Alex Ovechkin could not have hit Brian Campbell at a worse time for the Chicago Blackhawks.

The defenseman will miss 7-8 weeks with a broken collarbone and a fractured rib, but this is just the high-profile tip atop an iceberg of injuries.

Defenseman Kim Johnsson is also not on the team’s current road trip, which included a visit to the “Tonight Show” on Tuesday [video below] and continues with a game in Anaheim tonight.

Goaltender Cristobal Huet is battling the flu and Corey Crawford was recalled from the AHL to back up Antti Niemi against the Ducks. Star sniper Marian Hossa missed Sunday’s game against Washington with an upper-body injury — but at least he practiced Tuesday and is expected to play tonight.

All this on the heels of a 1-3 stretch, which included consecutive losses to the Flyers and Capitals over the weekend.

"Frustrating weekend, considering we got one point instead of four," captain Jonathan Toews said after the loss to Washington.

The ‘Hawks will move forward with at least one new face on defense. Nick Boynton, whom the Ducks traded to Chicago for future considerations on March 2, was called up and will play Tuesday.

Boynton, who had a goal and seven points in 42 games for Anaheim, is not the same type of player as Campbell, whose seven goals and 38 points were both second among Chicago defensemen.

“I try to play solid in my own end, don’t make mistakes, move the puck,” Boynton said. “Just try to help out any way I can.”

Forward Dustin Byfuglien, a converted defenseman, converted back to his former position in practice Tuesday and could be used on the blue line in a pinch.

“We’ll see,” head coach Joel Quenneville said. “In games, that could be an option. Certainly that was always in the back of our minds this year, knowing that if it’s necessary to go deep, it’s a nice option in our back pocket.”
 

Forward Drew Miller improved to 2-0-1 against brother Ryan in head-to-head meetings when the Red Wings beat the Sabres 3-2 Saturday. … GM Ken Holland told the Detroit Free Press that he spoke to Jiri Hudler about returning to the Red Wings after his first season with Dynamo of the KHL. The 26-year-old forward played parts of five seasons in Detroit from 2003-09. … By beating the Calgary Flames 2-1 on Monday, the Red Wings evened its season series with Calgary at two games apiece. With the two teams locked in a battle for the eighth and final playoff seed, that means that a tie in the wins and points column would be determined by goal differential. … G Jimmy Howard told Booth Newspapers’ Ansar Khan that Ryan Miller was one reason he chose to attend Maine instead of Michigan State. “[Miller] was going to be a senior. I decided I wanted to go somewhere where I’d get a chance to play as a freshman. With him being at Michigan State I figured I probably wouldn’t play that much.” As Khan points out, it wouldn’t have mattered since Miller skipped his senior season to go pro. … Former bench boss Scotty Bowman will be among those featured in the Detroit Historical Museum’s exhibit of Detroit’s Beloved Sports Coaches.

 

After four scoreless games with the Blue Jackets, forward Maksim Mayorov was returned to AHL affiliate Syracuse. … RW Jakub Voracek has four goals and 13 points over his last 11 games. His 12 goals and 41 points are career-highs for the 20-year-old sophomore. … Columbus is 6-4-2 under interim head coach Claude Noel. … RW Rick Nash (lower-body) missed his fifth straight game Monday and is also battling the stomach flu. … The Columbus Dispatch reported on its Web site that LW prospect Matt Calvert signed a three-year, entry-level contract Tuesday. ... Jan Hejda (knee) will miss the remainder of the season, the Dispatch reported, an injury the defenseman sustained in the first period Monday.

 

 

David Backes replaced Keith Tkachuk as one of the team’s alternate captains this week. Tkachuk told the St. Louis Post Dispatch he was OK with the move: “You don't need a letter to be a leader, to embrace the things and do things you need to do to. I'm at the end of my career and David is an elite player on this team at this point.” … Alex Steen’s 20th goal of the season matched the team record for the fastest goal to start a game, just eight seconds into Tuesday’s contest against the Colorado Avalanche. … The Avalanche won, 5-3, to sweep the four-game season series against the Blues. … Forward Keith Tkachuk returned from surgery on his pinky finger Sunday against Minnesota. … Forward T.J. Oshie got a perm.

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