DETROIT -- Despite getting pulled after a five-goal second period on Sunday in a 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason will start on Monday night against the Detroit Red Wings.

"He's our No. 1 goalie right now, so he's playing," Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said after Monday's morning skate at Joe Louis Arena. "It was a 3 o'clock game (Sunday). Took him out for the third period thinking that we'll get him a little bit more rest and get him ready for (Monday night)."

Richards said he hadn't had a discussion with Mason after the outing and hopes the goalie will be able to erase it and look ahead to the Red Wings -- who've struggled with injuries, but stormed back from a 4-1 deficit to beat Carolina 5-4 on Saturday night at the "Joe."

"I didn't have a conversation (with Mason)," Richards said. "There may be different times when I'll have conversations with either him or another player in regards to whether it was a tough outing or my decision ... a decision I made maybe, but I didn't talk to him last night and I didn't talk to him today, but I did let him know that he was going to play."

Despite Detroit's multitude of injured regulars, the Wings still have enough left to be dangerous to face, according to Richards. Like they did on Saturday night to the Hurricanes, the Red Wings are capable of putting up goals in bunches -- which is nothing new to the Blue Jackets when facing Detroit.

"That's what good teams can do," Richards said. "This team knows how to win. They have a skill set up front and they can burn you if you aren't ready to play. It's blood in the water. I've felt it in this building before and I've seen it before, whether we're playing at home or on the road. So, it's going to be how we manage it."

Along those lines, how will the Jackets finish out the last seven games of an otherwise dreadful season?

"The goals are the same,'" Richards said. "I think we all knew that's where we were going to be. We had all accepted that and again, our focus was going to be on how we played the last 19 games. We've have some good games. We've had some disappointing games. We've had some games where we've played well for the majority of the game, but we lost our game and it ended up costing us games."

Richards said he believed the Jackets are still in it to win games, but admitted it gets tougher for players to stay motivated over the last few games of a disappointing season. Still, Monday night's game is against a team trying to clinch its 21st straight post-season appearance in a row with a victory.

"I don't think there should be a lot of motivation from me getting ready for this game and even the next game at home, playing these guys back to back for six periods," Richards said. "These guys can embarrass you quick. They're trying to elevate their game. They're gearing up for the playoffs. They're using this game and the next game to get ready for the big games for them coming up."

DETROIT -- If there is a silver lining to the multitude of injuries the Detroit Red Wings have been saddled with this season, it's that several young players have gotten a chance to show what they can do in the NHL.

Cory Emmerton has basically taken on the fourth-line center's role, Jan Mursak is finally back up to speed after a broken leg in training camp set him back, and defenseman Brendan Smith and forward Gustav Nyquist both made their presence felt.

Smith was sent back to Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League on Saturday night, after Nicklas Lidstrom returned, while Nyquist is still with the Wings likely until Johan Franzen returns. Both left impressions on their teammates and Red Wings coach Mike Babcock.

"I thought (Smith) was really good," Babcock said. "We just sent him down because we need to play the players that are here, but we also need to play him. I thought he played great for us. Smitty did a real good job. He's just got to continue to grow with his maturity, his decisions with and without the puck, but I think he's an NHL player for sure.''

And the 22-year old Nyquist?

"As far as Gus, I just noticed he's got 5 points in (his last) six games, so by accident he gets points," Babcock said. "It's a good opportunity. He's a real smart player. He's good without the puck. He's got a lot to learn, but it looks like he's a legitimate NHL player.''

Nyquist, who's playing left wing on the second line with center Pavel Datsyuk and forward Todd Bertuzzi, doesn't have any goals yet -- but Swedish star center Henrik Zetterberg isn't worried.

"He has everything," said Zetterberg, whose own line with Valterri Filppula and Jiri Hudler is scorching hot right now. "He's fast. He's good with the puck and he sees the ice very well. He's just got to commit to the shot a little bit more, but that's ... everyone who comes over here from Sweden, that's a tough thing to do. But he will learn soon."

Lidstrom had some high praise for Smith, as well.

"He's a very good skater," Lidstrom said. "He brings the puck up the ice real well and he's really good at reading plays, when to get up in the play. I think it's just a matter of getting used to playing up here at this level of hockey and the tempo and keeping it simple. He did that, too. When he was in trouble, he got rid of the puck or got the puck out of our own zone -- which is something you want to do. He adjusted real well to that."

DETROIT -- They're getting closer, but several key contributors to the Detroit Red Wings aren't quite there yet in their recovery from various injuries.

