Hossa Misses Practice, but Should Play Wednesday vs. Flames

The Chicago Blackhawks have had several days off since they blew out the Buffalo Sabres by a 6-2 margin on Saturday night, and in the intervening days they have gotten some good news on the injury front for several players.

Marian Hossa, who had a goal and five shots on net in the Saturday win, wasn’t skating with the Blackhawks during Tuesday’s practice, but head coach Joel Quenneville said that he should be able to go on Wednesday night when the Hawks play the Calgary Flames.

Just four points shy of 1000 in his NHL career, Hossa has missed 18 games over the past two seasons, so it’s good to hear that injuries aren’t hampering him this early in the season.

As for the Blackhawks who have been on the shelf in the early-going, they both received some good news after Tuesday’s skate. Defenseman Michal Rozsival, who is dealing with an upper body injury that has kept him out of the first two games of the year, skated with the Hawks Tuesday on a pairing with Duncan Keith and could return this weekend against the Nashville Predators.

Kris Versteeg has also missed the first two games of the season with a lower body injury, but he too is closer to returning. He wasn’t on the ice for practice Tuesday, but Quenneville said that he will likely begin skating this weekend. The Hawks currently have 12 healthy forwards on their roster, so the sooner they can get Versteeg back, the better.

In other news that will surprise no one, Quenneville also announced that Corey Crawford will start again for the team on Wednesday against the Flames. He has allowed four goals so far this season in wins over the Dallas Stars and Sabres. 

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