Blackhawks' Crawford tries to battle through inconsistency
Comments (...)(MCT) — What baffles Corey Crawford the most right now is that he truly doesn't know what's going on with his game.
The Blackhawks goaltender feels fine physically, his technique has been sound and his confidence hasn't wavered. Still, when it comes to stopping pucks, Crawford has been wildly inconsistent.
"It's been a weird, weird year," Crawford said. "I've played some really good hockey and some not-so-good hockey. I'm just trying to figure out a way to be consistent and be solid night in and night out for the guys in front of me. To be a top team in the league, what a team needs is a goalie who is going to go in there every game and give them confidence and give them saves at the right time."
The first two outings of the Hawks' current nine-game trip are textbook examples of Crawford's roller-coaster season. Against the Canucks on Tuesday night, Crawford was stellar in subduing Vancouver's high-powered attack before falling 3-2 in overtime in a 30-save effort. Two nights later against the Oilers, Crawford didn't make it through the third period before being yanked after yielding five goals on 28 shots during Edmonton's 8-4 victory. Ray Emery then was in goal during the Hawks' 3-1 loss to the Flames on Friday night in Calgary.
"I'm trying to figure something out," Crawford said. "It's not like I've been giving up bad goal after bad goal. Teams are making good plays too. It seems like last year at key times I was making those saves where this year there are games when sometimes I'm making them and sometimes I'm not."
It's the ones Crawford isn't making that have hindered the Hawks in their effort to snap out of a five-game skid. The ones that got away -- especially during the four starts in which he has been pulled -- have also inflated Crawford's statistics. He is 41st in the league with a 2.94 goals-against average and 39th with a save percentage of .900.
Those numbers have led to some harsh criticism of Crawford's talents and the 27-year-old's ability to lead the Hawks to the postseason. That criticism hasn't gone unnoticed.
"To a certain point, yeah, it kind of hurts personally," Crawford said. "A lot of people just look at (statistics) and determine the kind of player or goaltender you are just by your numbers. I think I'm way better than what those numbers say. I just have to go out and prove it. If I'm consistent, those numbers will turn around."
General manager Stan Bowman will let Crawford get that chance -- with Emery also in the mix for some starts -- by not looking to acquire a goaltender prior to the Feb. 27 trade deadline. Bowman, who said, "I'm happy with the guys we have," believes it's just a matter of time until Crawford turns things around.
"Corey was dynamic for us last season," Bowman said. "He pretty much helped us get in the playoffs and then he was dynamite in the playoffs. We're only seven, eight months removed from that. It's one of those things where success can help boost your confidence and get you back in short order."
Bowman and coach Joel Quenneville both have indicated that better defensive play in front of Crawford and Emery will go a long way toward their success. Though Bowman has expressed a desire to add a defenseman via the trade route -- the Hawks are tied for 24th in the NHL at 2.92 goals allowed per game -- Crawford believes the team has the personnel to play better overall team defense.
"I'm not worried about our guys in front," Crawford said. "They've played well before in front of me. They've been blocking shots like crazy. The worst thing I can do is start worrying about what our guys are doing up front and get away from my game. I just have to focus on making saves, keeping our team in the game and winning hockey games. I'm still confident. I know what I can do. It's just a matter of doing it every game."
ckuc@tribune.com
Twitter @ChrisKuc
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