The Red Wings will host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night at Joe Louis Arena (7:30 p.m.) without starting goalie Jimmy Howard (groin), forward Johan Franzen (back) and defenseman Jonathan Ericsson (wrist) -- who all still hope to return to the lineup sometime this week.

Howard took shots again in Detroit's morning skate, while Ericsson and Franzen participated fully in the session.

"We'd like to get healthy, like to get playing going into the playoffs," said Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, who sported a red McGill University cap to celebrate his alma mater's Canadian university hockey national championship won on Sunday night. "I thought our club played well the other night (against Carolina). You want to be confident going into the playoffs. In order to do that you need wins.''

You also need as many top players in the lineup as possible. On that front, Babcock can at least pencil in legendary defenseman and Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom to his top pairing for a second straight game. Lidstrom is back after missing a career-high 11 straight games with a deep bruise in his ankle.

He returned to the ice for the first time in Saturday night's stirring 5-4 comeback win against the Hurricanes and went through the morning skate on Monday. While he's still not 100 percent, the good news is the ankle didn't regress in the two days since playing last.

"It felt good (Sunday), no real setbacks or any more soreness than I anticipated," said Lidstrom, who'd been having some trouble turning on the ice a little more than a week ago. "(My mobility) is a lot better. Before I had more of a sharp pain, which I don't have anymore. It's going to be sore for some time, but it is a lot better."

Babcock was just happy to see No. 5 back in the active lineup, regardless of the 41-year old star's limitations.

“He was a long way from being what he's capable of being the other night," Babcock said. "I don't know if it's so much what he did in the game as what he just brings with his presence and who he is and his calmness. We really moved the puck well, spent a lot of time in the offensive zone the other night. Anytime you have quality D, that allows that to happen."

Detroit is also missing speedy center Darren Helm (knee sprain) for at least a couple more weeks and probably won't get forward Patrick Eaves (concussion symptoms) back this season. As for the three Wings who are getting closer to returning, Howard is targeting Friday, Franzen hopes to get a couple of full practices in and go Wednesday or Friday, and Ericsson hopes to be cleared by Wednesday's game in Columbus.

"It feels better and better every day," said Ericsson, a big defenseman who's missed 12 straight games since his wrist was fractured by a shot. "Everything's going forward.''

Babcock sounded like he wanted to play Ericsson on Monday night, but won't have him as an option despite the big Swedish blueliner's slap shot rounding back into form.

“I know. I hear him every day," Ericsson said of Babcock. "It's getting really close. I think we want to be more careful now, so it doesn't get worse before the playoffs. Try to be smart about it. Shooting is fine. It's more battling stuff. I haven't really tried pushing people around in the corners. It's going to be a test. I'm going to have someone like maybe [Franzen] to push around the corner."

Howard's issue is strengthening the groin muscle that's giving him an issue.

"Right now it's more about getting healthy, getting out there and not thinking about groins, and just playing," said Howard, who will miss his third straight game on Monday because of the issue -- which also cost him three games earlier in March. "We're taking a little bit different route this time around, trying to strengthen it a little more."

Howard said the injury isn't about his flexibility, though.

"It wasn't really stretching it or anything like that sort of motion that was bothering me," he said. "It was more getting tired and feeling weak, so strengthening it is the key now.''

As for Franzen, his back spasms have subsided and conditioning is the biggest hurdle left before he gets back in a live game.

"Now it's more about getting back in shape and getting skating," said Franzen, Detroit's leading goal scorer who's skated for five straight days. "You lose more than you think being out for a week. You're off one week and it goes straight downhill.''

Franzen said a magnetic reasonance imaging test was run on his back and got relatively good news.

“We did an MRI ... looking good," the 32-year old Swedish power forward said. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Just looked like an old hockey player's back. Nothing extreme.''

An old hockey player's back?

“Yeah," Franzen said. "A 32-year-old hockey player's back."

