Stalberg was a healthy scratch for the opener of a highly anticipated Western Conference Semifinal series between the Original Six rivals Chicago Backhawks and Detroit Red Wings.
He's not injured, and Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville
termed it a coach's decision when asked if there was something other
than Stalberg's play factoring into the somewhat curious call to scratch
their fastest skater against a fast-paced team like Detroit.
"He's out tonight," Quenneville said. "Coach's decision. I had a conversation with him, so he knows how it stands and [what] the situation is, but we'll leave it at that."
Stalberg played 47 games for Chicago in the regular season, scoring nine goals and adding 14 assists with a plus-16 rating. In the Western Conference Quarterfinal series against the Minnesota Wild, he played all five games and finished with one assist -- the one assist was the primary helper on linemate Bryan Bickell's game-winning overtime goal in Game 1.
Shortly after Quenneville met with reporters Wednesday, Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune tweeted that a source informed him Stalberg questioning his role on the team to a coach was the reason for the demotion.
The issue might be power-play minutes. Stalberg averaged 11 seconds of time on the Blackhawks' power play against the Wild after averaging more than two minutes a game on the man-advantage in 47 games of the regular season.
Quenneville didn't rule out Stalberg for a return in the series against the Red Wings.
"Things change in our business quickly, whether it's health or decisions based on play," Quenneville said. "So we'll visit it as we go along."
Stalberg, who will become an unrestricted free agent in July, wasn't available when reporters had access to the Blackhawks locker room following their morning skate because he was still on the ice going through post-skate work required of healthy scratches. He spoke with the media after Tuesday's practice and was clearly upset about being bumped from the top four forward lines since the first practice following the first-round series win.
"I think I've had some of my best games this year against [the Red Wings]," Stalberg said. "For sure, that fits my style. I think that's better than me sitting back. We've got to be able to play against everybody, but if I get to play [in this series], I'm excited to play them. I think it's a good matchup for me and I think we're ready for this series. We've prepared well. We should be ready to go."
It might be a little strange for the Blackhawks who do play not to have Stalberg out there with them, but they trust Quenneville's coaching decisions.
"It's not an easy thing," Toews said. "Guys like [Stalberg], you understand their frustration. He's worked very hard for this team. There's some decisions by the coaching staff that, as a team, you just go out there and play. The guys that get the chance, they go out there and do the job. The guys that have to sit and watch, that's a tough sacrifice for those guys to make, but it doesn't mean we're not conscious of what those guys are doing for this team."
Toews said, "It's never an easy thing, but obviously that's what makes us a good team. We've got some good players that may not be able to play every night."
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