Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews did not participate in Friday's morning skate and was placed in concussion protocol, the team announced.
Toews took a hit from Detroit Red Wings forward Joe Veleno past the midway mark of the third period in Wednesday's 8-5 win and appeared to awkwardly jam his helmet into the boards. He looked to be in some discomfort on the bench but finished the game.
Toews, who missed all of last season with an illness, has 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in 43 games. While the offense hasn't been there for the 33-year-old captain this season, the Blackhawks have relied heavily on him in key faceoff situations — he's winning 58.6 percent of his draws, which is the third-best mark of his NHL career.
Interim head coach Derek King said Kirby Dach will be promoted to the second line alongside Alex DeBrincat and Sam Lafferty in Toews' absence.
The Blackhawks are scheduled to host the Colorado Avalanche later in the evening, and the visitors will also be without their top center Nathan MacKinnon, who's sidelined with an upper-body injury. The Avalanche have yet to lose in regulation since the calendar flipped to 2022. They're 13-0-1 over that stretch.
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