Jonathan Toews Has Stepped It Up Following Kane’s Injury

Mar 2, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) scores a goal on Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward (30) during the first period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

It has now been a week since Patrick Kane’s injury to his collar bone which will keep him sidelined for possibly 9 more weeks, give or take. In an effort to make up for the loss of such a valuable player who led the team and league in points, the Chicago Blackhawks reached out to the trade market before the trade deadline approached. Stan Bowman wanted to give this team the best chance and went out and traded for Kimmo Timonen from the Flyers, Antoine Vermette from the Coyotes, and Andrew Desjardins from the Sharks. The Chicago Blackhawks know the additions are not just going to be the answer either, they will collectively have to put extra effort in to help right the ship that was struggling even before the injury to Patrick Kane. One person who really knows it is his time to shine is Captain Jonathan Toews. He has stepped his game up following Patrick Kane’s injury and has reflected that in his play over the past week or so.

Jonathan Toews has scored 6 goals and 3 assist in his last 10 games and is focused on bettering his game and team play down the stretch before the playoffs. If you look back to his last 5 games he has really stepped it up with 5 goals and 1 assist. Last night in the game versus the Carolina Hurricanes the Blackhawks looked like the old team we once knew who came out with high energy, fed off of each other, and put up a flurry of goals. In the win Jonathan Toews scored the first 2 goals in the game on breakaways with 1 of them being a shorty. So it really shows that he has gotten hot and is continuing to put it on. These brought his season goal total to 21 and the 8th time in his 8 seasons played that he hit the 20 goal plateau.

The Chicago Blackhawks increased their record to 21-0 when leading the game after 2 periods of play on Monday so they need to continue focusing on getting the lead and maintaining it during the entire game. When you put up 3-5 goals in a game and your goalie can hold the other team under 2 or 3 you’re going to put yourself in a good position to win the game. This is exactly what they have done to step up together as a team over the past 4 games where they have skated away winning 3 of them. Keep your eyes on Jonathan Toews he looks like he is determined to prove this team is better than everyone thinks, even with the loss of Kane.