Kane, Toews leading Blackhawks' rise back to Stanley Cup favorites

The Chicago Blackhawks are on some kind of roll, courtesy of their franchise cornerstones.

After losing three straight to end the month of January, the Blackhawks have posted a record of 12-1-0 since the beginning of February, earning a league-high 24 points while jumping into first in the Western Conference and second in the overall standings, behind only the Washington Capitals.

It should come as no surprise that Chicago's best players during this stretch have been Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, who rank first and second in NHL scoring over that time with 21 and 20 points, respectively.

Kane and Toews are in the second season of twin $10.5-million-per-year contracts, extensions that raised questions as to whether a Stanley Cup contending team could be built around them.

Despite a plethora of talent traded away in order to work around salary cap constraints, general manager Stan Bowman continues to surround the pair - along with other core players like Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Corey Crawford - with the talent needed to remain as competitive as any team in the NHL.

At last check, Chicago and Minnesota ranked behind the Capitals in terms of Cup favorites (according to Bovada), but with Kane and Toews playing at a high level and with the experience they bring to the table, it's not hard to imagine a fourth Cup being added to their resumes come June.