Jan. 11--The good thing for Blackhawks winger Brandon Mashinter is that nearly two months after the Hawks recalled him from Rockford he's still on the roster.
The bad thing is that his chances to play are few and far between. But Mashinter got the call to play Sunday against the Avalanche.
Mashinter, 27, played for just the second time since Dec. 22 on the Hawks' bottom line with center Dennis Rasmussen and winger Ryan Garbutt.
"Guys in my situation they're all pros, and it is a job so you have to come in to work every day," Mashinter said.
Mashinter made the most of his rare chance Sunday when he scored the Hawks' first goal off a rebound at 8 minutes, 27 seconds of the first period. It was just Mashinter's second career NHL goal.
Mashinter said he wasn't planning to overcompensate for his lack of minutes Sunday.
"I'm a player that doesn't try to do too much anyway,' Mashinter said. "Play simple, just get in and be a presence out there."
The Hawks felt his presence Sunday.
Mashinter moving into the lineup meant Bryan Bickell was a healthy scratch as his season of misery continues.
Bickell, who was placed on waivers and demoted to Rockford earlier this season, has yet to score a goal and has struggled with confidence throughout the season.
And when Bickell has played, his ice time has seen a drastic decline. He has played less than six minutes in each of his last three games.
"It is frustrating to be in that position, knowing that it's tough to probably do what you want to do in those type of minutes," coach Joel Quenneville said. "But at the same time, the opportunity to get more minutes is in place."
Panik still close: Quenneville said the team was "hopeful" Richard Panik, whom the Hawks acquired in a trade with the Maple Leafs for Jeremy Morin on Jan. 3, would have his visa issue cleared up Sunday.
Keith hits milestone: Defenseman Duncan Keith played in his 800th NHL game Sunday. All 800 have been with the Hawks. Keith played his first game with the team on Oct. 5, 2005.