Steve Mason will start in goal for Columbus, which lost 6-3 to the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday afternoon. Here's a look at how the Blue Jackets and Red Wings might line up on Monday night:

BLUE JACKETS
RJ Umberger - Derick Brassard - Cam Atkinson
Vinny Prospal - Mark Letestu - Rick Nash
Ryan Russell - Ryan Johansen - Derek Dorsett
Colton Gillies - Darryl Boyce - Jared Boll

Jack Johnson - David Savard
John Moore - Brett Lebda
Nikita Nikitin - Aaron Johnson

Steve Mason
Allen York


RED WINGS
Valtteri Filppula - Henrik Zetterberg - Jiri Hudler
Gustav Nyquist - Pavel Datsyuk - Todd Bertuzzi
Drew Miller - Justin Abdelkader - Danny Cleary
Tomas Holmstrom - Cory Emmerton - Jan Mursak

Nicklas Lidstrom - Ian White
Niklas Kronwall - Brad Stuart
Kyle Quincey - Jakub Kindl

Ty Conklin
Jordan Pearce

CHICAGO -- The next hurdle is getting cleared for contact, but for now, injured Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews will take the steady progress he seems to be making.

Toews, who will a 16th straight game on Sunday night with an upper-body injury believed to be concussion symptoms, did on-ice work for a sixth straight day on Sunday at the United Center. The Hawks didn't hold a morning skate, but Toews and several other injured Hawks were put through the paces skating in order to see how their bodies reacted.

"He did good," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said on Sunday afternoon. "He progressed. I thought all of those guys today that skated had a good skate. Everybody was feeling all right."

Hawks defenseman Steve Montador (suspected concussion symptoms), rookie center Marcus Kruger (suspected concussion symptoms) and defenseman Sami Lepisto (lower body) joined Toews in the workout.

Montador has been cleared for contact and the plan is to get him acclimated to it in practice
this coming week before potentially returning to the lineup. After top defenseman Duncan Keith was suspended five games for an illegal elbow he hit Vancouver's Daniel Sedin in the face with, the Hawks' blue-line depth will be challenged.

"He's cleared for contact, so we'll get him out here and get some contact in this week," Quenneville said of Montador, who's missed 21 straight games. "We've got a busy week as well, so we'll see how he progresses this week and we'll get him in here at some point."

Kruger is day-to-day with a suspected recurrence of an earlier upper-body injury believed to be a concussion, while Quenneville is hopeful that Lepisto might also return before the regular season ends. After Lepisto was hurt on March 6 in St. Louis, he was initially classified "out indefinitely" and has missed seven straight games.

"He tried it in the ice today," Quenneville said. "Not bad. He had a spin a little while ago, but first real spin."

CHICAGO -- The Nashville Predators look quite a bit different from the last time the Chicago Blackhawks saw them on Valentine's Day at Bridgestone Arena.

Of course, the same could be said the other way around too. Chicago didn't make as many changes through trades as the Predators have made since that 3-2 Nasville victory, but the Hawks are certainly not the same team as they were at that point.

That loss was Chicago's ninth straight winless game and things seemed to be spiraling downward in a hurry. The Hawks still had captain Jonathan Toews healthy, but their psyche wasn't.

Meanwhile, the Predators since that game have decided to push all of their chips toward the center of the proverbial poker table -- making trades to bring in the likes of pieces like defenseman Hal Gill, forward Andrei Kostitsyn and center Paul Gaustad and then convincing Alexander Radulov to return from Russia to join the cause.

Toews (suspected concussion symptoms) and Duncan Keith (five-game suspension) won't be playing on Sunday night when the Central Division teams meet up at the United Center for the fifth of six games against each other this season, but it's no less exciting of a matchup.

After winning five straight games and going 9-1-1 in the past 11 -- all without Toews -- the Hawks have pulled themselves within two points of the Preds in both the division and Western Conference standings.

A regulation win on Sunday night will pull them even and both teams will be just one point behind Detroit for second in the division and fourth in the West.

Pekka Rinne has started all four of the previous meetings for the Preds this season, going 3-1, and is likely to get the nod on Sunday too. On the other side, Corey Crawford has seemingly reasserted himself as the Hawks' starter with five straight wins and only five goals allowed in the last 107 shots he's faced.

Nashville beat Winnipeg 3-1 Saturday night at home, while Chicago's been off since beating the Vancouver Canucks in overtime Wednesday at the United Center. Here's a look at how the two teams might line up:

PREDATORS

Martin Erat - Mike Fisher - Sergei Kostitsyn
Alexander Radulov - David Legwand - Patric Hornqvist
Andrei Kostitsyn - Nick Spaling - Gabriel Bourque
Brandon Yip - Paul Gaustad - Matt Halischuk

Ryan Suter - Shea Weber
Hal Gill - Kevin Klein
Francis Bouillon - Ryan Ellis

Pekka Rinne
Anders Lindback

Injuries: Roman Josi (upper body)

