Toews keeps it simple, gets on scoresheet in return to action for Blackhawks

Jonathan Toews has done it all during a 15-year career that may be coming to a close after the season.

He's won three Stanley Cups, captured two Olympic gold medals for Team Canada and is considered one of the best captains of all time.

But Toews is still human, so it's no surprise that the future Hall of Famer admitted he was a bit nervous before the Blackhawks' 6-3 loss to New Jersey at the United Center on Saturday.

"There's always a little bit of nerves before a game like that," said Toews, who registered an assist in his first game since Jan. 28. "I feel it didn't take me long to just relax and have fun and ... make the plays I see in front of me and trust my teammates and linemates.

"That's all I could really do."

After receiving a rousing ovation when he was announced as a starter, it was time for Toews to play in his 1,198th NHL game (including playoffs).

Coach Luke Richardson eased his captain in, skating him on the fourth line with Austin Wagner and Reese Johnson. By the third period, however, Toews back in the top six, centering a pair of speedsters in Lukas Reichel and Andreas Athanasiou.

"Our team needed it," Richardson said. "Reichel and AA were going and I thought, 'He's a guy who can win faceoffs (and) he makes strong plays.

"It was the perfect time for him to go there."

The move paid dividends when Toews assisted on Athanasiou's goal at 9:03 of the third that cut New Jersey's lead to 4-3. Athanasiou tapped in Toews' perfect pass while standing in front of the net.

"That was a great pass," said Athanasiou, who now has 16 goals.

Minutes later, Toews was lurking in the offensive zone, but a couple of good scoring chances went for naught. The Devils then essentially iced the victory when Timo Meier notched his 37th goal at 16:04.

Tyler Johnson (11) and Reichel (6) scored the other goals for the Hawks, who have lost eight straight. Taylor Raddysh had 2 assists.

Toews kept things simple and looked better than expected during a scoreless first period. He won a defensive-zone draw on his second shift, got off a solid wrist shot on his third, and rode defenseman Kevin Bahl into the boards on his fourth.

He even saw 52 seconds of power-play time late in the period.

"Definitely finding my way a little bit," said Toews, who won 8 of 12 faceoffs and finished with 14 minutes of ice time. "The first period was rough. That's a fast team, fast game. ...

"When you miss some time, there's going to be some catching up. But second, third period, I started to feel a little bit more comfortable.

"When your timing gets better, then you're not overexerting yourself, as well. So yeah, overall, definitely feel like I'm in a good place (and) progressing since the time off."

The crowd of 18,778 was great all night, beginning with an appreciative cheer when Toews hit the ice for warmups. Then came the starting lineup announcement (roar!) and, finally, the announcement of Toews' assist (ROOOAR!)

"I'm just trying to focus and concentrate on the game," Toews said. "But there's no doubt you hear that when you step on the ice. It felt good to get that coming back tonight. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a way to win.

"Either way, it feels good to receive that from the fans and keep playing hard for them."

Richardson was asked if it's dawning on him that these are likely Toews' final weeks in Chicago - and perhaps in his career.

"Not really. I have no idea what his plans are and I don't know if he does," Richardson said. "He's just feeling relieved, he's feeling better physically and I think that's given his mind a break. ...

"He's acknowledged that he's coming on the road trip (which begins Tuesday). We'll just go game by game and see how he feels. A guy like that is just going to get stronger every game and feel more comfortable.

"So we'll just see where it leads."