The defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks looked to be limping into the NHL playoffs with starting netminder Corey Crawford on the shelf and star defender Duncan Keith suspended through the first game of the postseason. But, the Hawks being the Hawks, they rebounded somewhat, emerging victorious from their last two games and shaking off some of the issues that had been plaguing them over the past month or so.
And while Keith's absence will continue to hinder the team, it sure sounds like Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville is expecting Crawford back sooner rather than later. That, or he's closing his eyes and hoping really, really hard.
"Absolutely," Quenneville said recently when asked if he expected Crawford to start Game 1 of the Hawks' first-round playoff series.
Crawford hasn't suited up for the champs since March 14, a losing effort against the Los Angeles Kings. Crawford reportedly suffered a head injury and has now missed nine games. Over that span, with Scott Darling manning the pipes, the Hawks have put together a respectable 5-3-1 record.
For the season, Darling's efforts have been commendable. In 27 games, he's posted an 11-8-3 record, a .912 save percentage and a 2.63 goals against average. But the former sixth-round pick certainly isn't the man Quenneville and Co. want playing the most important position on the ice if they're going to have any chance of repeating as champions and collecting their fourth Cup in the past seven NHL seasons.
Crawford, who had been working out by himself with Hawks goalie coach Jimmy Waite, took part in his first on-ice practice since that mid-March Kings game on Tuesday and, afterward, told reporters he felt like he was progressing well.
"I feel pretty good," Crawford said. "It was nice to see some shots today and be out there with the guys."
But then came the kicker - Crawford did his best to downplay his availability for the playoffs, indicating that while he feels better, he's not going to rush himself back onto the ice before he's really ready.
"I'd love to," Crawford said. "But then again, there's no rush. It's literally day-by-day. The training staff has done a good job. They always make sure our guys are ready when we get on the ice. It's no different here. But (Tuesday) was a really good day."
It's a good sign that Crawford felt good after practice, as is the fact that he wouldn't rule out taking part in Chicago's final regular season game against the Blue Jackets. But fans expecting to see Crawford take the ice in Game 1 of this year's playoffs should probably prepare themselves for disappointment.
"There's always the chance, but once you're cleared it doesn't really matter what you had, once you're cleared, there could be a different way to injure something," Crawford said. "Right now I feel pretty good. I was seeing pucks well. I was moving well. Moving pretty quick and everything and that perspective has been fine so far. So I'm just going to keep progressing here every day."
