Chicago Blackhawks: Crawford brilliant in win over Canadiens
The Chicago Blackhawks might not have deserved a win against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, but goaltender Corey Crawford made sure they got two points.
The cross-conference matchup between the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens looked exciting on paper: Montreal’s Carey Price would try and stop a high flying Blackhawks offense. Instead, viewers were on the verge of watching a blowout.
Chicago was down 1-0 following a Tomas Plekanec goal, with Montreal dominated the game early. With Cody Franson already in the box, John Hayden picked up a hi-sticking penalty to give the Canadiens a five-on-three power play.
Coming off of a tough loss in Toronto the night before, the Blackhawks were looking at a complete waste of a Canadian road trip. Then franchise goaltender Corey Crawford stepped up.
Corey Crawford
Crawford entered this season the unquestioned starter. Despite improved stats over the last few years, he has always faced skepticism. With the departure of local folk hero Scott Darling in the offseason, the crease now belongs to him.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
It’s early but Crawford has been absolutely stellar so far this year. Heading into Tuesday’s game, he carried a .968 save percentage and 1.00 goals against average. Crawford posted 41 saves this evening. Following the Plekanec goal, he carried the Hawks on his back for long stretches.
First, Crawford played a huge role in killing the five-on-three. Then he stayed strong through the period long enough for goals from Alex DeBrincat and Brandon Saad to seize the lead. As the game wore on, he stood tall in the net. The Blackhawks faced Montreal’s power play five times tonight, and Crawford shut them down at every opportunity. In all, he stopped all 13 of the shots he saw while the Blackhawks were shorthanded.
The offense
Chicago started the year with an absurd offensive output, including 10 goals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. While they managed to pot three goals tonight, it pales in comparison to the combined 15 goals they posted in their first two games.
On the wrong end of back-to-back games tonight, it would make sense for the Hawks to struggle a bit. Without Crawford standing on his head, this team would have been in deep trouble. In their first loss of the season against Toronto last night, Chicago was outshot 43-21. While Montreal plays a more stifling defensive system, there’s no excuse for Chicago putting that workload on their goalies.
Next: Blackhawks All-Time Dream Team
Saad continued his hot streak, and DeBrincat’s goal was the first of his NHL career. Those are wonderful highlights, but this team needs to shape up before they return home to take on the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.