Blackhawks' Schmaltz: At some point, the tides were going to change for Toews

Jonathan Toews is officially back.

After a slow start to the season that had many questioning his All-Star Game selection, the Chicago Blackhawks captain is on an absolute tear, having recorded nine goals and 12 assists in his past 13 games.

Related: Toews nets 5 points as Blackhawks down Wild

What's helping Toews is the emergence of consistent linemates, which he seems to have found in gritty Richard Panik and rookie Nick Schmaltz.

The latter, for his part, seemed to know it was only a matter of time before Toews found his game.

"He's always been a great player, he just wasn't getting the bounces there at the start of the year," Schmaltz said, per Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun Times. "He's always worked so hard. You knew at some point, the tides were going to change for him."

Making things easier for Toews is pretty no-look assists from the rookie, who has recorded seven points of his own over the seven games thanks to Toews' resurgence.

Despite the early-season struggles and an injury that kept him out of the lineup for several games, the recent surge has Toews on pace for roughly 60 points, only a bit down from his standard levels of production.

What's more important for the Blackhawks, however, is that the captain has found his game as the playoffs approach, a time of year that has carried much more weight in Chicago over the past decade it.