BLACKHAWKS

Andrew Brunette - Patrick Kane - Marian Hossa
Patrick Sharp - Brendan Morrison - Viktor Stalberg
Bryan Bickell - Dave Bolland - Andrew Shaw
Brandon Bollig - Jamal Mayers - Michael Frolik

Niklas Hjalmarsson - Brent Seabrook
Johnny Oduya - Nick Leddy
Sean-O'Donnell - Dylan Olsen

Corey Crawford
Ray Emery

Injuries: Jonathan Toews (upper body, suspected concussion symptoms), Steve Montador (upper body, suspected concussion symptoms), Marcus Kruger (upper body, suspected concussion symptoms)

DETROIT -- Jimmy Howard had just played in his first NHL All-Star Game when a magical season in which he was on pace to set a new League record for wins came to a screeching halt in Vancouver.

A hard shot by Maxim Lapierre struck the Red Wings goalie in the right hand and broke his index finger -- that kept him out for eight games in February. After making five of six starts when he returned, Howard left a game March 4 against Chicago after just one period because of an issue with his groin.

That one kept him out for three straight games. He returned to start three of four before leaving with another groin issue, which still has him sidelined heading into a Saturday night game at Joe Louis Arena against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Ty Conklin will instead get the start with rookie Jordan Pearce filling the back-up role.

"Groins are an important part of being a goaltender," Howard said on Saturday morning, after taking shots for the first time in a week. "It is frustrating. I mean, I thought we got a good handle on it prior to me coming back in L.A. Everything was feeling really good. It was frustrating, but at the same time [I'm] just trying to be optimistic and staying positive, trying to keep my mind in the right frame of mind."

He's also working on rehabbing the groin muscle in question.

"We're trying to really strengthen it so it's stronger than what it was before," Howard said. "We're doing a lot of stuff in the weight room with the bands and stuff, really trying to make it a lot stronger. Not so much stretching it. The flexibility's there, it's just strengthening it.

"I don't know what the magic number is or anything like that for getting ready. Just being out there and taking shots in practice feels good again. I'm hoping it's not going to take that much longer."

DETROIT -- It seems like ages ago, but only a month has passed since the Detroit Red Wings traded to get 26-year old Kyle Quincey and create a logjam on their blue line.

At that point, Detroit had eight NHL defensemen and the Wings talked about how important that kind of depth heading into the playoffs.

Rookie Brendan Smith wasn't even up from the minors yet, as he was still developing with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League. Four days later, in Quincey's second game back with the team that originally drafted him, the Red Wings quickly had their depth challenged when three defensemen got hurt against Quincey's former team, the Colorado Avalanche.

Quincey strained his groin, captain Nicklas Lidstrom sustained a deep bone bruise in his ankle and Jonathan Ericsson fractured his wrist. While Quincey only missed one game, Lidstrom and Ericsson have both missed 11 straight.

Red Wing veteran Mike Commodore was also dealt to the Tampa Bay Lightning hours before the trade deadline expired and then Jakub Kindl left the lineup with an oblique strain that's kept him out for eight games. Smith was recalled from the minors and played solidly, but the Wings are currently without some key pieces on the back end -- especially Lidstrom and Ericsson.

Lidstrom, who is a game-time decision Saturday night against Carolina, is the quarterback of the power play. Ericsson was a big part of the penalty kill with his big frame.

"I think we're going to get [Ericsson] back for next game [Monday]," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "Anytime you lose three [defensemen] like that and your starting goalie and [Pavel Datsyuk] and all these guys ... you know, we've been skinny for a while here. But I think it's been good for our game honestly. You have to work real hard at your game and improving your game defensively because you can't score."

That could start to change in a hurry over the next week, as several of Detroit's injured players start to make their way back into games with the regular season winding down.

Lidstrom might be the first to return, but Ericsson said he's not far off.

"It's been better every day," he said after on-ice work Saturday morning. "I notice the difference every day. It feels good to me. It's in progress and getting closer every day. I said I was ready, but the doctors have their say, too. I think they're making probably the smartest choices, too, if I'm playing or not. Gotta listen to what they're saying, too. It feels pretty good. I feel like I'm close anyway."

Still, he needs to pass a few more tests in order to get clearance.

"There's a few things I kind of need to improve before I'm game ready," Ericsson said. "My range is pretty good, but I'm pretty weak at some spots and I'm not pain-free or anything like that ... so we don't want to make anything worse."

Kindl, however, is ready to go. He'll get back in the lineup Saturday night after dealing with an oblique strain for the first time in his career.

