"Defenseman Duncan Keith has been looking forward to the Blackhawks' five-day break. And who can blame him?

From all the regular-season minutes to back-to-back long postseasons to leading Canada in ice time in the Olympics last year, no one has played more hockey than Keith the last few years.

"I'm definitely going to use this week to rest up and get as much energy as I can," Keith said. "I feel all right now. I feel like my energy is coming back. I feel good."

Having a rejuvenated Keith is important for the Hawks. The defending Norris Trophy winner as the league's best defenseman, Keith is the driving force behind many things the defending champions do.

So it should come as no surprise that the Hawks had an up-and-down first half because Keith had his ups and downs.

"He took a couple of days off last week, and I think it helps," coach Joel Quenne-ville said. "This will be good for him. .??.??. It's a chance to catch up, re-energize and refocus. He's coming off a couple of games where he was trending in the right direction.""