Blackhawks defenseman Sean O’Donnell getting more ice time

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Hawks defenseman Sean O’Donnell (above) has been getting more opportunities than John Scott and Sami Lepisto. | Bill Smith~Getty Images

Updated: February 19, 2012 8:24AM

Asked if it has reached the point where he sticks with the same third defensive pairing instead of changing it often, coach Joel Quenneville quickly commended veteran Sean O’Donnell.

“O’Donnell is dependable, reliable,” Quenneville said.

But the only consistent thing about the Hawks’ third pairing has been Quenneville’s willingness to change the sixth defenseman when things go awry or based on the opponent.

General manager Stan Bowman has been open about looking for defensive help in the trade market. But it sounds like O’Donnell will continue to play more than John Scott and Sami Lepisto.

“Any player would tell you it’s kind of a Catch-22 because you have to earn your ice time, and the more ice time you get, you seem to get into a flow [and] your confidence is higher,” O’Donnell said Tuesday. “I’m putting a nice string together. We’ll see what happens, but I’m enjoying it, getting a little extra ice time and hopefully getting rewarded for it.”

O’Donnell, 40, has played in five consecutive games, surpassing 17 minutes twice. He also has played in 10 of the last 12. The ice time and playing opportunities for Scott and Lepisto, meanwhile, have dropped considerably. Even when rookie defenseman Dylan Olsen got a chance for three games with Steve Montador hurt, their ice time was minimal.

The biggest difference among the three is that O’Donnell kills penalties, averaging more than a minute per game. Overall, he’s able to take more of the load off Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Nick Leddy and Niklas Hjalmarsson. At a time when the Hawks are in a point-for-point fight for first in the Central Division, maintaining consistent pairs helps. Montador also has a sense of comfort with O’Donnell.

“I’ve always found that I play at my best when I can depend on my partner or know what I’m going to get from him night in, night out,” Montador said. “That predictability is something that you kind of hope for when you have a partner.”

O’Donnell, who has seven assists and a minus-2 in 31 games, said he’s happy with his recent play and that’s he’s not dwelling on the past, which included sitting out six in a row in November.

“I’m sure he’d love to play every game and [get] more ice time the games he’s playing,” Quenneville said. “But you accept that and find ways you can contribute and be a part of the team. You find that those guys who are role players make a big difference with what it’s all about being a team. He provides that for us.”