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Patrick Kane is ‘disappointed’ Toews has to miss first game back from All-Star break

The Chicago Blackhawks play the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 2, following the All-Star break, however they will be without captain Jonathan Toews.

And that doesn’t please Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane, who is in Nashville for the 2016 All-Star Game this weekend.

“It’s disappointing,” Kane told the Chicago Tribune.

“I’m not really sure the rules of it or why that happens. Hopefully he can get better as soon as possible and definitely be ready for that game after. You look at our lineup and he’s a huge piece. We’ll definitely miss him for that game so hopefully some players can step up and it’ll be an important game coming back off the trip.”

Toews is missing the event in Nashville due to illness, which forced him to miss the entire third period against Carolina on Tuesday in what was his team’s final game before the break.

As a result of Toews forgoing the All-Star weekend, he is required to sit out his team’s first game after the break, which is on the road versus the Avalanche.

It’s an important Central Division game for both teams, too.

The Blackhawks have a three-point lead over the Dallas Stars in that division, but the Stars have three games in hand.

The Avalanche hold the top Wild Card spot in the West, but are only a point up on the suddenly red-hot Nashville Predators, winners of four straight, and two up on the Minnesota Wild.

The Predators also have two games in hand on Colorado, while the Wild have three.

With 30 games remaining in its schedule, Colorado is seven points back of St. Louis for third in the Central.