Asked just how serious is Jonathan Toews' injury, coach Joel Quenneville said "it's tough to answer that question" when he met the media after the Blackhawks morning skate Wednesday at the United Center.

Toews will miss his fifth game in a row with suspected concussion symptoms Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Hawks have gone 1-4 in games without their captain this season.

A day after skating on his own, defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson joined his Blackhawks teammates on the ice for their morning skate Wednesday before they hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs at the United Center.

But his status for games is still up in the air. He won't play against the Maple Leafs and his availability for the Hawks' three-game road trip starting Friday in Ottawa is uncertain.

Things don't sound too good for Jonathan Toews.The Blackhawks captain didn't practice Tuesday and he will miss the Hawks' game Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Blackhawks were in desperate need of a defenseman, especially with Steve Montador and Niklas Hjalmarsson battling injuries. The market was thin but general manager Stan Bowman grabbed one in veteran Johnny Oduya.

LOS ANGELES -- Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville had some encouraging news to deliver about his injured players -- notably center Jonathan Toews -- Saturday at Staples Center.

Jonathan Toews, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Steve Montador will not travel with the team to Los Angeles or Anaheim for the Blackhawks' games against the Kings and Ducks this weekend. The team departed Friday.

The Blackhawks aren't saying much about Jonathan Toews' upper-body injury, but it will keep him out another game Thursday against the Dallas Stars at the United Center.

Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson was ready to meet the media Tuesday after the Blackhawks' morning skate. But he wasn't about to go into detail about why he hasn't been in the lineup.

Hjalmarsson (concussion-like symptoms) skated with the Hawks for the first time since leaving the second leg of their nine-game road trip with an illness that turned out to be something worse. Hjalmarsson didn't say whether he had to be cleared to play.

Jonathan Toews is out for the Blackhawks. And so is Pavel Datsyuk for the Detroit Red Wings.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Andrew Shaw became a Twitter sensation for his dramatic, highlight-reel start with the Blackhawks. But as things do on the Internet, the rookie forward soon faded.

On Friday, the Hawks sent down Shaw to the Rockford IceHogs, while power forward Jimmy Hayes was called up in his place. Hayes practiced with the team in Columbus.

NEW YORK -- The night before ending their excruciating nine-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers Thursday, Patrick Kane, John Scott and Patrick Sharp attended the New York Knicks' game -- better known these days as the Jeremy Lin experience -- at Madison Square Garden.

NEW YORK -- The Blackhawks were down at one end of the rink Wednesday at Chelsea Piers in New York, running drills in close on Ray Emery and badgering him with shots.

At the other end, Corey Crawford worked alone with goalie coach Stephane Waite.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Injured Blackhawks defensemen Niklas Hjalmarsson and Steve Montador went back to Chicago, while rookie Dylan Olsen joined the team in San Jose for their game Friday against the Sharks.

In other words, the Hawks' blue line will look very different.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- It's Corey Crawford's turn again.

DENVER -- Things have already already gotten bad for the Blackhawks. To make matters worse, the flu is now going around their locker room.

DENVER -- It's the fourth time in Joel Quenneville's four seasons behind the Blackhawks bench that there's a focus on who starts in net down the stretch and backstops the team into the playoffs, maintaining the notion that he's impatient with what happens in goal.

He was asked before Tuesday's loss to the Colorado Avalanche if he thinks he's too impatient with his goalies. Here's his answer:

DENVER -- Veteran winger Andrew Brunette made a surprise appearance on the ice for the Blackhawks morning skate Tuesday at the Pepsi Center. And, there's a chance he'll play against the Colorado Avalanche.

Coach Joel Quenneville made his sales pitch to the media Sunday after practice at Johnny's IceHouse West.

Andrew Brunette's injury situation was disconcerting at one point. But after returning to Chicago and getting examined by the Blackhawks doctors, things apparently looked better than they seemed.

By Ben Meyer-Abbott
bmeyer-abbott@suntimes.com
Twitter: @BMACST

The Blackhawks have doled out a number of different descriptions in the past few days of the team's shellacking at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers on their last visit to Rexall Place.