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VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- As far as coach Joel Quenneville is concerned, there's no rush to get some of his injured players back into the Chicago Blackhawks' lineup.

Quenneville said left winger Patrick Sharp (upper-body injury) and defenseman Michal Rozsival (upper body) will sit out Monday's game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. Goaltender Ray Emery will dress as Corey Crawford's backup after missing two games with a lower-body injury.

Center Michal Handzus, who has played nine games since coming to Chicago in an April 1 trade from San Jose, will be a game-time decision. Quenneville didn't elaborate on Handzus' situation.

Quenneville said Sharp "is doing good" and likely will play in Wednesday night's game against the Oilers in Edmonton.

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The Chicago Blackhawks, who stood atop ESPN's NHL Power Rankings again Monday, recently assured themselves of the top spot in the Western Conference, but the identity of their first-round foe is still unknown.

The Blackhawks could still play one of seven teams in the first round. With one week remaining in the regular season, the San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars and Phoenix Coyotes are all potential opening-round opponents for the Blackhawks.

Here's a closer look at all seven potential first-round opponents with their records, ROW (regulation + overtime wins, which is used as a tiebreaker), remaining games and best-and-worst-case scenarios.

San Jose, 24-14-17, 55 points (currently fifth place): 16 ROW, 3 games remaining (vs. Dallas on Tuesday, at Phoenix on Wednesday, at Los Angeles on Saturday), best case (61 points, fourth place), worst case (55 points, out of the playoffs)

St. Louis, 26-17-2, 54 points (currently sixth place): 21 ROW, 3 games remaining (vs. Colorado on Tuesday, vs. Calgary on Thursday, vs. Blackhawks on Saturday), best case (60 points, fourth place), worst case (54 points, out of the playoffs)

Minnesota, 24-18-3, 51 points (currently seventh place): 20 ROW, three games remaining (vs. Los Angeles on Tuesday, vs. Edmonton Friday, at Colorado on Saturday), best case (57 points, win the Northwest Division, third place), worst case (51 points, out of the playoffs)

Columbus, 22-7-7, 51 points (currently eighth place): 17 ROW, two games remaining (at Dallas on Thursday, vs. Nashville on Saturday), best case (55 points, fifth place), worst case (51 points, out of the playoffs)

Detroit, 20-16-8, 48 points: 18 ROW, four games remaining (vs. Phoenix on Monday, vs. Los Angeles on Wednesday, vs. Nashville on Thursday, at Dallas on Saturday), best case (56 points, fifth place), worst case (48 points, out of the playoffs)

Dallas, 22-19-4, 48 points: 20 ROW, three games remaining (at San Jose on Tuesday, vs. Columbus on Thursday, vs. Detroit on Saturday), best case (54 points, sixth place), worst case (48 points, out of the playoffs)

Phoenix, 19-17-8, 46 points: 15 ROW, four games remaining (at Detroit on Monday, vs. San Jose on Wednesday, vs. Colorado on Friday, at Anaheim on Saturday), best case (54 points, seventh place), worst case (46 points, out of the playoffs)

CHICAGO -- In a season where Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane hasn’t had the luxury of skating with consistent linemates, he has been more consistent than anyone offensively on the Blackhawks. His linemates have often changed from game to game, but he’s continued to rack up points and still ranks among the league’s leaders in goals and assists.

“I’ve always been a guy who doesn’t think it matters who you play with,” said Kane, who leads the Blackhawks and is tied for fourth in the NHL with 51 points. “I think as long as you’re working hard, you’re supporting each other, trying to make the right plays and simple plays, you’re going to have success. That’s what I’ve tried to stress to either one of my linemates.”

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville’s plan entering the season was utilize Kane alongside Patrick Sharp and Dave Bolland on the second line. Quenneville has been able to execute that plan in just 18 games. Because of various injuries, Sharp and Bolland have combined to miss 28 games.

