Great Talent Everywhere in Marian Hossa's Debut

SAN JOSE -- As if Wednesday night's matchup against the Western Conference's two top teams didn't have enough appeal, throw Marian Hossa into the mix for one heck of a showdown between star-studded top lines.

Hossa, Chicago's top offseason acquisition, hasn't played this season because of a shoulder injury, but tonight at HP Pavilion, he'll be joining the Blackhawks' great young players Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. San Jose, the NHL's best team to date, counters with the goal-happy line of Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.

Whew. What a way to step onto the ice for the first time with a new team.

"It's been a while," Hossa said this afternoon after the Blackhawks' morning skate. "I think I'm ready to get into a a game. It's been four months. I can't wait to get out there. ... We have two young stars who know what to do with the puck. It's exciting."

Hossa said that his goal is to keep things simple and just to get his timing back, not disrupt the tempo that Kane and Toews establish. They've skated together all of two practices, so finding chemistry presumably will take some time.

"It will be fun to play with him," Kane said. "Obviously, he's a great talent, a premier sniper, the kind of player who finds the open spots. We'll try to find some instant chemistry, but that's easier said than done."

Hossa isn't sure how much ice time he'll get but he has worked hard to make sure he is in shape, so while he might not play in all situations, he is going to pace himself and he should get at least a good chunk of minutes to start off with if all goes well.

He said his shoulder is completely healed or he wouldn't be participating; asked if his team might be particularly physical with Hossa considering it's his first game after surgery, Sharks coach Todd McLellan responded that his club is a physical team in general and the plan is to finish checks on Hossa -- and the rest of the Blackhawks.

"Guys who come back after that long away tend to play very well the first few games," McLellan said of Hossa. "We'll probably have our hands full. He's a tremendous player who makes things happen all over the ice. I expect he'll be as good as he's ever been."

"He's a great player," Heatley said. "He's got a lot of speed, obviously he's well-rested. He'll be ready to go, bringing them another weapon. I'm sure he's anxious to get going and running on adrenaline."

Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said that the good thing is that Hossa won't have to be a go-to guy in his initial game with the Blackhawks, especially on that high-powered line, but no matter what, Quenneville figures that Hossa will help in a number of ways.

McLellan isn't sure how much the team's No. 1 lines will go head-to-head tonight; things might change as the night goes along. There's no doubt, though, that this is as good a marquee matchup as the conference has. Heatley is tied for the league lead with 18 goals and he, Thornton (league-high 25 assists) and Marleau are all among the top nine in scoring.

"Obviously, they have some studs playing there," Kane said. "They've proved more than myself and Toews have. And maybe we'll have to face those guys down the road (in the playoffs). This is a good challenge."

The teams met 10 days ago in Chicago, where the Sharks took a two-goal lead before falling 4-3 in overtime. It was the second of back-to-back games for San Jose, but McLellan said this morning, "If we do get a lead, we expect to hold it this time."

The Blackhawks have won seven in a row and they're coming strong, with 32 points, while San Jose sits atop the league with 36.

"This is going to be a great game," Hossa said. "Two good teams going against each other. It's a great test for our team."

"They're playing well, we're playing well," Heatley said. "In a lot of the rankings, we're close. We played a tight game in their building -- now we're in our building in front of our fans."