Jonathan Toews hasn’t had any real setbacks in his recovery from a back injury. But he doesn’t appear to be making any progress, either.
Joel Quenneville had hoped that Toews would skate Friday morning before the Blackhawks’ game against the Rangers, but instead he was held off the ice for the seventh straight day. Friday’s game was the eighth straight that Toews has missed, and it’s highly unlikely he plays Sunday against Dallas, either.
“We were hoping that he was going to try it today, but we’ll see tomorrow how it progresses,” Quenneville said.
The Hawks are being hyper-cautious with Toews. They want to make sure the back problem is healed before pushing it and potentially creating a longer-term issue. Toews has still been around the rink, doing some off-ice workouts, and participating in team events. But aside from a brief skate last Sunday morning, he last practiced on Dec. 2.
Brent Seabrook, who left Tuesday’s game with an upper-body injury after appearing to the back of his head on the ice, didn’t skate on Friday, either. That means he’s questionable at best for Sunday’s game.
“We’ll need them on the ice before we get a better idea of that,” Quenneville said.
Friday’s game was only the second game Seabrook has missed since the start of the 2013-14 season. He has played at least 81 games in seven of his 10 full NHL seasons. Duncan Keith said Seabrook’s absence is just as noticeable on the bench and in the dressing room.
“We have to talk a little bit more as a group in there to get some noise going — it’s a little bit quieter without him, that’s for sure,” Keith said. “On top of everything he brings off the ice for us, he’s been such a durable, important player for this team, this organization. When he’s not out there, it’s a weird feeling. We’re just going to have to do as best we can to play good hockey and fill a huge void you can’t really replace.”
Kempny out again
After Trevor van Riemsdyk’s big step forward Tuesday night against Arizona, Michal Kempny was the odd-man out Friday night, a healthy scratch for the second straight game and the fourth time in the last eight. Kempny has been a positive possession player for the Hawks, but Quenneville said he still needs improvement in his own end.
“We like the way he competes,” Quenneville said. “He brings pace to our game and he goes hard in the puck areas, he’s got a good shot, he’s got all the intangibles that you’re looking for. I just think that consistency without the puck, and how he defends in his own end, is probably the area that there’s [room for] growth in his game. But I still think our defense is pretty good, and we’ve got some tough decisions on a game-to-game basis. He adds one more guy we feel can play.”
A legend returns
The Hawks brought Steve Larmer back to dress in uniform and skate Friday night as part of their “One More Shift” program. Another Hawks icon will be at the United Center on Sunday night — Eric Semborski, the Philadelphia-area youth coach who was pressed into emergency backup duty last Saturday when Corey Crawford had his appendectomy. After the team decided to fly Semborski in as a “thank you” gesture, Scott Darling made the call to let him know.
Familiar faces
The Rangers have been atop the Metropolitan Division for much of the season, and a few ex-Hawks — or almost ex-Hawks, at least — have played a role. Antti Raanta is 6-1-0 in goal and made his first start against the Hawks on Friday, bumping Henrik Lundqvist for the second straight night. Raanta was 14-0-3 with a spectacular .942 save percentage at the United Center in his two seasons with the Hawks.
Meanwhile, Brandon Pirri has five goals and five assists, and Adam Clendening has three assists in seven games. On top of that, Kevin Hayes — a former first-round pick of the Hawks who decided to sign with the Rangers instead — has 11 goals and nine assists. Jimmy Vesey, who won the Hobey Baker Award at Harvard last year and whom the Hawks strongly pursued as a free agent over the summer — has nine goals and seven assists.
Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com
Twitter: @marklazerus
