Frustrated Blackhawks goalie Crawford: 'I feel like I'm not doing my job'
Before this season began, many pundits believed that a healthy Corey Crawford was all the Blackhawks needed to at least be a playoff contender.
After all, Crawford is one of the best netminders in the league and is normally good for 10-12 “goalie wins” a season.
Alas, that has not been the case.
Crawford is 5-13-1 in 19 starts. No goalie in the league has more losses.
He has a 4.64 goals-against average during a personal seven-game losing streak. That's the worst average among goalies with at least four appearances since Nov. 20. Minnesota's Devan Dubnyk is next at 4.26.
This is all foreign territory for Crawford, who boasts six 30-win seasons and has never been close to posting a sub-. 500 record.
So how is he dealing with all of this?
“I don't know,” Crawford said after the Hawks practiced at MB Ice Arena on Saturday. “That's a good question. I don't know how to deal with that.
“Be pissed off. Let it go and keep playing. I really don't know. It's not a good position to be in. Definitely frustrating.”
Although many of the 30 shots that have gotten past Crawford over the last seven games aren't his fault, he still accepts a good chunk of the blame.
“I feel like I'm not doing my job,” Crawford said. “I need to be better for this team to win and that's all I'm going to look at, is try to give us a better chance.”
Crawford started on back-to-back nights in Anaheim and Vegas on Wednesday and Thursday. The Golden Knights scored 2 goals on their first 7 shots, but the Hawks stormed back to take a 3-2 lead with 12:48 remaining when Artem Anisimov beat Marc-Andre Fleury with a neat backhanded shot.
Fifty-three seconds later, though, Vegas reclaimed the lead on goals by Jonathan Marchessault and Alex Tuch. The Hawks challenged goaltender interference on Tuch's score, but the referees ruled that Brandon Manning pushed Max Pacioretty into Crawford.
Crawford obviously didn't see it that way.
“He barely got pushed,” Crawford said. “He didn't make an effort to get out of there. And then he was stuck there and I couldn't move the way I needed to to make a play. In a tight game like that — I don't know — it's frustrating.”
Just like this entire season has been for the Hawks since they started 6-2-2. They'll have another chance to right the ship at the United Center on Sunday against the Canadiens — an opponent Crawford always gets revved up to play against. He is 8-1-2 against his hometown team with a .953 save percentage and 1.54 goals-against average.
“I dreamed of playing for them when I was younger,” Crawford said. “Every kid from Montreal was big fans of them, or most kids anyway. It's a little more special playing there, but still playing against them is pretty fun.”
As for righting the ship over the long haul, Crawford believes veterans like himself, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook need to step up their games.
“Our older guys, our core group — we all need to play better to get us out of this,” Crawford said. “Maybe that's the answer.”