Hawks short- handed at practice
Schmaltz, Panarin questionable for Isles; Anisimov hurting
It was defenseman Johnny Oduya’s first practice in his second stint with the Blackhawks, but his presence Thursday was overshadowed by those who didn’t skate.
Five players were missing, including three who were surprise absentees: wingers Marian Hossa ( rest), Nick Schmaltz ( illness) and Artemi Panarin ( upper body). That trio joined defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson ( upper body) and center Artem Anisimov ( lower body), who were expected to miss practice because of injuries.
Hjalmarsson already had been declared out this week, and Hossa was resting. But the availability of the other three is less clear.
Coach Joel Quenneville didn’t update Anisimov’s status much after practice, but Anisimov might miss some time after leaving early in the second period of the Hawks’ 4- 1 victory Wednesday against the Penguins. Schmaltz and Panarin are questionable for the game Friday against the Islanders.
‘‘[ Schmaltz] should be OK,’’ Quenneville said. ‘‘ We’re hoping he’ll be fine for [ Friday], but we’ll see. [ Panarin] is getting some evaluations, upper body. We don’t think it’s serious, but we’ll see.’’
Quenneville’s comments after the game Wednesday made it seem as though Anisimov might miss a couple of games. On Thursday, he left the prognosis more open- ended.
‘‘ He’s still getting evaluated,’’ Quenneville said. ‘‘ Hopefully it’s not too serious. If he does miss much [ time], it won’t be significant.’’
Schmaltz replaced Anisimov as the center on the second line against the Penguins, playing between Panarin and Patrick Kane. If he’s healthy enough to play, that’s likely where he’ll start out against the Islanders. Ryan Hartman would take Schmaltz’s spot at left wing on the top line with Jonathan Toews and Richard Panik.
That’s not an easy decision for Quenneville to make, given that he has spent the bulk of this season searching for some consistency from Toews’ line. After finally getting it, Quenneville is faced with a tough choice regarding Schmaltz, who had the primary assists on the first two goals of Kane’s hat trick against the Penguins.
‘‘ You’re sitting there [ thinking], ‘ OK, do you want to tinker with that ( top) line?’ ’’ Quenneville said. ‘‘ Now you’re tinkering with two lines, and it’s like, ‘ OK . . . ’
‘‘ Hopefully things don’t slow down at all, but I think that our team is very versatile. And if doesn’t work, then you try something else. That’s why you commend [ Schmaltz] for doing what he did [ Wednesday] night.”
Schmaltz is the third Hawks player to come down with an illness in the last two weeks, following winger Jordin Tootoo and goalie Corey Crawford, who will be back in the net Friday.
‘‘ It’s not mumps,’’ Quenneville said, referring to the illness spreading through the NHL. ‘‘ Over the course of a long stretch here, everybody’s getting a turn [ being sick].’’
Oduya, meanwhile, won’t play until Thursday against the Ducks. He’s coming off an ankle injury that sidelined him for 15 games with the Stars, and the plan is to rest him for a busy stretch run.
‘‘ It’s a little bit different if you’re out one or two weeks,’’ said Oduya, who returned for one game with the Stars before being traded back to the Hawks on Tuesday. ‘‘ I kind of want to do myself justice and wait to prepare in the right way. It’s a decision for management and the coaches, but it’s something we talked about, and I think it’s not a bad idea.’’
NOTE: The Hawks signed 21- yearold forward Matthew Highmore to a three- year entry- level contract. Highmore is an undrafted free agent who has 32 goals and 82 points in 58 games in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.