BLOG: Blackhawks Adjusting to Bubble Life in Edmonton

It's a Chicago Blackhawks game week once again.

The team is 24 hours into their Edmonton expedition and, following a quick on-ice practice Sunday afternoon upon arrival, is gathering their bearings inside the bubble they will call home in Western Canada.

"It (was) an important day to get here and start getting comfortable, start that process," head coach Jeremy Colliton told reporters Sunday night. "It was a real good energy and enthusiasm and guys are excited to be here, that's what we're looking for."

Between Sunday's skate, Monday's team off day -- which Colliton said was crucial for guys to get acclimated in their surroundings, finding their way around the bubble -- and Wednesday's exhibition game against the Blues, the adjustment in the first part of the week is important to insure that the final days leading up to Saturday's Game 1 can be as normal as possible.

"The guys need that game to get used to things again and playing a normal game, as normal as it's going to be," Colliton said, noting that he plans on using a first-choice lineup Wednesday. "Real referees and the whole game routine that you go through, we need to get back in touch with that … We need this game."

Overall, the final week in lead up will not carry the same intensity of the last two weeks. No more long skates to conclude practice or non-stop action scrimmages. Instead, the final days will focus on the smaller details in systems work and conserving as much energy as possible for the best-of-five playoff series that will be played, at most, in eight days' time.

"We've had hard days here in the last couple weeks, a lot of volume as far as skating. And when you're scrimmaging with four D a side and three lines a side, or even less sometimes, it's hard on the guys," he said. "For now we're going to back off and make sure we're getting the juice we need to compete come Saturday."