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Brent Seabrook was on the ice only two days after the Chicago Blackhawks said he would miss a week with an abdominal injury. The veteran defenseman went through about a 10-minute on-ice workout before joining the rest of the team for practice Sunday at MB Ice Arena for the third day of training camp.
The 33-year-old skated on the top pairing with Duncan Keith, while top prospect Henri Jokiharju rotated in. Chicago will have two practices before the team’s first preseason game Tuesday in Columbus. Tuesday’s practice will be split between game- and non-game players.
Brent Seabrook on changing his game: "I'm me, and that's not going to change. The abilities I have, I can work on making them quicker and faster and better, things like that, but what you see is what you get."
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) September 16, 2018
Joel Quenneville on Brent Seabrook's fitness level after the offseason: "We know he's way better than he's ever been." Said a Keith-Seabrook pairing is still very much a possibility.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) September 16, 2018
Brent Seabrook on the ice before #Blackhawks practice. pic.twitter.com/d1PbvOFPQj
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) September 16, 2018
Jokiharju and Keith were paired together during the Hawks’ scrimmage Saturday at the United Center. The 19-year-old Jokiharju rotated in with Keith during Sunday’s practice.
Coach Joel Quenneville was complimentary of Jokiharju’s performance during the scrimmage.
Joel Quenneville on Henri Jokiharju: "I thought he had a real strong game, got better and better every shift." #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/ciQ9lXKnJq
— Eric Lear (@BHTVeric) September 15, 2018
Jokiharju is expected to vie for a roster spot with Connor Murphy missing two months with a back injury. Jokiharju is one of six right-handed defensemen in camp along with Seabrook, Jan Rutta, Darren Raddysh, Jake Ryczek and Adam Boqvist.
Crawford works out
Corey Crawford was back on the ice doing an individual workout with goaltending coach Jimmy Waite. Crawford worked on lateral movement and took shots. Quenneville told reporters the plan is to keep Crawford on the ice on a daily basis as long as the goaltender is up to it.
Corey Crawford working with Jimmy Waite this morning pic.twitter.com/IElpRhT19Q
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) September 16, 2018
A workout for Crawford and Waite pic.twitter.com/hRswCI4iZm
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) September 16, 2018
Crawford’s stamina is being pushed more today pic.twitter.com/WvTV6gThLR
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) September 16, 2018
The conditioning is something Crawford admitted is going to take time pic.twitter.com/1dcdsiQWYu
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) September 16, 2018
Crawford said Friday he’s been skating for two weeks now, but is still dealing with lingering symptoms from a concussion he suffered last season. He’s not cleared to be a full participant, yet, but he feels “really close” to being able to return. Prior to his concussion, Crawford posted some of the best numbers of his career with a .929 save percentage and 2.27 goals-against average and a 16-9-2 record.
Top-nine stays intact
Quenneville isn’t wavering on his line combinations for the top-nine.
Kunitz-Toews-DeBrincat
Saad-Schmaltz-Kane
Sikura-Anisimov-Ejdsell
Hayden-Kruger-Martinsen
Kahun-Johnson-Kampf
Defense
Keith-Seabrook-Jokiharju (rotating)
Manning-Rutta
Gustafsson-Dahlstrom
Davidson-Boqvist
The only difference in the top-nine is Victor Ejdsell and Dylan Sikura switching wing assignments on the third line. Both players are left-handed shots. The duo found success during Saturday’s scrimmage, with Sikura scoring twice from feeds by Ejdsell.
Sikura, a 2014 sixth-round pick, tallied three assists in five NHL games last season after signing with the Hawks following his senior season at Northeastern University. Ejdsell, who was acquired in the Ryan Hartman trade with Nashville, had one assist in six games last season before tallying seven goals and 12 points during the Rockford IceHogs’ playoff run.
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