Blackhawks star 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-year-old center on injured reserve on Wednesday with what they said was a non-covid19-related illness.

“It has been really challenging to play through these symptoms,” Toews said in a statement released by the team. “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 202021 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 deal

Right winger Julien Gauthier was traded to the Ottawa Senators by the New York Rangers for left winger Tyler Motte on Sunday.

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 sixthround selection.

Gauthier, 25, has six goals and three assists with a minus-5 rating over 40 games this season.

Motte, 27, has three goals and six assists with a plus-1 rating over 38 games this season.

Motte returns for his second stint with the Rangers after playing nine regularseason and 15 playoff games with the club last season.

Kings on fire

Kevin Fiala had two goals and an assist and the Kings held on to beat the Coyotes 6-5 in a shootout late Saturday night.

Anze Kopitar, Blake Lizotte and Matt Roy each had a goal and an assist during a five-goal outburst in the first period, but the Kings had to recover after squandering a four-goal lead to win their fourth straight game.

The Kings have now scored at least five goals in four consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 1-8, 1992, and it didn’t take long for their offensive firepower to shine yet again. Los Angeles posted five goals in a 7:48 span in the first period.

“This lead tonight happened fast,” Kings coach Todd Mclellan said. “It happened, bang, bang, bang, one after another. And then from that point on, we got extremely casual.”

The Kings hadn’t scored five goals in the first period since Nov. 13, 2005, in an 8-2 victory over Columbus.