The struggling Chicago Blackhawks get some help Thursday night when forward Marian Hossa returns from a five-game absence due to an upper-body injury.
Hossa, 37, was injured Dec. 20 against the Senators and was placed on injured reserve. The Blackhawks lost that game and have only one win in the five since then.
Hossa is still tied for the team lead in goals with Artem Anisimov at 16.
"I would love to be back faster, but at this point, it was smarter to wait and (return) when I feel comfortable to come back," Hossa told reporters Wednesday. "Obviously you don't want to lose too much when you feel you've got things going your way. But sometimes you cannot help it."
The Blackhawks were riding a five-game winning streak heading into that Senators game when Hossa went down.
A beneficiary of his return will definitely be captain Jonathan Toews. Hossa was on his line, along with recent IceHogs call-up Spencer Abbott, during Wednesday's skate.