking to him. He skated today. We'll see how he is. He's going to skate with us in the morning, but we'll see."
Defensemen Kimmo Timonen and Kyle Cumiskey displayed uneven play in limited action in Game 5. Timonen played just 8:06 and was on the ice for two goals. In 10:48 of playing time, Cumiskey was on the ice for a goal and also had a couple giveaways that helped lead to quality opportunities for the Ducks.
Riemdsyk played in just 18 games during his injury-riddled rookie campaign, recording one assist. The undrafted free agent was a surprise addition out of training camp but earned his way into the lineup with steady play. He played a fifth/sixth defenseman role when he was healthy.
The biggest blunder Monday night for the Blackhawks came in the first minute of overtime, when forward Bryan Bickell tried to dump the puck into Chicago's offensive zone but had it picked off as his team had a line change. It led to the winning goal by Matt Beleskey, and Quenneville wanted little to do with discussing Bickell's misplay that will loom large if Chicago is eliminated.
"Get it past him," Quenneville said when asked what Bickell could've done differently.
"It's a play we talk about getting the pucks behind them and in deep. I'm sure he feels bad. It's a hockey play, and they had to make a couple plays after it."
Quenneville added "we'll see" when asked if he'll make any lineup changes for Game 6, which is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the United Center.
"We've been in tough spots before and put ourselves back in the series," Quenneville said.
"Win one game -- that's our mindset. We know that they have a pretty good hockey team, but we have to play our best game."