Blackhawks' Crawford a little rusty, but ready for playoffs

One game.

That's all the action Corey Crawford has seen in almost a month as the Blackhawks get set to open the Stanley Cup playoffs in St. Louis on Wednesday.

Crawford allowed 5 goals in that game - a 5-4 overtime loss at Columbus, but most came due to defensive breakdowns. And don't forget: The suspended Duncan Keith wasn't playing.

Crawford admitted he felt "a little bit" rusty.

"But it was good to get see certain situations to get a little bit of that rust out," he added. "I felt I did that. Just sharpen up little details. Practice today was intense. I felt really good; seeing the puck well. I'm confident right now."

Coach Joel Quenneville ran the Hawks through almost a one-hour practice at Johnny's IceHouse West. He wasn't concerned that his starting goalie has seen such limited game action since suffering an upper-body injury in mid-March.

"He did a good job in the last game, but I thought he was outstanding here today," Quenneville said. "He looked like he hasn't missed a beat. It's the best we've seen him on the ice. He looked like he was himself."

All hands on deck:

Marian Hossa, Andrew Shaw and Artem Anisimov all practiced Monday and are expected to be ready for Game 1 against the Blues on Wednesday.

Shaw missed the last four games of the regular season after suffering a lower-body injury at Winnipeg. He said he would have played in the last couple had they been playoff games.

As for facing St. Louis, Shaw expects a rough series.

"It's a playoff-time of hockey we're expecting from them," Shaw said. "They're a great team with a lot of speed and some big bodies that like to throw hits. It should be a fun series."

Slap shots:

Bryan Bickell and Dennis Rasmussen were assigned to Rockford on Monday, while defenseman David Rundblad was recalled from the IceHogs. ... Andrew Ladd took a maintenance day and did not practice Monday. … St. Louis' David Backes missed the last three games of the regular season with a lower-body injury and did not practice Monday, but he has told reporters he plans to be ready for Game 1. ... Patrick Kane was named the NHL's second star of the week. He had 3 goals and 3 assists in three games.

He said it:

"Mike Leighton made one of best saves I've ever seen (today) on Andrew Desjardins. But then again, it was on Andrew Desjardins."

- Andrew Shaw after practice Monday