PHILADELPHIA — When Kris Versteeg was recovering from a broken hand in January, he stayed off the ice until he was close to returning, for two reasons. First, he had a pin in his hand and didn’t want to risk injury if he were to fall. And secondly, “When you skate by yourself, you go stir crazy,” he said.
Patrick Kane apparently has other ideas.
Even though Joel Quenneville said his timetable for return — mid-May — hasn’t changed, Kane continues to skate back in Chicago as he recovers from a broken clavicle suffered on Feb. 24.
“He loves to skate,” Quenneville said. “Kaner, he’s different. He wants to be out there. He likes it. I don’t think he gets tired of it.”
Scary moment
Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford briefly left the ice with team doctor Michael Terry during Wednesday’s morning skate at Wells Fargo Center after taking a Bryan Bickell shot in the mask. He returned after just a couple of minutes, and will start against the Flyers.
“Happens from time to time,” Crawford said. “Just a weird play, that’s all.”
He certainly gave his teammates a scare, though.
“It was like a moment in a game in Chicago not too long ago where he might have tweaked his groin or something, where he was sore for a little bit,” Jonathan Toews said. “I think everyone in the building was holding their breath. We know what he’s meant to our team this year. You want to talk about Kane or some of the top guys we played [without], it’s a whole other thing to lose a goaltender, especially one like Crow. Just a little accidental play. I don’t think [Bickell] shot it very high, either, he just kind of rolled into the shot, and took it square between the eyes. Don’t think it felt too good.”
New guy
Vincent Hinostroza, who signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Blackhawks on Saturday, is expected to join the Rockford IceHogs soon. The Bartlett native was a sixth-round draft pick in 2012. The 5-9 Hinostroza had 11 goals and 33 assists in 42 games with Notre Dame this season as a sophomore.
“We don’t get to see him much, but you like the way he skates and competes and brings a lot of energy to the game,” Quenneville said. “He’s got some upside offensively. He’s against it with his size, but he brings the intangible of playing an all-out game, and he’s got some quickness to his game.”
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Twitter: @marklazerus
