Defenseman Alex Vlasic is back, but Blackhawks’ injury woes aren’t finished

Rookie defenseman Alex Vlasic is back, but the Blackhawks’ injury problems aren’t going away.

Vlasic returned to the lineup in the Hawks’ 2-1 overtime victory Wednesday against the Jets after missing their previous four games with an upper-body injury suffered Dec. 14 against the Kraken.

Aware of the Hawks’ health issues, Vlasic said he had to restrain himself from playing right away.

‘‘I was trying to get back as quickly as I could, but it was one of those things where if you’re not able to do the simple things around the house or just simple movements, it’s probably not smart to be playing in a game,’’ Vlasic said. ‘‘I kind of had to talk myself down a bit. Right away, I kind of wanted to get back. It was a slow process, but [I’m] feeling pretty good now.’’

While the Hawks got good news on Vlasic and forward Tyler Johnson, who also returned after missing the game Saturday against the Blues with an undisclosed injury, the roster is far from complete.

Coach Luke Richardson said defenseman Seth Jones (shoulder) probably will be skating on his own by the end of the Hawks’ upcoming road trip, a five-game swing that ends Jan. 5. Forward Joey Anderson (shoulder) is expected to resume skating after Jones.

Forward Andreas Athanasiou (groin) has been on injured reserve since Nov. 23, retroactive to Nov. 9, and Richardson said he had to pause his workouts. To get more answers about his lingering issues, Athanasiou saw another doctor.

‘‘Unfortunately, it’s taken this long to get that far, but at least we have a direction,’’ Richardson said. “I have no timeline on him, but it’ll probably be after Seth, for sure.’’

One positive to come from the rash of injuries is more opportunities for players to step up and play different roles. When Jones and defenseman Kevin Korchinski (bereavement leave) were sidelined, Vlasic got a couple of chances on the power play.

‘‘That was cool; that was something I didn’t really expect at all,’’ Vlasic said. ‘‘It’s a great opportunity for everybody coming in and showing what they’ve got when they get the chance to be in the lineup.’’

Latest on Reichel

After contributing with Connor Bedard and Ryan Donato during his time on the top line, forward Lukas Reichel has been back on the fourth line. Richardson said Reichel — who is in the midst of a disappointing season — will have to battle through some tough times.

Whether he scores every night, Richardson said, isn’t the issue. Instead, it’s about the ‘‘compete level.’’

‘‘I know he’s not happy with his game, but he’s in the lineup and it doesn’t matter where he is in the lineup,’’ Richardson said. ‘‘He has to figure out how to make an impression and do something to help the team and use all the skills available that he has . . . and the compete level has to be on the inside a little bit more.’’

Halfway?

Wednesday was the Hawks’ 34th game of the season, and Richardson said: ‘‘It’s not necessarily the second half yet, but we kind of consider it like that after a few days’ break.’’