"Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville opted to use different defensive pairings and line combinations Sunday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The most notable move was breaking up defensemen Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith, the Hawks' top pairing for most of the season. The duo is widely considered one of the best in the NHL, and Keith has emerged as a candidate for the Norris Trophy for the league's best blue-liner.

Keith was paired with veteran Brent Sopel, and Seabrook joined Niklas Hjalmarsson, who had been playing with Dustin Byfuglien since Brian Campbell was injured. Keith and Sopel had minus-2 ratings as the Blue Jackets defeated the Hawks 4-2 on Sunday.

''We tried to get a little balance,'' Quenneville said. ''When you're not winning, we mix up the lines. And we felt: 'Let's try mixing up the 'D' a little bit, too.' They're out there a lot together, No. 2 [Keith] and 7 [Seabrook]. I didn't mind the switching there. [Hjalmarsson] was fine with Seabs.

''As a group, we're looking for, I don't want to say predictability, but more balance in the group." "