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Blackhawks expect big return ahead of Monday game in Toronto.
 

Blackhawks expect big return ahead of Monday game in Toronto.

The Chicago Blackhawks will get an important part of their lineup back on Monday.

Jonathan Larivee

The Chicago Blackhawks appear poised to get a big part of their lineup back ahead of a Monday matchup in Toronto.

The Blackhawks were in Toronto on Sunday ahead of their game against the undefeated Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, due in large part to the fact that they played the Montreal Canadiens, who are just a short plane ride away, in a game on Saturday night.

The big surprise when the Blackhawks hit the ice was the return of injured forward Taylor Hall who had been knocked out of last Wednesday's game against the Boston Bruins after being on the receiving end of a big hit from Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo. The Blackhawks had originally reported that Hall would be "week to week" following the hit from Carlo but it would appear that the forward has bounced back much sooner than was initially anticipated.

Many had suspected that Hall had suffered a concussion as a result of the length of time the Blackhawks expected him to be out, but Hall was able to reveal on Sunday that he had instead suffered some form of shoulder injury.

"Was it a hit to the head? Maybe, but I passed the concussion protocol with ease," revealed Hall as per NBC Sports. "It's just dealing with a shoulder thing. That's hockey, that's how it goes, and at the end of the day, you've got to control the spots you put yourself in on the ice."

It was also Hall himself that indicated he would be ready to go on Monday after missing just a single game.

"I don't put out the timelines for injuries, but I've seen guys come back from my injury pretty quickly," admitted Hall. "I was always just thinking, 'Maybe take a game off and see if I can play in Toronto,' and I think I'll be able to do that."

That is big news for a Blackhawks team that was expecting to have Hall out for a while, especially considering they will want all the help they can get in an effort to hand the Maple Leafs their first loss of the regular season.