"It's a part of the body you're using it for everything, like stickhandling, shooting [and] skating, so it was a part I couldn't do but now I feel really good and I'm ready to go," he said. "It's part of our sport, injuries. I had to deal with it and I did everything I could to stay in shape and worked hard. Finally I feel good."

DETROIT -- Slowly but surely, the hobbled Detroit Red Wings are making their way back to the ice as the regular season winds to its close in the next couple weeks.

The biggest question mark, however, is if there is enough time for all of the walking wounded to get back up to top form before the playoffs start?

"When you miss lots of hockey, you know ... it's the NHL," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "It's good games. It's good players. You've got to spend some time playing if you're going to be succesful."

And that's where the Red Wings currently find themselves, with a number of injured regulars still out for a game Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Detroit will still be without starting goalie Jimmy Howard (groin), big-bodied defenseman Jonathan Ericsson (wrist fracture), power forward Johan Franzen (back spasms), center Darren Helm (knee sprain) and backup goalie Joey MacDonald (back issues).

The good news is they will get defenseman Jakub Kindl (oblique strain) back on the blue line after missing eight games, while captain and top defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom might play after missing a career-high 11 straight games with a deep bone bruise in his ankle.

Lidstrom, who took part in Detroit's optional morning skate and looked close to his normal skating form, will be a "game-time" decision after he takes warmups to test it out for a second time in the same day.

"I'm going to be sore for a while," said Lidstrom, who's clearly been frustrated by having to miss so many games in a row. "It's going to be staying with me for a while. It's just a matter of not getting worse. I think that's what they're afraid of ... that it's going to get worse. So, that's why they want me to come down here again and take warmups."

Whether he plays against the Hurricanes or not, it looks like Lidstrom is close to returning and both Ericsson and Franzen hope to be back in action at some point next week. Ericsson is actually hoping to play Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets after healing enough from a fractured wrist that occured in the same Feb. 25 game against Colorado that knocked Lidstrom out.

Detroit also just got star center Pavel Datsyuk back two games ago after almost a month absence from arthroscopic knee surgery and has several players who've played through some nagging injuries that might've sidelined them had the team been relatively healthy.

The question now, however, is how many Red Wings can return before the playoffs and how soon before the regular season ends?

"It's great to see all the guys getting back out there," said Howard, who's also missed extended time this season with a broken index finger. "We need to get healthy and hopefully we can leave this injury bug behind us. It's been a rough month and half, two months for us in that aspect. At the same point, we've got to find a way to win games."

If they do and get healthy in time for the playoffs, do they still feel like they can be one of the League's elite teams and a Stanley Cup contender this season?

"Yeah, I think so, but you can't just turn it on like that," said Franzen, the Wings' leading goal-scorer (26) who will miss his fourth straight game with his back issue. "You've got to be together for a while and play some good games and get the confidence going. When we get that going, yeah, we are a really good team."

Franzen skated for the second day in a row Saturday morning, including an extensive conditioning skate after the players who were playing on Saturday night left the ice. Franzen said he didn't feel great afterward, but not because of his back -- which he said felt okay.

"Back feels pretty good, but I feel awful out there," he said. "It's been awhile since I've [done] anything, so I've just got to get the lungs back. I feel like I've been out for a while and it's first time skating hard today and doing anything hard actually. So, yeah, I can definitely feel that."

He doesn't have a set date that he hopes to be back, but said the coming week is a strong possibility. He also feels like returning before the end of the regular season is a must if hes going to be at his best in the postseason -- where he's made a lot of noise in long playoff runs before.

"That's important," the 6-foot-3, 223-pound Franzen said. "I'm going to get back before the playoffs start. That's for sure. Need to get some games in and gets the legs back and get the lungs back."

DETROIT -- The "Perfect Human" might finally get back into a game for the Detroit Red Wings, who've missed their captain Nicklas Lidstrom greatly for the past 11 contests.

The 41-year-old Lidstrom, who's missed a career-high 11 straight games with a deep bone bruise in his ankle, took part in Detroit's optional morning skate at Joe Louis Arena on Saturday. Afterward, he told reporters that he will be a game-time decision when the Red Wings take on the Carolina Hurricanes.

Lidstrom will take part in the pre-game warmup and then a team decision will be made.

"It slowly has been getting better," said Lidstrom, who initally made a West Coast trip 10 days ago but was sent home to rest when he couldn't skate. "I think today is better than [Friday], so that's a good sign it's going in the right direction. They want to make sure I have no soreness going on the ice twice in one day."

