NHL teams
Tal Pinchevsky 9y

Jonathan Toews plays Saturday

NHL, Chicago Blackhawks

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Two days after leaving a game against the Boston Bruins following a scary hit from Dennis Seidenberg that sent him headfirst into the boards, Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was back on the ice.

He skated in his customary spot between wings Brandon Saad and Marian Hossa and was in the lineup Saturday night against the New York Islanders.

"I feel great. I felt fine after the hit. The training staff just held me back as a precaution," Toews said after the morning skate. "I went in there, I passed all my tests that they run for a situation like that. Even in that situation, although everything went well and I felt fine, they still wanted to play it safe and hold me out given the situation we were at in the game."

Seidenberg received a boarding penalty for the hit, which took place 10:04 into the second period and with the Blackhawks leading Boston 2-0. Toews stayed in the game for the ensuing 5-on-3 power play but took a hooking penalty 49 seconds into the advantage before leaving the game. Chicago went on to win the game, 3-2.

Toews, who missed almost two months of the 2011-12 season with a concussion, rebuffed any thoughts that he would have kept himself in the game had he suffered a head injury on the play.

"If there was any doubt that I didn't feel 100 percent and there was something wrong I definitely as an individual would step back and try to think about the best way to go about dealing with an injury like that. Even if the injury looked bad, I was fine afterward," he said. "I think for every player, whether you have a [concussion] history or not, it's something you have to take seriously. It wasn't fun to miss a period there but I'm glad I didn't have to miss more than that because of the hit."

As part of the NHL's concussion protocol, any player believed to have possibly sustained a concussion is required to be evaluated by a team trainer or doctor in a quiet area. Toews and the Blackhawks' coaching staff confirmed that they followed this protocol, although Toews initially stayed in the game after the hit.

"There's a certain protocol you have to go through," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "We followed it and he's ready to go."

Toews wasn't the only player the Blackhawks were pleased to see Saturday. Starting goaltender Corey Crawford also skated with the team and alternated time in the crease with Antti Raanta.

Quenneville wouldn't give a specific timeline for Crawford's return, although it was clear he was close to returning from his foot injury.

"We'll see how he finishes up here tomorrow," Quenneville said. "We don't want to press him."

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