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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks are hopeful their worst period of playoff hockey is already behind them.

The top-seeded Blackhawks endured a nightmarish first period in Game 1 of their first-round series with the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. The Blackhawks allowed the Wild to score on their first shot of the game and had more of their shots blocked (seven) than they got through to the net (six) in the first period.

The Blackhawks were put in an unfamiliar spot -- trailing after one period. They were down after one period in just nine games during the regular season.

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EDMONTON -- While not the trophy they originally had their sights on, it’s one the Chicago Blackhawks will definitely take en route to the ultimate prize.

The Blackhawks on Wednesday clinched the Presidents’ Trophy with a 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers.

By posting the league’s best record, the Blackhawks will have home-ice advantage throughout the NHL playoffs.

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EDMONTON -- A quick look at the Chicago Blackhawks’ 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place on Wednesday.

How it happened: Patrick Kane scored on a breakaway just more than eight minutes into the first period, which held up as the game winner in a relatively low-scoring affair between the two teams. Kane was sprung on a great pass by Michal Handzus and beat Oilers goaltender Devan Dubnyk, slipping the puck between his pads. Jonathan Toews opened the scoring just under four minutes into the contest, and Nail Yakupov responded for the Oilers less than a minute later. Johnny Oduya added a third, then Patrick Sharp scored an empty-netter. In their previous two encounters this season, the teams had combined for 16 goals. Corey Crawford earned the victory in goal for the Blackhawks after entering the game in relief of Ray Emery, who left at the 11:49 mark of the first period with an undisclosed lower-body injury.

Player of the game: Kane, scored the winner and added two assists. He was a threat for the Blackhawks all night.

What it means: With the win, the Blackhawks clinch the Presidents' Trophy with the top regular-season record in the league for the first time in 22 years and therefore claim home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The victory snapped a two-game skid and gave them eight victories in their past 10 games.

What’s next: The Blackhawks host the Calgary Flames on Friday in their final home game of the regular season. They’ll close out the lockout-shortened schedule Saturday at the St. Louis Blues.

EDMONTON -- Patrick Sharp is back in the lineup, Ray Emery gets the start in goal and Drew LeBlanc will be making his NHL debut Wednesday as the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Edmonton Oilers.

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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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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 -- 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 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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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 -- 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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CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp participated in Wednesday's optional practice and is questionable for Friday's game against the Nashville Predators.

Sharp, who has five goals and 13 assists in 26 games this season, has missed the team's past two games with an upper-body injury. He also recently sat out 14 games due to an upper-body injury. He had been back for two games before his latest injury.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp will miss his second consecutive game Monday against the Dallas Stars due to an upper-body injury.

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ST. LOUIS – Corey Crawford, coming off his win Friday night against the Red Wings, will be back in net Sunday against the St. Louis Blues.

Crawford is 16-4-4 on the season with a .923 save percentage.

• The Blues will go with Brian Elliott in goal. Elliott has posted shutouts in his last three games and has not allowed a goal in more than 189 minutes.

• Patrick Sharp will not play for the Blackhawks. He is said to be suffering from an upper-body injury. Sharp missed over a month of action with an upper body injury before returning for the last two games. His status is day to day, and he might not play in Monday night's home game against Dallas.

• Center Dave Bolland is back in Chicago's lineup after missing the last four games with a lower-leg injury.

• The Blackhawks have won their last two road games by 1-0 scores.

• Coach Joel Quenneville said Hobey Baker award winner Dave LeBlanc “could” play with the team before the season ends.

• The Blackhawks, who clinched the Central Division title on Friday, come into today's game with a seven-point lead over second-place Anaheim in the Western Conference. The Ducks lost 2-1 to the Los Angeles Kings Saturday night and don't play again until Wednesday.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Patrick Sharp was back on the ice, taking faceoffs and playing nearly 18 minutes after missing a month with an upper-body injury. Marian Hossa scored for the first time in three weeks, after sitting out with an upper-body injury of his own.

On Tuesday night against the Minnesota Wild, the Blackhawks were as healthy as they've been in a while. And with nine games left in the regular season, it couldn't come at a better time.

Chicago has survived injuries to two of its top six forwards, continuing to roll through its schedule, but the commanding, assertive hockey the Blackhawks played on Tuesday night was indicative of what they can do when they're at full strength.

They limited Minnesota to just 20 shots, with strong contributions from both Sharp and Hossa on the defensive end, and Hossa swooped in front of a Clayton Stoner pass, beating Niklas Backstrom for Chicago's only goal of a 1-0 victory.

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Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp will play against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday after missing 14 games because of an upper-body injury.

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