At the Rink: Rangers at Blackhawks

CHICAGO – Bryan Bickell will watch the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers play at United Center on Sunday from a vantage point he doesn't enjoy.

The Blackhawks left wing will be a healthy scratch for the first time this season after scoring two goals and five points in the previous 20 games. Bickell, who's 6-foot-4, 223 pounds, is supposed to be a physical forward who bangs away around the net to score the so-called "dirty" goals off rebounds and screen goalies.

He also has a good shot and leads the Blackhawks in hits (166), but isn't doing enough of either for coach Joel Quenneville's liking. Asked after Chicago's optional morning skate Sunday why Bickell wasn't in the lineup, Quenneville didn't hesitate with his answer.

"Definitely on performance and we have some options as well," Quenneville said. "I just think that consistency is a thing we talk about a lot and we want to make sure there's a contribution game in, game out that can make him effective and us be a stronger team."

Bickell has 11 goals and 13 assists in 65 games, but that kind of production isn't nearly what he's given the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past two years.

During their 2013 Stanley Cup championship run, Bickell had nine goals and eight assists in 23 games. That includes the game-tying goal late in the third period of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at the Boston Bruins, setting up Dave Bolland's Cup-clinching goal 17 seconds later.

Last year, Bickell had seven goals and three assists in 19 postseason games to help the Blackhawks come within one overtime goal in Game 7 of the Western Conference Final of playing for the Cup two years in a row.

"Very noticeable [when he's playing well]," Quenneville said. "I know he makes us a better team. He's a lot to contain. He definitely can be a factor with his physicality on the forecheck and he has the puck a lot at the net. He's got nice hands, he's got a great shot. So, he's got all the components that you want in a power forward, or big forward. When he's not playing to that effect, and the pucks don't move up the ice, it's just the opposite. It's a big variance in his game and I think getting that tightened up is what we want."

Quenneville's go-to moves to do that are healthy scratches or benching players in games to send a strong message. A day after Quenneville urged the Blackhawks to "get [ticked] off around here!" in practice, Bickell said he's gotten the message loud and clear.

"Coming after this, I can see myself getting a spark and getting a little angry," he said, breathing heavily after a hard conditioning skate. "Me being angry, I think, gets the better of my game, gets me more physical and gives me more opportunities for my wingers and [center]. I just can't take this the wrong way and keep it positive."

Aside from Bickell's plight, the game holds an interesting subplot when each team's third line goes over the boards. The centers for each of those lines have connections to the other side.

Chicago's Brad Richards was cut loose by the Rangers last summer when they bought out the remainder of his contract. New York's Kevin Hayes is the one who got away from the Blackhawks, who selected him with the 18th pick of the 2010 NHL Draft. Rather than signing with Chicago, Hayes opted to become a free agent last summer after playing four years at Boston College.

Richards, 34, has nine goals and 23 assists in 62 games for the Blackhawks. Hayes, 22, has 12 goals and 17 assists in 60 games for the Rangers.

Neither team held a full skate at United Center on Sunday. Goalie Corey Crawford will start for Chicago and Cam Talbot will start for New York.

Here are the projected lineups:

RANGERS

Rick Nash – Derick Brassard – Mats Zuccarello

Chris Kreider – Derek Stepan – Martin St. Louis

Carl Hagelin – Kevin Hayes – J.T. Miller

James Sheppard – Dominic Moore – Jesper Fast

Ryan McDonagh – Dan Girardi

Marc Staal – Dan Boyle

Keith Yandle – Kevin Klein

Cam Talbot

Mackenzie Skapski

Scratched: Tanner Glass, Matt Hunwick

Injured: Henrik Lundqvist (neck)

BLACKHAWKS

Kris Versteeg – Jonathan Toews – Marian Hossa

Brandon Saad – Antoine Vermette – Teuvo Teravainen

Patrick Sharp – Brad Richards – Daniel Carcillo

Joakim Nordstrom – Marcus Kruger – Andrew Shaw

Niklas Hjalmarsson – Michal Rozsival

Duncan Keith – David Rundblad

Kimmo Timonen – Brent Seabrook

Corey Crawford

Scott Darling

Scratched: Bryan Bickell, Andrew Desjardins

Injured: Johnny Oduya (upper body)

Status report: Carcillo hasn't played since Feb. 22 and has been a healthy scratch in eight of the previous nine games, including the past five. … Quenneville put Teravainen on the second power-play unit in practice Saturday and is expected to give him a look there in the game.

Who's hot: Toews has points in five of the past six games for Chicago, including five goals. … Nash has points in two straight games (goal and assist).