In their place, Quenneville has mixed and matched a variety of linemates with Kane. Kane has started games with 10 different pairings and skated with nine different players on the second line.

Aside from the 18 games with Bolland and Sharp, Kane has started nine games with Bolland and Jimmy Hayes, seven games with Sharp and Marcus Kruger, three games with Bolland and Kruger, two games with Kruger and Daniel Carcillo, one game with Bolland and Michael Frolik, one game with Bolland and Carcillo, one game with Bolland and Bryan Bickell, one game with Sharp and Andrew Shaw and one game with Bolland and Viktor Stalberg.

Despite all the changes, Kane’s play hasn’t fluctuated. He’s recorded a point in 33 of his 44 games this season. He once went three games without a point and once two games. Other than that, he’s bounced back six times with a point after not having one the game before.

Kane has had two eight-game point streaks and another of five games. He had 10 points in seven games in January, 14 points in 13 games in February, 18 points in 14 games in March and currently has nine points in 10 games in April. He started April off slow, but has registered five points in his last three games.

“I think there’s been some injuries obviously to both of my linemates,” said Kane, who has 21 goals and 30 assists. “There’s been certain guys who have played well in those roles, certain guys I have kind of clicked off with. I know it’s changed a little bit, but for me, personally, just try to work hard, find my game where it was at the beginning of the season and get back to that level.”

Quenneville has been impressed with Kane from the start of the season to the end of it. Quenneville recently said he thought Kane and Jonathan Toews were worthy of Hart Memorial Trophy consideration.

“I think all year long he’s been productive,” Quenneville said of Kane last week. “That line has a lot of different looks on it be it your centerman, be it your left winger. He’s played [with] some different [lines.] He keeps doing his thing.

“It seems like he’s got the puck a lot. He’s a threat. He gives the opponent something to be concerned about when he’s on the ice. When you got that 1-2 punch [in lines,] I think that makes us a different type of team.”

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks' result -- a 3-2 shootout loss to the Phoenix Coyotes -- was ultimately irrelevant Saturday.

While the Blackhawks would love to win every game, there's no shame in losing in a shootout at this point of the season, especially considering where the Blackhawks have put themselves atop the Western Conference standings.

What really matters this time of the season is how the Blackhawks are playing overall. And in the eyes of captain Jonathan Toews, the team is playing just how it wants leading into the final four games of the season.

"We're playing against some teams who are hungry, that are working really hard to get points to earn a playoff spot," Toews said. "We're making it as hard as we can on those teams. We've shown we can keep rolling four lines. We can kill penalties. Right now, the power play is back on track the last couple games. I'd say we got a lot of confidence in all the areas of game. That's exactly what we want to get going these last few games or so."

The Blackhawks have to be especially giddy about what the power play has done the past two games. After going scoreless on the power play in nine consecutive games, the Blackhawks have scored four power-play goals in their past two games. Brent Seabrook, who was celebrating his 28th birthday, scored both power-play goals Saturday.

The power play had been the one major concern heading into the playoffs, and now it seems it could benefit the Blackhawks in a tight playoff affair.

"It was good," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said of the power play. "I like the power play. I thought we had good motion, good movement, good options, thinking shot. Seabs' one-timer, Seabs in the slot, couple nice feeds as well. Nice to see some finished product. I think that definitely was a sore point for a stretch of games, nice to have something positive come out of it on the power-play side."

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CHICAGO -- Here's a quick look at the Phoenix Coyotes' 3-2 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on Saturday.

How it happened: The Coyotes outscored the Blackhawks 2-1 in the shootout to pull out the road win. Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith made 36 saves and stopped two shootout shots. Defenseman Brent Seabrook, who turned 28 on Saturday, scored both of the Blackhawks' goals, both of which came on the power play. The Blackhawks have scored four power-play goals in the last two games after not scoring one in their previous nine games. Rostislav Klesla and Radim Vrbata scored the Coyotes' two regulation goals. Klesla's goal came when he flung the puck from near center ice, and it bounced toward the net and past Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford. The Blackhawks killed all five of the Coyotes' power plays. The Blackhawks outshot the Coyotes 38-31. Crawford made 29 saves.

