Jonathan Toews, ‘fed up’ with struggles, might have his season back on track

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Jonathan Toews finally looks like Jonathan Toews again.

What has revived the 31-year-old Blackhawks center? Even Toews himself isn’t sure, although he has some theories. But he has been revived regardless.

“I’ve been able to make some plays, play with the puck a little bit more, get out with some more energy — all those things I’ve been talking about,” he said. “At least that’s trending in the right direction, and the more chances you create, eventually it’s a numbers game — they’re going to go in for you.”

Toews scored a late tying goal Saturday against the Kings, then had two assists — including the setup on the overtime winner — Sunday against the Ducks. He also took six shots on goal, his most in any two-game stretch yet this season, and had a Corsi rating above 56 percent in both, a sharp contrast to his 42 percent rating in his first 11 appearances.

Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton called the two games “the best he’s played,” echoing what was obvious to many.

“Probably a lot of it is just mental,” Colliton added Tuesday. “He sees the puck go in the net, and that helps. He’s had some chances, he’s had some posts that haven’t gone in for him, and it begins to wear on you over time. But . . . [for] a top guy like that, [this is] an opportunity for him to string a bunch of really good games together, and then likely the production will come.”

Tuesday against the Sharks, Toews struggled in the possession stats, but still found Brandon Saad for a late goal to extend his personal points streak.

Slow starts haven’t been common in Toews’ 13-year NHL career, but as he gets older, it makes sense it might take longer to find his midseason form. That was one of several hypotheses he offered Tuesday to explain his below-standard performance in October.

“It’s hard to go from zero to 60 right from the start,” he said. “If you think back to the playoff years where we’ve gone deep in the playoffs, it’s not like you can play that good or at that level of your game in October or November. You build up towards it throughout the entire year.”

Another explanation — and a more empirically supported one — is that Toews’ reunion with Saad (along with Alex Nylander) has made a big difference.

Toews and Saad had hardly played any 5-on-5 time together before arriving in California, but they now have a 50.7 percent shot-attempt ratio together, compared to Toews’ ugly 42.5 ratio when not with Saad.

Their relationship has been mutually beneficial throughout recent seasons. Since 2016, Saad and Toews boast a 54.7 shot-attempt ratio together, higher than either of their individual rates without the other. So it’s strange Colliton didn’t unite them earlier.

“[Saad and Nylander] can play with speed, they’ve got strength down low, so we’re keeping plays alive, we’re battling for pucks, and eventually things develop from there,” Toews said.

Finally, the third potential explanation for Toews’ improved play is that his drive for excellence, known across the league for so many years, simply overcame the negative effects of his aging.

As the Hawks’ captain, he said he felt he needed to get his “own ducks in a row” in order to give weight to his leadership messages. He seems to be doing that now, at least individually, even though the team continues to struggle.