Toews to miss 5th straight game with reported back injury
Jonathan Toews isn't ready to return just yet.
The Chicago Blackhawks captain won't travel to Philadelphia for Saturday's game against the Flyers, according to Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville.
Toews has a back injury, a source told Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times, and he's missed four games after exiting Chicago's Nov. 23 loss to the San Jose Sharks.
The forward said Friday that the second-period collision many thought felled him during his last shift wasn't the first time he was hurt in that game, reports CSN Chicago's Tracey Myers.
"(It's) just something that started to aggravate in the first (period)," Toews said. "(I) tried playing in the second (period) and that instance ... went down like a ton of bricks."
Toews said if this were the playoffs he'd deal with it. Since it isn't, trying to get fully healed and not re-aggravate it. #Blackhawks
— Tracey Myers (@TramyersCSN) December 2, 2016
The Blackhawks placed Toews on injured reserve Friday, retroactive to Nov. 24, in order to activate defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk. Since Toews has already missed the minimum seven days, he's eligible to be activated at any time.
Toews skated before practice Friday, and Quenneville said his star center will be re-evaluated Sunday.