Dancing with the Stars: Blackhawks Lock Up (At Least) 2nd Seed

Antti Niemi was solid again, the Blackhawks received scoring from all over the roster as they rolled the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Tuesday night. The win was the team’s 50th of the season, setting a franchise record.

Colin Fraser scored twice, and Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane all pitched in as the Hawks controlled the flow of the game throughout. Adam Burish, playing for the first time in four games, added two assists. Niemi saved 26 of 28 shots on the night to earn another strong victory.

The Stars beat the Blackhawks in the circle on Tuesday night, though, a rarity this season. John Madden was especially terrible, winning just three of 15 faceoffs on the night. Fraser won 50 percent of his (7-14).

Thanks to the large, and sustained, lead, Hawks coach Joel Quenneville was able to give a few sets of tired legs some much-needed rest. Duncan Keith only played 20:05 on Tuesday night, one of his lower minute totals of the season. Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson, who have played very well together since Quenneville split Keith and Seabrook last week, played the most minutes for the Hawks in Dallas.

Troy Brouwer was a late scratch because of a personal issue.