McKnight: Sharp Back On The Ice
By Connor McKnight --
The Blackhawks will get a much needed and relatively unexpected boost to the lineup tonight with Patrick Sharp expected to make his first start since missing seven straight games. Joel Quenneville told reporters before Wednesday's game against the Blues that he hopes Sharp will be back at it. "He skated this morning [and] felt good," Quenneville said. "He's going to try and warm up [and] see if he can go tonight."
Sharp's potential return to the ice comes a bit sooner than many expected after taking a knee-to-knee hit from Coyotes' defenceman Rostislav Klesla on March 20th. A question still to be answered is how heavy a workload Quenneville plans to put on Sharp. "If he's ready to go, we'll see how he is when he's playing," Quenneville said. "I would expect [that] if he's going, he's ready to play."
Sharp would be a huge boost on a team searching for offense in its last handful of games. Besides, a win tonight and the Hawks control their own destiny as far as the playoff hunt is concerned. "It's a huge game for us, yes," Quenneville said. "We have to win to control our destiny or, basically, the ball in our court. We look at the last seven or eight games, they're all tough games."
