Toews ready to resume skating

AURORA, Colo. -- Finally there is some light at the end of the tunnel for Jonathan Toews returning to the Blackhawks' lineup.

Hawks coach Denis Savard said Toews would start skating on his own today back in Chicago, rejoin the team next week in Calgary for practices, then possibly play Feb. 13 at Columbus.

Toews has been sidelined since Jan. 1 with a sprained left knee, and without their star rookie the Hawks have lost nine of 12 games.

"We'll just have to see how it goes with him," Savard said. "We said 4-6 weeks, and it will be right about then."

Dave Bolland (broken finger) and Kris Versteeg (shoulder) didn't make the trip. Savard said both rookies likely would be assigned to Rockford for some conditioning games before playing.

"They need to get in some games for sure," Savard said.

Martin Lapointe practiced again Tuesday and could return tonight from his bruised kidney.

One more time: Denis Savard repeated Tuesday his claim that he wasn't singling out Martin Havlat in his critical remarks about the team from last Thursday.

Havlat said Monday that he wished Savard hadn't gone public with his displeasure following the 1-0 loss to Columbus.

"I didn't attack him at all," Savard said. "We've had our talk one-on-one many times, so it wasn't about attacking Marty at all. I talked overall about our team. If he feels he was targeted, that's unfortunate because I didn't really target him.

"Our best players need to be our best players, and it's not just him."

Savard wants all his forwards to start getting the job done around the net.

"Our team has to play better in the tough areas where you're going to score goals," Savard said. "I don't direct anything against my players. I'm not the type of guy that's going to single out anybody. As a group we need to get grittier around the net."

Tip-ins: The line of Robert Lang, Martin Havlat and Patrick Kane was split up. Lang will center for Kane and Rene Bourque, while Havlat skates on Martin St. Pierre's line with Patrick Sharp. … General manager Dale Tallon is scouting in Florida and will pick up the team this weekend in San Jose. …

Enforcer David Koci cleared waivers and was assigned to Rockford … Defenseman Andrei Zyuzin took a personal leave from the team to be with his wife for the birth of their child. He will rejoin the team in San Jose.