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(Sports Network) - Although the Chicago Blackhawks haven't played a game in more than two weeks, a few of the team's members had plenty of opportunities to stay sharp for the season's stretch run during the NHL break.

Fresh off a successful Winter Olympic experience for a number of their key contributors, the Central Division-leading Blackhawks return to the ice this evening to take on the New York Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum.

Chicago had a trio of players -- center Jonathan Toews and defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook -- on the Canadian team that took home the gold medal at the Vancouver games with a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over the United States this past Sunday. Right wing Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks' leader with 25 goals and 67 points this season, had two assists for the losing U.S. side in the classic championship match.

Toews scored the first goal of Sunday's Gold Medal Game and was named to the tournament's All-Star team after recording eight points (1 goal, 7 assists) and a plus-nine rating over Canada's seven contests.

"He was, from start to finish, one of our best forwards and there is no way else to describe it," Keith said of Toews on the Blackhawks' official site. "He was good offensively and good defensively and used in all of the situations. He works so hard that he deserves everything he gets."

Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa also had a strong tournament, finishing second among all Olympians with nine points (3 goals, 6 assists) for the Slovakian squad that placed fourth in the competition. Right wing Tomas Kopecky also competed for Slovakia, which fell to Finland in Saturday's Bronze Medal Game.

Those six players have all had a large role in Chicago's success this season as well. The Blackhawks enter tonight's play with a commanding lead atop the Central Division and trail San Jose by only two points for the most in the Western Conference.

Chicago closed out the pre-Olympic schedule with four straight wins, with the last three coming via a shootout. In their last time out, the Blackhawks came away with a 5-4 triumph at Columbus on February 14 after Troy Brouwer scored in the fourth round of the deciding phase.

The Islanders didn't have nearly the same presence at the Olympics, with defenseman Mark Streit (Switzerland) the only member of the roster to participate. Using that logic, New York figures to be well-rested for its first action since a 4-3 home defeat to Ottawa on February 14.

The Isles owned a 3-1 lead after two periods, but the red-hot Senators scored three unanswered goals in the third en route to their 14th win in their last 16 outings.

"We had a 3-1 lead and a 5-on-3 (power play) early in the third period, and that was a chance to put them down 4-1 and maybe take over the game," said Blake Comeau, who scored two of the three New York goals. "They got momentum from (stopping) that, we had a few letdowns in the defensive zone, and before you know it it's 4-3."

The loss was the ninth in the past 11 games for the Isles, who are tied for 12th in the Eastern Conference and currently six points out of a playoff spot.

New York will be vying to bounce back against a Chicago squad it has defeated five straight times, including a 4-2 verdict in the Windy City last season. The Blackhawks' last win in the series occurred at Nassau Coliseum back on December 10, 2002.