GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Really, the Chicago Blackhawks did OK enough without Jonathan Toews. There was no season-crushing calamity without the captain in the lineup for 22 games, and in fact reshuffled lines and a rekindled team game sparked a decent end-of-season run.
They'll take their chances, though, that things will be better in the postseason with Toews around.
He is for Game 1 of a first-round playoff series against the Coyotes on Thursday, proclaiming himself fit to play after the morning skate and immediately offering an infusion that could be felt tangibly and intangibly up and down the Hawks' roster.
"He's a great player, he's a great leader, we always feel the bigger the game, the bigger the challenge for him, he rises to all occasions," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said before the game.
"Emotionally, it's good for our team to have him back. It's a good place to start. Last week, he's felt well and better. Last couple games he probably would have gotten consideration if they were meaningful, so it was good that he had extra days to target today. He's ready to go."
So it was Toews and Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa at the top of the Hawks lineup with Corey Crawford in goal, all prepped to dive into the thicket of the Coyotes' defensive-minded game and the wall erected in front of the net by red-hot goalie Mike Smith.
bchamilton@tribune.com
Twitter @ChiTribHamilton
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