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Blackhawks lose Crawford for 2-3 weeks after emergency appendectomy

It's been a trying, yet productive, week-and-a-half for the Blackhawks as they've managed to play winning hockey despite being without team captain Jonathan Toews.

Now, though, this team is about to really get tested.

That's because Corey Crawford, who has been perhaps the NHL's best goaltender this season, will miss 2-3 weeks after undergoing an emergency appendectomy at a Philadelphia hospital on Saturday.

Scott Darling, who made 27 saves in a 3-1 loss to the Flyers, said the loss is "huge" for the Hawks.

"He's the best goalie in the league," Darling said. "Him and (Montreal's) Carey Price, you can put them in that category by themselves. He brings it every night. He's been great for us all year."

Crawford is 12-6-2 with a .927 save percentage this season, and his .954 even-strength save percentage is third-best in the league.

Darling said he learned he would start the game, which began just after 1 p.m. Eastern time, when he woke up Saturday morning. The Hawks didn't give him any significant details on what was wrong with Crawford.

"It's tough because you're worried about him," Darling said. "You don't know if it's minor or major. They don't tell us just like they don't tell you (the media)."

Crawford was able to return home with the team.

Hawks coach Joel Quenneville was grateful to the medical staffs of both the Blackhawks and Flyers.

"They did a great job of helping us out," Quenneville said.

Because of their cap space limits, the Hawks had to find an amateur goalie to fill in as Darling's backup. The Flyers helped the Hawks out and Eric Semborski, a 23-year-old who played on Temple University's club team, was brought in.

"He was awesome," Darling said. "The boys gave him a hard time for being late. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Semborski was swarmed by reporters afterward and showed his comedic side when asked if he'd like his name on the Stanley Cup if the Hawks win it all.

"No," he said. "I want a ring."

Quenneville said he would have played Semborski if the Flyers had scored an empty-net goal late.

The Hawks' only goal came from Artemi Panarin in the first period. Darling stopped all 16 shots in the first 20 minutes, but bad defensive breakdowns allowed the Flyers to score three times in the second period. Ivan Provorov scored 2 of the goals 31 seconds apart, at 3:02 and 3:31.

The Hawks nearly made it a 3-2 game with 3:22 left in the second period, but Provorov swatted a puck out of the goal crease as it was crossing the line. Officials looked at the play but did not have conclusive video evidence to award a goal to Richard Panik.

Jonathan Toews missed a fifth straight game with an upper-body injury. The Hawks are 16-7-3 overall and 3-1-1 without Toews, who might be able to play against Winnipeg at the United Center on Sunday.

For Darling, this will be his second significant stretch as a No. 1 goaltender. He started 12 straight games at the end of last season when Crawford was out with an upper-body injury. He went 6-4-2 with opponents scoring 2.33 goals per game.

Darling figures to get 7-10 more starts in Crawford's absence.

"We've seen him play in some big games and back-to-back opportunities as well," Quenneville said. "It's a good opportunity for him to take advantage of the net. We've got a lot of games in not a lot of time, so it'll be a real good test for him."

The Hawks will likely call up Lars Johansson from Rockford to be Darling's backup. The 6-foot-1, 198-pound Johansson has gone 6-7-1 with a .911 save percentage and a 2.63 goals-against average.

Follow John's reports on Twitter @johndietzdh.

Blackhawks scouting report

Blackhawks vs. Winnipeg Jets at United Center, 6 p.m.

TV: Comcast SportsNet • Radio: WGN 720-AM

The skinny: Winnipeg was 9-7-2 after beating the Hawks on Nov. 15, but the Jets proceeded to lose five in a row by a combined 20-6 score. ... Rookie Patrick Laine and Mark Scheifele lead the way with 15 and 13 goals, respectively. ... The Hawks have scored zero or 1 goal in five of their last seven games, getting just 11 goals over that span.

Next: Arizona Coyotes at United Center, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

- John Dietz

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