![07 April 2016: Chicago Blackhawks Center Jonathan Toews (19) [5535] in action during a game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the St. Louis Blues at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire)](http://frsports-bucket-0001.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2016/04/09104129/164040716_1661_Blues_at_Blackhawks.jpg)
The Chicago Blackhawks will play in their final game of the 2015-16 regular season this evening, but they’ll do so without both captain Jonathan Toews and blue liner Niklas Hjalmarsson.
Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago reported on Saturday morning that both Toews and Hjalmarsson will take rest days when the Blackhawks face the Columbus Blue Jackets in a few hours.
Both teams playing are already looking at sealed fates; the Blue Jackets have long been mathematically eliminated from the post-season, while the Blackhawks are already locked into their own post-season berth and know what position they’re going to be playing in (starting on the road against the St. Louis Blues). That makes today as a rest day for some of Chicago’s most valuable players a smart idea; Toews is sitting on 28 goals and 58 points for third on the team in scoring, so the team likely doesn’t want to see him risked for the post-season.
The good news, though, is that the Blackhawks will get to play their preferred starter after he missed a chunk of time this spring. The team confirmed that Corey Crawford will be getting the last game of the season for the Central Division club, where he’s expected to stand across the ice from Sergei Bobrovsky.
The two Midwestern teams will face off at 7:00 PM EST on the road for Chicago, with the Blue Jackets hosting the final game of the year in Ohio.
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