Erik Gustafsson hopes patience pays off with Blackhawks
Erik Gustafsson
The wait is over for  Erik Gustafsson .
 Gustafsson  played Saturday night against the Islanders   his  first game on the ice in a Hawks sweater since  he  was recalled from Rockford on Jan. 9.
 He  made  his  presence felt early  getting credit for the primary assist on Patrick Kaneâs goal all of 1 minute  1 second into the game.
Attached to the opportunity   his  first in the NHL since  he  played 41 games and registered 14 assists with the Hawks in 2015-16  are expectations and hopes that  he  can become a regular part of the rotation.
The 25-year-old said  he  planned to make every minute of ice time count.
âI want to play every game and help the team make the playoffs â  he  said before Saturdayâs game. âIf it's 10 or 20 minutes today  we'll just see. I'll do my best and we'll see what happens.â
What  Gustafsson  saw next to  him  in  his  first NHL game since April 9  2016  was a familiar face in Brent Seabrook.
The two played 296 minutes over 35 games together two seasons ago  by far the most ice time  Gustafsson  spent with any teammate.
â He  came with a good attitude  wanted to get back here and had a good stretch in the minors â Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. âGives us some offense on the back end  likes to join in  likes to jump into it. Defensively  he âs been fine as well.â
One-timers: Center Artem Anisimov  who practiced Friday for the first time since  he  was placed on injured reserve Dec. 29 with an upper-body injury  did not play Saturday but could return Monday against the Lightning.  He  has 13 goals and five assists in 36 games. â¦ Patrick Kane is the only Hawk selected to play in the All-Star Game  but he wonât be the only Hawk going to the Jan. 28 game in Tampa  Fla. Head trainer Mike Gapski and assistant trainer Jeff Thomas were selected to be on the training staff for the game.
The wait is over for  [TGT]  .
  [TGT] played Saturday night against the Islanders    [TGT]   first game on the ice in a Hawks sweater since   [TGT]   was recalled from Rockford on Jan. 9.
  [TGT]   made   [TGT]   presence felt early  getting credit for the primary assist on Patrick Kaneâs goal all of 1 minute  1 second into the game.
Attached to the opportunity   his  first in the NHL since  he  played 41 games and registered 14 assists with the Hawks in 2015-16  are expectations and hopes that  he  can become a regular part of the rotation.
The 25-year-old said  he  planned to make every minute of ice time count.
âI want to play every game and help the team make the playoffs â  he  said before Saturdayâs game. âIf it's 10 or 20 minutes today  we'll just see. I'll do my best and we'll see what happens.â
What  Gustafsson  saw next to  him  in  his  first NHL game since April 9  2016  was a familiar face in Brent Seabrook.
The two played 296 minutes over 35 games together two seasons ago  by far the most ice time  Gustafsson  spent with any teammate.
â He  came with a good attitude  wanted to get back here and had a good stretch in the minors â Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. âGives us some offense on the back end  likes to join in  likes to jump into it. Defensively  he âs been fine as well.â
One-timers: Center Artem Anisimov  who practiced Friday for the first time since  he  was placed on injured reserve Dec. 29 with an upper-body injury  did not play Saturday but could return Monday against the Lightning.  He  has 13 goals and five assists in 36 games. â¦ Patrick Kane is the only Hawk selected to play in the All-Star Game  but he wonât be the only Hawk going to the Jan. 28 game in Tampa  Fla. Head trainer Mike Gapski and assistant trainer Jeff Thomas were selected to be on the training staff for the game.