Toews dealing with long COVID-19 symptoms
Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews announced Sunday that he is dealing with symptoms of long COVID-19 and chronic immune response syndrome.
Toews hasn't played since Jan. 28. The Blackhawks placed the 34-yearold center on injured reserve on Wednesday with what they said was a non-COVID-19-related illness.
“It has been really challenging to play through these symptoms,” Toews said in a statement. “In the last few weeks, it has reached the point where I had no choice but to step back and concentrate on getting healthy. I am thankful for the patience and support of my teammates, the coaching staff, and the entire Blackhawks organization.”
Toews missed the 2020-21 season with what he described as chronic immune response syndrome.
Toews has spent his entire career with Chicago, winning three Stanley Cup titles. But he is eligible for free agency after this season.
He had 12 goals and 25 assists in 71 games when he returned to action last year, and he had looked stronger this season. He has 14 goals and 14 assists in 46 games for the last-place Blackhawks. SENATORS-RANGERS TRADE >> Right wing Julien Gauthier was traded to the Senators by the Rangers for left winger Tyler Motte. Ottawa also gets a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2023 draft in the deal.
Should the Rangers advance past the first round of the coming postseason, that pick will improve to the lower of the Rangers' or Winnipeg Jets' 2023 sixth-round selection. AVALANCHE 6, OILERS 5, OT >> Mikko Rantanen scored with 21 seconds remaining in overtime, and Colorado rallied to beat Edmonton.
Nathan MacKinnon and J.T. Compher each had a goal and an assist, and Artturi Lehkonen, Valeri Nichushkin and Logan O'Connor added goals for Colorado, which won its third straight.
Edmonton lost its third straight game after regulation and its fourth in a row overall. The Oilers, who haven't won in Denver since Dec. 11, 2018, have blown threegoal leads in consecutive games and have dropped six straight to the Avalanche.
WILD 4, PREDATORS 3 >> Ryan Hartman scored the winner on a rebound to put Minnesota ahead with 21 seconds left, just 26 seconds after Nino Niederreiter tied the score for Nashville.
Kirill Kaprizov scored twice and Brandon Duhaime added a goal for Minnesota, which won in regulation for the first time in 13 games. SENATORS 7, BLUES 2 >> Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk had threepoint games to lead Ottawa past St. Louis.
Stutzle had two goals and an assist and extended his point streak to four games, and Tkachuk extended his career-best point streak to seven games with a goal and two assists. BLACKHAWKS 5, MAPLE LEAFS 3 >> Patrick Kane had his ninth career regular-season hat trick and rookie Cole Guttman scored the winner as Chicago topped Toronto to climb out of last place in the NHL.
Max Domi had a goal and three assists for the Blackhawks, who won their second straight following a three-game losing streak.