If Lidstrom plays, Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said rookie defenseman Brendan Smith will be a healthy scratch to make room. Smith, however, is on notice that he could get the start if Lidstrom can't go.

"It's a big difference from when I was out in California and went home from the trip," Lidstrom said. "It feels a lot better than about a week ago."

As for who will make the final call on Saturday night to him playing or not, Lidstrom, said it will be a group decision between himself, doctors and athletic trainer Piet Van Zant. If it were solely up to him?

"Oh, I wanted to play four weeks ago," Lidstrom said. "I didn't want to miss any games. I thought it was going to be shorter. I wanted to play as soon as possible, but it just hasn't been able to do that."

If he does play, the biggest challenges will likely be how the ankle holds up once the tempo of the game increases past he levels that exist in practices and how good Lidstrom's conditioning is after sitting out for so long.

"I've been working hard off the ice, but it's not the same as skating," Lidstrom said. "That'll be some adjustment time, too. I've been skating the last couple of days, but again, when you're in games, it's gonna be different."

In other Detroit injury news, goalie Jimmy Howard (groin) progressed to taking some shots at the skate and is hopeful to return soon, while defenseman Jonathan Ericsson (fractured wrist) is hoping to be ready for the game Monday against Columbus.

Defenseman Jakub Kindl (oblique strain) is going to make his return to the ice Saturday night against the Hurricanes, while forward Johan Franzen (back spasms) skated for the second day in a row and said his conditioning was the biggest issue.

The Hurricanes did not skate after losing 5-1 at Columbus on Friday night. Here is a look at how Carolina and Detroit are expected to line up on Saturday night:

HURRICANES

Jiri Tlusty - Eric Staal - Chad LaRose
Jeff Skinner - Jussi Jokinen - Tuomo Ruutu
Pat Dwyer - Brandon Sutter - Drayson Bowman
Derek Joslin - Time Brent - Anthony Stewart

Bryan Allen - Tim Gleason
Jay Harrison - Justin Faulk
Joni Pitkanen - Jamie McBain

Cam Ward
Brian Boucher

Injuries: Jarslav Spacek (back), Andreas Nodl (concussion symptoms)

RED WINGS

Valtteri Filppula - Henrik Zetterberg - Jiri Hudler
Todd Bertuzzi - Pavel Datsyuk - Gustav Nyquist
Drew Miller - Justin Abdelkader - Danny Cleary
Tomas Holmstom - Cory Emmerton - Jan Mursak

Niklas Kronwall - Brad Stuart
Kyle Quincey - Ian White
Brendan Smith/Nicklas Lidstrom - Jakub Kindl

Ty Conklin
Jordan Pearce

Injuries: Nicklas Lidstrom (gametime decision/ankle), Jimmy Howard (out/groin), Johan Franzen (out/back spasms), Darren Helm (out/knee sprain), Joey MacDonald (out/back), Jonathan Ericsson (out/wrist), Patrick Eaves (IR/concussion)

CHICAGO -- A few hours before finding out that their top defenseman, Duncan Keith, had been suspended for five games by the NHL, the Chicago Blackhawks got some good news on the ice at the United Center.

Injured captain and top center Jonathan Toews, who's missed the Hawks' last 15 games with an upper-body injury believed to be a concussion, skated on his own Friday afternoon for the fourth straight day. Toews had skated four consecutive days once before during his recovery, but then needed to back off for about 10 days, presumably because symptoms of his condition returned.

"When you get him on the ice more for consecutive days you have more hope, but we'll see," coach Joel Quenneville told reporters.

When asked if he'd like Toews to get a couple of regular-season games under his belt before heading into the playoffs, Quenneville compared the situation to one last season with third-line center Dave Bolland -- who missed the end of the regular season and the first three games of a first-round playoff series with a similar injury.

"We'll see," Quenneville said. "Maybe we were in that same process last year with Bolly and we're just hoping for that same situation, so we'll see."

Defenseman Steve Montador, who's also out with an upper-body injury believed to be concussion-related, skated with the team in practice again but said he wouldn't rush his return just because Chicago's depth will likely be tested again by Keith's absence -- he was suspended for an elbow to the head of Vancouver's Daniel Sedin in the first period of Wednesday's 2-1 overtime win.

Rookie center Marcus Kruger also skated for a bit on his own Friday after the rest of the team practiced. Kruger left the game against Vancouver in the second period with an upper-body injury and did not return. He missed eight games at the end of December and the start of January with an upper-body injury also believed to have been from a concussion.