VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- It was a scare the Blackhawks didn't need. But Patrick Kane should be OK after leaving Friday's morning skate early after tweaking his left-ankle injury.
Kane lay on the ice for several moments against the boards before slowly making his way off the ice as the Hawks assembled at center ice. He was favoring his left leg.
"He should be fine," coach Joel Quenneville said. "They were just playing around. It's nothing serious."
Asked if Kane would play Friday against the Vancouver Canucks, Quenneville said, "Yeah."
Kane said he hasn't felt 100 percent since returning to the Hawks lineup on Dec. 28 after injuring his left ankle Dec. 5 against the Calgary Flames.
Kane missed eight games with the injury -- the longest stretch in his young career -- and has struggled to regain his high-end form. Kane has three goals and nine assists in 14 games since his return.
"When you're dealing with that injury, it's one of those that lingers on throughout the whole year," Quenneville said. "You just got to deal with it. Sometimes it looks like it goes away and then a little tweak like that and you're back at it."
Kane was unavailable for comment after the Hawks morning skate, but did receive treatment for his injury.
Injuries have plagued these guys from the get-go. That's too bad if Kaner re-injured that ankle. I was thinking that Hossa would be injured again sometime soon. Gotta get these studs healthy, time is running out!