The Chicago Blackhawks are back from their lengthy circus trip, but one of their most important players still won’t be on the ice when the team battles the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.
That player is captain Jonathan Toews, who has missed the last two games with an upper body injury. After the team’s morning skate on Tuesday, head coach Joel Quenneville confirmed that Toews will remain out with the ailment, and that his status for Thursday’s game is still up in the air as his recovery continues.
In the two games Toews has missed, the Blackhawks’ have been badly beaten in the face-off dot, but overall they are still keeping pace, as they’ve gotten three out of a possible four points in the standings with a win over the Anaheim Ducks Friday and an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night at Staples Center.
In 21 games so far this season, Toews has four goals and eight assists as his line has seen constantly juggling. Toews recently had been playing with Patrick Kane on the top line, but the winger was moved back down to rejoin Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin, and Toews will likely be paired up again with Marian Hossa when he does return to the lineup.
There was a bit of good news Tuesday, as it appears the Blackhawks will get Jordin Tootoo back in the mix after he missed Saturday’s game against the Kings. During morning skate on Tuesday Tootoo was back on the fourth line along with Tyler Motte and Nick Schmaltz.