Player of the game: Smith kept the Coyotes in the game with a number of tremendous saves. He stopped 15 shots in the first period and finished with 36 saves in 38 shots.

What it means: The Blackhawks had their seven-game winning streak snapped, but extended their points streak to 11 games. They are now 34-5-5 with an NHL-best 73 points. The Blackhawks are 19-3-5 in one-goal games and 6-5 in shootouts this season. The Blackhawks had their largest crowd of the season with a paid attendance of 22,272.

What's next: The Blackhawks head to Canada for their next two games. They will play the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.

CHICAGO -- With the Central Division and the top seed in the Western Conference already secured, the only remaining regular-season achievement for the Chicago Blackhawks to attain is winning the Presidents’ Trophy, which is awarded to the team with the most points.

While the Blackhawks wouldn’t decline the trophy if they finish first, it’s not something they’re focusing on as they close out the regular season and prepare for the playoffs.

Heading into their game Saturday, the Blackhawks lead the NHL with 72 points through 43 games. The Penguins, who won on Saturday afternoon, are just behind them with 68 points through 44 games.

“It’s a cool thing that people talk about, but they won’t talk about it very long, I don’t think,” Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said recently of the Presidents’ Trophy. “It’s not that important. Of course, we want to be the best. We’ve put ourselves at the top throughout the entire season. We want to stay there. But that fact it’s called the Presidents’ Trophy, it doesn’t mean a whole lot to us. We’re preparing ourselves for the postseason, and that’s the most important thing right now.”

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville shared a similar feeling as his captain.

“We’d like to win that, but we’ll see,” Quenneville said prior to Saturday’s game against the Phoenix Coyotes. “Pittsburgh won again. We’ll do what we can do, but we’re looking to play that game we’re playing. We’re looking to win that game. We’re not looking too much further.”

The Blackhawks’ chances of winning the Stanley Cup likely won’t increase if they take the Presidents’ Trophy. Since the Presidents’ Trophy was created prior to the 1985-86 season, only seven teams that earned the Presidents’ Trophy won the Stanley Cup in the same season.

Last season, the Vancouver Canucks captured the Presidents’ Trophy and were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Kings, who went on to win the Stanley Cup.

“Hey, you saw last year the eighth seed,” Quenneville said. “Anyone can win. When you look at this year, when you look at the Western Conference’s top eight teams, you got to think everybody thinks they can win.”

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival (upper-body injury), goaltender Ray Emery (lower body) and forward Patrick Sharp (upper body) will miss Saturday’s game against the Nashville Predators, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

Rozsival and Emery are missing their second consecutive games because of their injuries. Sharp will miss his fourth consecutive game.

Quenneville said he expected all three players to travel with the team for its games in Canada against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.

The Blackhawks have only once this season -- the season opener -- had a completely healthy roster.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks had gone so long without scoring a power-play goal their coach couldn’t even remember when the last one occurred.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville can be forgiven for his inability to recall it. Their last power-play goal didn’t even happen in the month of April. He would have had to gone back to March 29 against the Anaheim Ducks to locate it.

But after a nine-game drought and 0-for-19 scoreless streak, the Blackhawks finally broke out of their slump by scoring a power-play goal on their first opportunity Friday and later added another power-play goal for the game-winner to defeat the Nashville Predators 5-4 at the United Center.

“It was good,” Quenneville said. “The power play did some good things. Obviously the finished product is what we’re looking for. Our 4-on-3 [overtime power play] looked good as well. It was a long time coming. We were talking about it when we scored after the first period, ‘When was the last time we scored on the PP?’ It seemed like a long, long time ago. It was nice to see to get that off our back.”

