Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford is not traveling with the team and is officially listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the team announced Thursday.
Crawford was in the net Monday when the ‘Hawks took a tough 5-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. He ceded the net to Scott Darling on Wednesday when Chicago dropped one to the Philadelphia Flyers on a late goal by Radko Gudas.
With the Chicago defense a little less stalwart than previous seasons, Crawford has managed to have a Vezina-worthy season, posting a .926 save percentage through 57 games, while facing the most shots he’s ever faced in his career. His 57 starts ties a career-high and put him just two games shy of a career-high in total games played.
His save percentage ranks fourth in the NHL and second among goaltenders who have played at least 35 games. It also ties Crawford’s career-best mark.
In response to Crawford’s absence, the Blackhawks have recalled Mike Leighton from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. He has a .918 save percentage through 46 games in the American League.
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Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.
