BY LEN ZIEHM 

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Alexander Karpovtsev, the Blackhawks' most experienced defenseman, has had a tough road trip.

On Thursday at San Jose, in the opener of the four-game West Coast swing, he shot the puck into his own net. ESPN has shown the gaffe repeatedly as the top blunder of the week. Before that game was even one period old, Karpovtsev also caught a stick in the throat and was taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure.

He returned to play Saturday in a 3-2 victory at Los Angeles but didn't last half the game. He became sick on the bench after playing 13 first-period shifts and, still feeling ill, sat out Sunday's game at Anaheim.

Karpovtsev's problems are a big reason Nathan Dempsey's ice time has increased dramatically. Dempsey was on the ice for 33 minutes, 31 seconds -- the longest stint by a Hawks player since Brian Sutter became coach three seasons ago -- in the 3-3 tie at San Jose, then worked nearly 25 minutes at Los Angeles on Saturday. He had another 30-plus game Sunday (31:43) against Anaheim.

Dempsey never had topped 30 minutes in an NHL game but had done it in the minors.

"That keeps you in the game mentally,'' he said of the extended ice time. "That makes up for any fatigue that, physically, you might have.''

Karpovtsev's illness gave rookie Lasse Kukkonen a chance to return to the lineup for the first time in four games. Deron Quint, a more experienced defenseman, sat out a fourth straight game.