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CHICAGO -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Blackhawks' 5-4 overtime win over the Nashville Predators at the United Center on Friday.

How it happened: Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa scored the game-winner on a 4-on-3 power play in overtime. It was the Blackhawks’ second power-play goal of the game after having not scored on the power play in their previous nine games. The Predators’ Bobby Butler tied the game at 4-4 with a goal with 3:34 remaining in the third period. Michal Handzus, Duncan Keith, Brandon Saad and Patrick Kane also scored for the Blackhawks. Matt Halischuk had two goals for the Predators.

Player of the game: Hossa scored his team-leading sixth game-winning goal of the season.

What it means: The Blackhawks extended their winning streak to seven games and their points streak to 10 games. They improved to 34-5-4 with 72 points on the season. They defeated the Predators in all five meetings this season.

What’s next: The Blackhawks remain in Chicago to face the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday. The Blackhawks defeated the Coyotes 6-4 and 6-2 in their two previous meetings this season.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks honored play-by-play announcer Pat Foley on Friday for calling the team’s games for 30 years.

Foley, a Glenview, Ill. native and Loyola Academy graduate, called his first Blackhawks’ game on Oct. 19, 1980. He spent two seasons announcing the Chicago Wolves from 2006-08 and returned to the Blackhawks for the 2008-09 season. He’s called more than 2,400 Blackhawks games.

Prior to the game, the Blackhawks showed a video of Foley’s many calls over the years, and he was given a commemorative painting and mic statue during a red-carpet ceremony.

“Nobody should throw any parties for me,” Foley told the crowd during the ceremony. “I’m the luckiest guy in the room. I’m a Glenview boy standing here since 1980. I get to watch the greatest athletes in the world play the greatest game in the world in the greatest city in the world.”

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In about a week, I will fill out my official NHL awards ballot as a member of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.

The PHWA votes on the Hart Trophy as well as the Norris, Calder and Selke. The NHL’s 30 general managers vote on the Vezina Trophy, and the NHL Broadcasters’ Association votes on the Jack Adams Award.

I reserve the right, certainly, to change my mind on these picks between now and next week, but here’s where I stand:

HART TROPHY

The candidates: Sidney Crosby, Ryan Getzlaf, Jonathan Toews, Sergei Bobrovsky, John Tavares, Alex Ovechkin

I’m really torn on what to do about Crosby. He easily was the best player on the planet this season. He brought his game to a level no other player could match. And as late as a few days ago, I still thought I’d give him my first-place vote despite his late-season injury. But the fact he hasn’t played a game in April is beginning to weigh more in my thoughts. The Hart also isn’t for the most outstanding player or the most outstanding season, but rather the MVP. Take that player away from the team and argue what impact it would have.

Well, for Pittsburgh, whether it’s been without Evgeni Malkin or Crosby, the Eastern Conference powerhouse has just kept winning games...

Ovechkin’s late-season heroics certainly put him in serious contention. But if we’re going to potentially penalize Crosby’s chances because he missed the past month, how can we overlook Ovechkin for not showing up in the opening month? Just saying.

Getzlaf is completely flying under the radar, perhaps because he’s playing on the West Coast. But he’s fully deserving of being in the mix here.

For me, though, it comes down to Tavares or Toews for my first-place vote. Tavares has carried the Islanders on his back this season. Ask yourself: Where would the Isles be without him?

Having said that, how can you not reward Captain Serious in Chicago? The Blackhawks have been the most consistent powerhouse in the NHL this season, a wire-to-wire dominance fueled by the consistent work ethic and performance of their leader.

My pick: Toews

NORRIS TROPHY

The candidates: P.K. Subban, Ryan Suter, Kris Letang, Niklas Kronwall, Drew Doughty, Duncan Keith, Francois Beauchemin, Oliver Ekman-Larsson

With Letang missing a dozen games -- a quarter of the shortened season -- this comes down to Subban or Suter.

