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CHICAGO - While Los Angeles and Anaheim prepare for Game 7 of their second-round series, the Chicago Blackhawks are resting and looking for ways they can play even better in the Western Conference final. The Blackhawks practiced Thursday without ailing centre Andrew Shaw, but Brandon Bollig skated on the fourth line after he was suspended for the final two games of their second-round series against Minnesota. Shaw left Game 1 against the Wild with an apparent right leg injury, but he could return in Chicagos next series. "We expect to have him back on the ice this weekend and well get a better determination of when hell play," coach Joel Quenneville said. The Blackhawks missed Shaws net-front presence and pesky style in their six-game victory over Minnesota. The diminutive forward, listed at 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, has two goals and two assists in the playoffs after he set career highs with 20 goals and 19 assists in the regular season. "He emphasizes his game being gritty and getting to the net and we need more of that," forward Bryan Bickell said. "And I know last series was, we needed a lot of it to be successful and come the next series, when he does come back, I know hell bring it and thats what you need out of him." Bollig was suspended by the NHL for boarding Minnesota defenceman Keith Ballard in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal. It was a rough series for Bollig, who had played in every game this season for the Blackhawks until he was a healthy scratch for Game 2 against the Wild. For Thursdays practice, he was reunited with Marcus Kruger and Ben Smith in a line combination that was very successful for the Blackhawks during the regular season. "Ive sure missed it," Bollig said. "Obviously we played together a good portion of the season and we had a nice roll there where we kind of found our niche together. So the fact that we were out there together today and hopefully it stays that way for the game and thats what gets us good quality minutes and playing a quality role." Bolligs role in the next series likely depends on Chicagos opponent. The Kings and Ducks close out the second round when they play on Friday night in Anaheim. The Western Conference final begins Sunday regardless of who wins. The Blackhawks will have home-ice advantage if Los Angeles advances, and will open on the road if top-seeded Anaheim moves on. "Theyre both physical. They both got a lot of skill," forward Brandon Saad said. "Theres a lot of similarities in a lot of teams in the NHL these days, play that tight checking game. Were not going to prepare for anyone yet obviously. We dont know who were playing. Were looking forward to see how Friday goes." ___ Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Bob Cousy Jersey . 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Drouin, from Corunna, Ont., bested his own record of 2.38 metres set in Aug. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It wasnt like North Dakota State could sneak up on No. 3 Ohio State. After watching film of the Bison pull off a huge upset at Notre Dame on Wednesday night, there was no way the Buckeyes were going to be on anything but high alert. LaQuinton Ross and Lenzelle Smith Jr. each scored 18 points and the Buckeyes never trailed in rolling over NDSU 79-62 Saturday night. "I said it after the game on Wednesday, so much for tip-toeing into Ohio State," NDSU coach Saul Phillips said. "We kind of clomped in here with big old (size) 16s on and they clocked us pretty good." The Buckeyes (9-0) continued their hot shooting. They made 53 per cent from the field, pushing them over 50 per cent for the fifth game in a row. Freshman Mark Loving had a career-high 12 points, and Sam Thompson also had 12. Aaron Craft added six points and seven assists -- setting a school record for career assists with 581 for the Buckeyes. Asked if the Buckeyes got a good look at what the Bison had done to the Fighting Irish, Craft said theyd watched the video like they were film critics. "Absolutely," he said. "Probably the best thing for us was that they beat Notre Dame and that really got our attention. Not that we try to really overlook anyone, but we got to sit down and see them play at their best. And we wanted to come out and play our best." The game was part of the BlackRock Gotham Classic. Taylor Braun led the Bison (7-4) with 21 points, while Marshall Bjorklund had 12 and Lawrence Alexander 10. NDSU shot 42 per cent from the field and was outrebounded 36-26. The Bison were coming off a 73-69 victory at Notre Dame, the programs first win against an ACC team. That win came against a Fighting Irish squad that was 124-10 at home over the last six-plus seasons. "They had some really big guys that can get up and that altered some shots inside," Braun said. "I dont think we expected them to shoot as well as they did from the 3-point line. That was a real difference in the game." The Buckeyes were 6 for 11 behind the arc in the first half and finished 10 of 20. The threat of hitting outside shots opened up things underneath. Down by as many as 19 points against the Buckeyes, the Bison went on a 7-2 run to pull within 14 midway through the second half.dddddddddddd. But Craft, who also had four steals and four rebounds, came up with a loose ball and fed Thompson, who was thrown to the floor by Bjorklund. Thompson hit both free throws after the flagrant foul, and then on the resulting possession, Craft lobbed an alley-oop to Thompson for a dunk that brought the crowd to its feet. Loving then hit back-to-back 3s and the lead was back up to 65-43 with 8 1/2 minutes left. "I was up all night a couple of nights ago trying to find a weakness," Phillips said. "And then I realized they really dont have a lot (of them)." The Bison were playing a ranked Division I opponent for only the seventh time. Theyve lost the last five since beating No. 13 Wisconsin and No. 9 Marquette in 2006. Ohio State built a 41-28 lead at the break. Ross overcame a sluggish start with 13 points while Smith had 10. The Buckeyes closed the first half with a 7-0 burst. Ross got a pass from Craft and buried a 3. After a Bison miss, Thompson hit a foul shot. Off another miss, Craft drove the lane and then twisted to fire a pass from underneath the basket to Thompson in the left corner. He put up a 3 that caught only net with 1.7 seconds left. That final pass tied Craft with Jamar Butler for the career record at Ohio State with 579 assists. Then on the Buckeyes first possession of the second half, Craft found Ross all alone under the basket for the record-breaker and a 43-28 lead. "Ever since Ive been here Ive had the easy job," the senior point guard said. "Ive played with a lot of great players, a lot of great shooters, who have done the hard part. I just have to find those guys and put them in a great opportunity to score. Ill have a lot of time to think about (this) when I get older. By the time Im a grandfather, itll probably be about 800 assists in my career." Ohio State cant move up in the coaches poll on Phillips ballot. "You know, in the coaches poll they only had one first-place vote. Guess who that first-place vote was," he said. "And that didnt change my mind tonight." ' ' '