Toews, Eager look ready to return; Bolland still iffy

It wasn't a done deal after practice Sunday, but Jonathan Toews and Ben Eager are poised to return to the Blackhawks' lineup for the game tonight against the Los Angeles Kings at the United Center.

Dave Bolland is another matter. The second-line center couldn't skate with the team for the second consecutive day because of his chronically sore back. Coach Joel Quenneville said Bolland is ''still day-to-day,'' but shutting him down for either a lengthy rest or surgery is looming as an option.

''We'll see. That's not where we're at right now,'' Quenneville said.

Kris Versteeg again would move from wing to center if Bolland can't play.

Toews, who has missed six games while recovering from a concussion, skated with linemates Dustin Byfuglien and Patrick Sharp and worked on the power play.

''It'll be a game-time decision, but the good thing is I'm getting better every day,'' Toews said. ''I'm pretty confident. I felt good on the ice. It didn't take too long to get my conditioning back.''

''He looked better and ratcheted things up to a different level,'' Quenneville said. ''We'll see how he is in the morning.''

Toews could find no negatives after the workout Sunday.

''I like to think I can do it all,'' he said. ''I've got my energy back. After a couple weeks off it takes awhile to get your rhythm back, and it definitely feels like it's back. Today was a big step, for sure.''

The Hawks need their captain, though not as much as they did two seasons ago when he missed 16 games with a sprained knee. The Hawks were 5-9-2 without him and wound up missing the playoffs by three points.

During his absence this season, the Hawks went 3-2-1, but their offense suffered. With Toews playing in the first nine games, the Hawks scored 31 goals. Without him in the last six they've scored 12. The power play converted seven of 34 chances before Toews was flattened by Vancouver Canucks defenseman Willie Mitchell on Oct. 21. Since then, the Hawks are 3-for-27.

''It's one of those things that snowballs,'' Toews said of the power-play slump. ''It's little details when you don't see results. It just takes a little push here and there. For us, it's just about putting one in there and not forcing things too much. Hopefully, I can contribute to getting this back on track.''

Eager, also a concussion victim, missed the last 13 games but returned to practice before Toews. He rejoined the fourth line, with linemates Colin Fraser and Tomas Kopecky, and handled contact situations well.

''Ben felt real good, and there's a good chance he'll play tomorrow,'' Quenneville said.

The game against the Kings starts a four-game homestand, and the Hawks need to pile up some points before embarking on a six-game road trip to conclude November. After facing the Kings, the Hawks face the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday and the San Jose Sharks on Sunday.

''We'll take it one game at a time,'' Quenneville said. ''We've got to take advantage of playing at home and get some momentum back in our game.''