Subban, who leads all defensemen in scoring, has been out of this world, playing like a man on a mission after returning from an early-season contract squabble. The Habs aren’t where they are without him.

Suter, though, is second in the NHL in average ice time (27:01), third in scoring among defensemen as of Friday morning, and overall has been a standout at both ends of the ice in his first season in Minnesota.

My pick: Suter

VEZINA TROPHY
The candidates: Craig Anderson, Sergei Bobrovsky, Tuukka Rask, Henrik Lundqvist, Antti Niemi, Carey Price, James Reimer, Viktor Fasth, Marc-Andre Fleury

It will be interesting to see how the league’s GMs will vote on this. There are some newcomers to the Vezina race this season.

To me it comes down to Rask, Niemi and Bobrovsky, with the impressive Anderson having missed too many games to get in that final circle.

Rask has been rock solid in his first season as the No. 1 in Boston after taking over from Tim Thomas. You can’t ask for anything more from him.

Niemi isn't getting nearly enough credit around the league for what he’s done in San Jose. The Sharks have had trouble scoring goals, but he’s kept their season afloat with his best career season. He deserves serious, serious consideration.

But how do you not look at Bobrovsky? His .931 save percentage says it all. He’s carried the Blue Jackets into playoff contention.

My pick: "Bob"

JACK ADAMS AWARD

The candidates: Paul MacLean, Michel Therrien, Bruce Boudreau, Joel Quenneville, Todd Richards, Randy Carlyle, Adam Oates, Alain Vigneault, Dan Bylsma, Claude Julien

I say this every year, but I’m glad I don’t officially vote for this one. There are so many deserving candidates every season, and I didn’t even mention some others. The members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association vote on this one, and good luck to them.

Therrien took last season's last-place Habs in the East to challenging for second in the conference this year. That’s hard to overlook. Carlyle made the Maple Leafs a playoff team, which few people predicted. Boudreau took the Ducks from near-the-basement in the West to second in the conference.

Quenneville and Bylsma likely will get penalized because their teams were expected to be dominant, but that’s unfair. They’re both superb coaches.

To me, though, I don’t know how MacLean doesn’t win this. Injuries to top players Erik Karlsson, Anderson, Jared Cowen, Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek should have been season killers. But Maclean and his staff kept it together, integrated a number of AHL call-ups into the Senators' system and against all odds stayed in a playoff spot. Simply remarkable.

My pick: MacLean

CALDER TROPHY

The candidates: Jonathan Huberdeau, Cory Conacher, Brendan Gallagher, Nail Yakupov, Brandon Saad, Alex Galchenyuk, Justin Schultz, Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Brodin

I predict the finalists on the official ballot will end up being Huberdeau, Gallagher and Saad.

I’m torn in the end between Huberdeau and Gallagher. The former has been electrifying for the Florida Panthers, his speed and vision and offensive creativity top-shelf.

Gallaher really grows on you for different reasons, going to the dirty areas and playing a veteran’s game. He’s been so clutch for the Habs.

Really torn here between these two but ...

My pick: Huberdeau

SELKE TROPHY

The candidates: Jay McClement, Frans Nielsen, Patrice Bergeron, Vernon Fiddler, Jonathan Toews, Craig Adams, Daniel Winnik, David Backes, Ryan Callahan, Pavel Datsyuk

You can never go wrong here with Bergeron, Toews or Datsyuk, out-of-this-world stars who do it all at both ends of the ice. And I suspect Bergeron, deservingly, will win it again this year.

But I’m going to go against the grain here a little and voice my support for the Maple Leafs’ McClement.

For starters, part of me wishes this award would go back to non-superstar NHLers like in the old days, when the likes of Guy Carbonneau, Dave Poulin and Dirk Graham won.

Fact is, McClement’s case is a real strong one. He leads all NHL forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (3:39) and he’s the No. 1 reason for Toronto’s remarkable turnaround on the penalty kill, going from 28th last season to third overall this season.

