Jonathan Toews getting ‘closer and closer’
The Tazer-o-meter has moved from somewhere down the road, to any day now — to real, real soon after Jonathan Toews skated Sunday, his fourth consecutive day on the ice.
“Getting closer and closer as far as I feel injury-wise, but I can definitely tell that the conditioning needs some work so I’ll work on that, too,” Toews said after Sunday’s morning skate. “I’m feeling better and better every day and more like myself out there.”
“He’s excited knowing he’s out there and getting close,” said Hawks coach Joel Quenneville.
Though the captain was hoping to perhaps be back for Tuesday’s game against St. Louis, it looks like that’s not going to happen.
“Every time we play a game I hope (to be back) for that game,” said Toews, who missed his 10th consecutive game Sunday with concussion symptoms. “Hopefully I’ll keep progressing.”
Enough to be in the lineup Tuesday night?
“We’ll see,” Quenneville said. “We’ll visit it again between now and then. He’ll determine a lot of that. He’s got to pass a lot of hurdles as well.”
Also back on the ice after some time away was Steve Montador, who is also recuperating from a concussion.
“I feel good, better every day. I’ve never been out for this long during the regular season,” Montador said. “Certainly it was a challenge, but the overall trend has been pretty solid which is exciting and encouraging for me.
“I won’t put a timetable on it, but I don’t think I’m that far away.”
Tip-ins:
Until Marcus Kruger scored in the second period, Kings goalie Jonathan Quick had held the Blackhawks scoreless for just over 170 consecutive minutes. ... Joel Quenneville on defenseman Sami Lepisto’s leg injury: “He’s still a ways away.”
He said it:
“For the guys who are playing, they’ve got their own routines, their own things that they do to get ready. The last thing they want getting in the way is an injured guy who might be a little looser, a little more relaxed because he’s not going through the same kind of pressure that getting ready for a game puts on you.”
— Hawks captain Jonathan Toews, about if he hangs around the locker room prior to games.