CHICAGO ¡ª If the Chicago Blackhawks have any chance of rebounding from last year¡¯s last-place finish in the Western Conference¡¯s Central Division Marcus Foligno Jersey , getting contributions from their big-name veterans will play a big role.That¡¯s where captain Jonathan Toews enters the picture.Heading into the Blackhawks¡¯ home opener Sunday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toews has produced goals in the first two games of the season for the first time in his career.Article continues below ...Toews had three goals in a 5-4 overtime victory over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night in which the Blackhawks watched a one-goal lead vanish in the third period when the Blues scored twice in a 22-second span to take the lead. But Chicago responded with a Toews game-tying goal in the third period before he delivered the winner at 2:20 of overtime.¡°Johnny¡¯s been unbelievable the first two games as far as leading the way and leading the charge,¡± Chicago winger Patrick Kane told reporters after Saturday¡¯s victory, according to the Blackhawks¡¯ official website. ¡°You couldn¡¯t really ask much more from the captain.¡±While the Blackhawks will carry the momentum of back-to-back overtime victories into Sunday¡¯s game at the United Center, the fact that Toews has found a way to come up with a heavy dose of early season production with his four goals is a serious positive for the Blackhawks moving forward.¡°Johnny looked powerful,¡± Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville told reporters after Chicago¡¯s season-opening victory over the Ottawa Senators, according to The Athletic. ¡°He was quick in the puck area, got some explosiveness out of it. Got some free pucks. With his line having the puck, or him having the puck. A lot of things can happen.¡±As one of Chicago¡¯s aging veterans, Toews understands what a fast start could mean for him ¡ª and the Blackhawks. But after an off season http://www.officialwild.com/authentic-adidas-matt-dumba-jers ey , both from a personal and team standpoint, Toews said that getting back to basics could go a long way as he attempts to bounce back.¡°We¡¯re all trying to find our legs and get used to that pace and get our timing down, myself included,¡± Toews said, according to The Athletic. ¡°As the game went on, I just felt a little bit more comfortable. I think as a team, we did a better job winning our battles and just being tough in the puck areas later in the game. Hopefully, I can build off of that.¡±The Blackhawks will face the Maple Leafs, who dropped a 5-3 decision to the Senators on Saturday.Toronto, which scored all three of its goals in the second period Mikael Granlund Jersey , couldn¡¯t produce the equalizer after Ottawa scored 1:42 into the third period before the Senators picked up an empty-net goal with 25 seconds remaining.Frederik Andersen finished with 19 saves for the Maple Leafs. Backup goalie Garret Sparks will start in net for Toronto against Chicago on Sunday.Despite the Maple Leafs¡¯ loss on Saturday, Andersen was encouraged by how his teammates played in front of him.¡°I thought we had a good game,¡± Andersen said, according to NHL.com. ¡°I think we created some good opportunities to score and so did (Ottawa), but they scored a little bit more. They got the most of their opportunities.¡±Leafs forward Auston Matthews also saw improvement.¡°I think we played a much better game than we did opening night,¡± Matthews said, according to NHL.com. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) The Columbus Blue Jackets backing into a playoff spot with an overtime loss to Pittsburgh on Thursday somehow seemed fitting, considering the weird season it¡¯s been.The road to a second-straight postseason appearance ¨C the first time in franchise history that¡¯s happened ¨C was pocked with potholes for the Blue Jackets. Major injuries, slumping stars and an NHL-worst power play seemed to doom them as the grinding days of midwinter wore on.Not like last year Youth Mikko Koivu Jersey , when the surprising young team had juice, momentum, healthy players having career years and a stunning 16-game winning streak that was the talk of the league. The Blue Jackets cruised to the playoffs with 11 games left in the schedule.By the time February rolled around this time, Columbus looked like an average team at best. The Blue Jackets lost eight of their first 11 games in the month and were slipping down the table in the rugged Metropolitan Division. A series of significant injuries to top players had coach John Tortorella piecing together lines from what was left and call-ups from the AHL team in Cleveland.The Feb. 26 trade deadline brought veteran forwards Thomas Vanek and Mark Letestu, as well as scrappy defenseman Ian Cole. After a pair of West Coast losses at the beginning of March, the Blue Jackets ripped off a 10-game winning streak on the way to winning 13 of 15 games.Still, it took three straight games of overcoming a three-goal deficit to get at least a point, and the overtime loss to Pittsburgh in the season¡¯s penultimate game Thursday to earn a needed point and lock up a playoff spot. New Jersey and Philadelphia were always within a point or two, creating urgency every time the Blue Jackets stepped onto the ice in the past week.¡±There was a point that we stayed in it when we were playing lousy, we were banged up with injuries and we weren¡¯t playing that well at certain times Ryan Suter Jersey , even when some (injured) guys came back,¡± Tortorella said. ¡±We stayed in because (other teams) were losing. We¡¯re just fortunate that we kept on winning when everybody else started winning. It¡¯s crazy.¡±Crazy, indeed, considering key contributors Boone Jenner, Cam Atkinson, Alexander Wennberg, Seth Jones, Brandon Dubinsky and captain Nick Foligno all missed significant chunks of the schedule with injuries.The Blue Jackets wouldn¡¯t be preparing for the postseason without Artemi Panarin, brought to Columbus in an offseason trade with Chicago, and 19-year rookie sensation Pierre-Luc Dubois Evgeny Svechnikov Jersey Womens , who got his 48th point of the season Thursday night, breaking the franchise rookie record set by Zach Werenski last season.The 26-year-old Panarin has become the dangerous puck distributor and sniper the Blue Jackets had been seeking, getting 27 goals and 55 assists for a Columbus franchise record of 82 points. He¡¯s put up 13 points in the last five games, including a pair of assists against Pittsburgh.Columbus is playing its grittiest hockey at just the right time.¡±I am absolutely thrilled,¡± Tortorella said. ¡±The amount of work they put in; we were dead and gone there a couple of months ago. I¡¯m thrilled we get to experience what we¡¯re going to experience here.¡±If they can beat Nashville in the regular-season finale Saturday, they have a chance to secure home-ice advantage for the first round of the postseason. That¡¯s never happened in Columbus, either.¡±We¡¯ve been playing our best stretch of hockey and coming together as a group, so obviously it¡¯s a good time of year,¡± Jenner said. ¡±We have to keep going.¡±¡ª