Trevor van Riemsdyk, Bryan Bickell 'could play' in Game 3 vs. Lightning

This could be Trevor van Riemsdyk’s moment. Or not.

“[He] could play,” coach Joel Quenneville said Sunday when asked about van Riemsdyk’s status for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Hawks’ thin defensive corps has created an over-anticipation of the rookie’s return to the lineup since he re-joined the team on May 22. The 23-year-old van Riemsdyk played only 18 games with the Hawks when he suffered a knee injury on Nov. 16.

But with David Rundblad (7:48) and Kyle Cumiskey (5:08) combining for 12:56 of ice-time in Game 2, even a rusty van Riemsdyk might be worth a shot. He averaged 16:07 of ice time in his final seven games before he suffered the knee injury.

“If it comes to that we know he’ll be ready,” Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said. “As a group we tryto make sure everyone feels comfortable,” captain Jonathan Toews said. “Just keep it simple, do your best to phase everything out; play hockey. You’re out there with five other guys. If you make a mistake it’s not the end of the world. We can help each other out.”

Bickell update

Quenneville said forward Bryan Bickell, who did not play in Games 1-2, “could play” in Game 3. Whatever Bickell had that kept him out, he no longer has it.

“I think he’s healthy,” Quenneville said.

If Patrick Kane is moved to the second line, Bickell theoretically helps provide space for Kane to do what he does best. But Quenneville didn’t sound too convinced.

“We’ll see on that,” he said.

Record breaker

With his third-period goal in Game 2, Brent Seabrook set a franchise record for goals in a postseason with seven — one more than Chris Chelios had in 1992. Seabrook has 19 career palyoff goals, tied with Doug Wilson and Bob Murray among Hawks defensemen.

Seabrook has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) and is a plus-5 in 19 playoff games this year.

“I’m not here [for] personal gains,” the humble Seabrook said “We’re here to win a Stanley Cup. That’s what our team is focused on. We’re in a great spot. It’s the best time of year. We’re looking forward to playing a good game [Monday] night.”

Home-ice advantage

The Hawks have home-ice advantage by virtue of their Game 1 victory in Tampa, but now must keep it in Games 3-4 on Monday and Wednesday at the United Center. The Hawks are 7-1 at home in this year’s playoffs and 25-5 in the last three postseasons.

The Lightning are 7-3 on the road in the playoffs this year, including shutout victories over the Rangers in Games 5 and 7 at Madison Square Garden in the Eastern Conference final.

“We feel great in this building,” Patrick Kane said “We’ve had some big games here in this playoffs There’s nothing like coming home to play in front of your own fans.”

Jonathan Toews echoed those sentiments.

“Like Kaner said, I think our fans will be excited to get back,” Toews said. “This is where we’ve wanted to be all year. You see those signs, ‘Bring back the Cup.’ Everyone has been waiting for this moment. I’m sure everyone will be excited to be back in that building at this stage [Monday night].”

Beating history

The Hawks are used to breaking trends and statistical streaks in the playoffs and they’ll break an interesting one if they win this series: the last 10 times the Stanley Cup Final has been tied 1-1, the team that originally had home-ice advantage (the higher-seeded team) has won.

18 seconds

Patrick Sharp’s back-to-back penalties — 18 seconds apart — proved to be the difference in Game 2 when the Lightning’s Jason Garrison scored on a deflected shot on the second power-play opportunity.

Coming into that game, Sharp had been called for two penalties in his previous 36 games. He had been called for two penalties in the same game only once in his previous 154 games and only four times in the past five seasons.

Teuvo Time

With his goal in Game 2 against the Lightning, Teuvo Teravainen has scored as many goals and points (9 points — four goals, five assists) in 14 playoff games as he did in 34 regular-season games (9 points — four goals, five assists).

The 20-year-old Teravainen has six points (three goals, three assists) in six games since he was a healthy scratch in Game 3 against the Ducks.

“He just keeps getting better and better as he gets more responsibility,” Toews said. “It hasn’t been easy, I don’t imagine. He has to play behind a lot of guys who have a track record and are going to get the offensive opportunities more oftn than not.

“Every chance he’s getting, he’s making big plays. He’s already doing it in the Stanley Cup Final, so it’s pretty amazing to watch.”

Toews said he saw similarities between Kane and Teravainen when they were on the ice together in Game 2.

“I think they were in our defensive zone — for some reason they were skating circles, passing thepuck to each other. You could see the skill and patience. They were in no hurry. There’s definitely a lot of skill there. Teuvo just keeps getting better and better.”

A Kane rarity: no SOG

It’s not unusual for Kane to go two games without a goal — it last happened in Games 1-2 of the Western Conference final against the Ducks. But Kane did not have a shot on goal in Game 2 (out of three attempts), which is a rarity. The last time Kane did not have a shot on goal in a playoff games was in 2009 — Game 1 against the Red Wings in the conference final — when Kane was 20 years old.

That was a different realm for Kane. He was a minus-3 in that game; a minus-6 in that series (the Hawks lost in five games); and a minus-9 for the playoffs. He’s a much better player today.

“It’s one of those stats that happens every now and then,” Kane said. “[But] I can’t just go out on the ice and worry about shooting the puck. I’ve got to worry about making the right play. I’m not going to go in [to Game 3] saying, I need to get a shot here or there. I just try and make the right play and worry about the results from there.”

Cumiskey trying harder

Kyle Cumiskey played had just 5:08 of ice time in Game 2, but 1:20 of that came on one shift, which ended abruptly when Cedric Paquette scored in the first period after the Hawks failed to clear the zone. The 80-second shift was double Cumiskey’s playoff average of 40 seconds.

“It’s a little tough when you’re not getting out there too often,” said Cumiskey, who has not scored and is a minus-2 in eight playoff games this year. “I think it’s something you have to adjust to — make sure you’re staying focused, being mentally prepared for every shift. Once you get out there — take your chance, do your job.”

Crowning achievement

Trainer Bob Baffert, whose American Pharoah won the Triple Crown on Saturday at the Belmont Stakes, also trains Midnight Hawk, the horse co-owned by Quenneville and former Bears offensive coordinator Mike Tice.

“Texted Bob. Very happy for him,” said Quenneville, whose Baffert-trained horse was a Kentucky Derby possibility early last year. “Watched the race. Great race. Great for the sport. Quite an achievement.”