If you really look at the spirit of why this award exists, and look at when Bob Gainey routinely won it, McClement deserves to win it.

My pick: McClement

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane said Friday is disappointed by his play lately and is focused on improving before the playoffs.

"I think for me personally I just want to find my game back to where it was about a month ago and go into the playoffs playing that way," Kane after Friday's morning skate at the United Center. "That's what I'm worried about right now. I just think I can play better and create more chances, more chances for myself and the team, too. I just want to get back to that level."

Kane had eight goals and 10 assists in 14 games in March. He's had two goals and three assists in eight games in April and hasn't had a goal in the past four games.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said he's not concerned about Kane's recent stretch.

"You probably want to evaluate him over a course of a whole season," Quenneville said. "He's been at an amazing rate, really good pace. The past couple of game the production hasn't been at the same rate. That line has not been bad.

"I don't think you want to measure his game by just his point production. The thing that probably was the most noticeable about him this year was having the puck a lot, having that pace, doing the right things defensively. We expect him to be a key guy going forward. I think he has high expectations for himself. He's been good for us."

Kane has received some buzz as a candidate for the Hart Memorial Trophy with his 47 points, which includes 20 goals and 27 assists, on the season. Kane said he was honored to be included in the conversation.

"It's nice to be mentioned in that category," Kane said. "There's a little time left to make a push on it. But I think everyone is trying to get ready for playoffs. That's huge for us, too."

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival (upper-body injury), goaltender Ray Emery (lower body) and forward Patrick Sharp (upper body) will miss Friday's game against the Nashville Predators.

Emery and Rozsival skated at the United Center prior to the team's morning skate on Friday, according to Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville. Sharp participated in the team's morning skate.

Quenneville said Emery is also questionable for Saturday's game against the Phoenix Coyotes. Quenneville said Emery is feeling better, but he could receive extra time to rest.

Quenneville said Rozsival is day-to-day.

Sharp, who will miss his third consecutive game, said he is getting closer to playing and plans to travel with the team for its games against Vancouver Canucks on Monday and Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.

"Just another hard skate out there," Sharp after Friday's morning skate. "Luckily Drew LeBlanc is up here with me. We can practice pretty hard. A couple guys are out there as well. Just another day trying to improve and inch back into the lineup.

"As a player and a hockey player, you want to play and be healthy and ready to go. I'm not sitting out because I'm resting for anything. I'm not playing because I can't. As soon as I'm ready to play, I'll get back in there."

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville and his players returned to the drawing board Thursday in hopes of finding an answer to their struggling power play.

The Blackhawks haven't scored in their last 19 power-play opportunities covering a span of nine games. Their last power-play goal came against the Anaheim Ducks on March 29.

The Blackhawks haven't been sizzling on the power play all season, but it's been worse in the past month. Since scoring two power-play goals against the Dallas Stars on March 16 and raising their power-play percentage to 18.8, which was then tied for 13th in the league, the Blackhawks have scored just two power-play goals on their last 35 chances. Their percentage dropped to 15.4, which is 20th in the league.

"We're not happy with it," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said after Thursday's practice. "We're working on it here regularly each and every day. Whether it's the personnel or what we're trying to do on the ice, I think that's the one sore spot we've had as we've had our second part of the season here.

"The guys, they want to see it resolved as well knowing whether we're getting production or high-scoring chances or quality-scoring chances. [That] is what we're looking for. We lost some momentum over the last couple games in that area. I think that's the one area we want to make sure that can ignite our offense. We know how valuable those timely goals from the power play (can be)."

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CHICAGO -- Count the Chicago Blackhawks among those who were moved watching the Boston Bruins and their fans pay tribute to the Boston Marathon victims before Wednesday's game against the Buffalo Sabres.

Following a video presentation of images from the day of the bombings, Rene Rancourt sang the national anthem on Wednesday, then lowered his microphone and allowed the fans to sing the rest of the way at the TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday.

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