DALLAS – Marian Hossa will play and Corey Crawford will start when the Blackhawks face the Dallas Stars Friday night at the American Airlines Center.
Hossa has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since Feb. 13. He was close to returning on Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues but said he wasn’t 100 percent. Thanks to another practice and skate, now he is.
“Sometimes you just feel it but also you want to make sure those things are 100 percent,” Hossa said. “I wasn’t ready in St. Louis. I just felt it wasn’t the time. Even those two days definitely helped. Today I felt way better and did a few exercises in the corner, pushing and shoving, and felt pretty strong.”
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Jonathan Toews did not participate in morning skate but will play against the Stars. Michal Rozsival left morning skate early and is out. Coach Joel Quenneville said Rozsival (lower body) is day-to-day and the injury isn’t serious.
With Hossa’s return to the top line — with Andrew Ladd and Toews — Andrew Shaw will center the fourth line with Richard Panik and Dale Weise. The second and third lines will remain the same.