Blackhawks: Kris Versteeg rested entering Game 2

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TAMPA, Fla. – Kris Versteeg looked like a happy man as he talked about his wife and child, who are doing very well back home.

“I guess he’s a handful right now, but it’s exciting,” said Versteeg with a big smile on his face. “Lot of FaceTime going on.”

Versteeg is also a more rested man after a few days in Tampa. That’s good, because it looks like he’ll be in the lineup again tonight when the Blackhawks face the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

[MORE: Vermette coming up big for Blackhawks]

The Blackhawks forward was coming off a hectic but happy few days on Wednesday, when he played for the first time since Game 3 of the Western Conference final. He was set to travel to Tampa with the team on Monday but headed to Toronto instead, where he and his wife welcomed their first child, a son they named Jaxson. Versteeg joined the team here on Tuesday and, substituting for Bryan Bickell, who was a late scratch, played about 9 1/2 minutes in Game 1.

Versteeg should be fresher coming into tonight’s game.

“Yeah, the last couple of days it was nice to get a rest, let the body heal and get ready to go for the next game,” he said following Saturday morning’s skate. “That was a lot of adrenaline pumping (on Wednesday), especially getting through that game. It’ll be good to settle in, hopefully play a good game and help out the team any way I can.”

UPDATES

-- Informed that Tampa Bay forward Cedric Paquette was going to chirp him in Game 2, Jonathan Toews said, “"He'd have big shoes to fill following Ryan Kesler. I'm looking forward to hearing some of that."

-- Corey Crawford and Brad Richards did not skate on Saturday morning. Coach Joel Quenneville said both are fine and will play tonight.

-- The Blackhawks will go with the same six defensemen as in Game 1.

-- Bryan Bickell (upper body) looks to be a scratch again tonight.

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