Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is expected to return from a back injury Saturday in Philadelphia, reports Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun Times. A report Tuesday, indicated the injury is not “considered serious.”
Toews has already missed three straight games due to the injury and is likely to miss a fourth when Chicago hosts the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. He sustained the injury last week on the Circus Trip at San Jose, when he fell awkwardly in the second period and did not return.
Despite his absence, Chicago has found the win column, going 2-0-1. However, they’ve struggled mightily on faceoffs without their No. 1 center. The Hawks won just 27 percent of draws at Anaheim in their first game without Toews. Since then, they’ve steadily improved against Los Angeles (36 percent) and Florida (47 percent).
Toews has recorded four goals and eight assists in 21 games this season.