Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane activated from IR, expected to return vs. Sabres

Showtime is back in action in the Windy City.

On Thursday, the Chicago Blackhawks activated forward Patrick Kane from injured reserve. With that, he’s expected to be in the lineup for that night’s game, as the Blackhawks are set to play host to the Buffalo Sabres.

Kane’s return seemed imminent, as he has been practicing with the main group for the past couple of days. He has missed the past three games after suffering an upper-body injury last Monday against the Colorado Avalanche. He left the contest, which saw the Hawks lose to the Avs by a final score of 5-2, in the second period. He was later placed on IR.

This is the first game Kane was eligible to return to the lineup, as Chicago hasn’t played since suffering a 9-2 drubbing at the hands of the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes last Saturday. With Kane out, Chicago extended its losing streak, which is now up to six games.

Kane has been one of the Hawks’ more productive players so far this season, though that isn’t saying much. The 37-year-old has a goal and eight assists for nine points in 15 contests, placing him second on the team in helpers behind Connor Bedard, and third in overall scoring behind Bedard and Roman Kantserov. Kane has a plus/minus of -15 while averaging just over 18 minutes of ice time per game.

The Blackhawks (4-13-1) are last in the Central Division, two points ahead of the Vancouver Canucks for the worst record in the NHL and 12 points back of the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.