Kimmo Timonen ready to 'enjoy the moment' in return to Blackhawks' lineup

CHICAGO — Kimmo Timonen will make his first appearance for the Chicago Blackhawks since May 25 when he draws in for the Chicago Blackhawks for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final Wednesday night.

During Media Day last week, the 40-year old Timonen expressed frustration that his comeback from blood clots that kept him off the ice until March wasn’t going as he had planned. But the veteran blueliner wasn’t going to make things about him on the eve of the Final.

Timonen last played in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final against the Anaheim Ducks, but with head coach relying heavily on his top two defense pairings, the carousel that is Chicago's third pairing hasn’t seen a lot of ice time. Kyle Cumiskey will sit, meaning Timonen will be paired with Trevor van Riemsdyk. (Johnny Oduya, who suffered an upper-body injury in Game 3, is likely in, according to Quenneville.)

“He gives us some predictability. I think his coverage in the D zone, strength in the puck area,” said Quenneville after Wednesday’s morning skate. “He's smart, experienced. I think he did a good job for us throughout the playoffs. Gives him a chance to get in here in a good moment, a big moment. His reads and his position awareness and coverage in his own end will help him.”

“Once you miss the last seven games and two weeks of hockey, it is not the perfect situation to jump in there,” said Timonen, “but I’ve been around a long time and I know what to expect. I’m going to enjoy the moment. It is the best you can take. Keep it simple, but I want to be aggressive and hopefully I can help the team with making plays and play my own game.”

For Timonen, time in the press box has helped show him what he needs to do to be effective.

“You've got to skate, that's for sure. I saw that it's a fast game and that's why I need to trust my experience and reading the plays,” he said. “If there's a chance for me to jump into the play, I will do that. I will be a little bit aggressive out there. Hopefully I get a couple hits there and it gets me into the game because we all know as a player when you get into the game, you're going to play well.”

Timonen playing in Game 4 would also mean that if the Blackhawks win the series he’ll be automatically eligible to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup. A player must have played 41 regular season games or one game in the Final to be eligible. Teams can also peitition the NHL to add names for extenuating circumstances, like the Boston Bruins did in 2011 for Marc Savard.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

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