Blackhawks' Crawford is stopping shots, setting records
In the midst of a career season, Corey Crawford almost certainly will set personal bests for wins and save percentage.
Crawford is just 2 victories from his career high of 33 and his save percentage (.931) is .007 better than last season's .924.
Barring injury, Crawford also will set a record for most games played. He's on pace for 66, seven more than in 2013-14.
Therein lies a bit of a conundrum for Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville.
The Hawks only have two sets of back-to-backs the rest of the season, so the question is how much will Quenneville lean on Crawford as his team attempts to win the Central Division and earn the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference?
Quenneville said backup Scott Darling certainly will be in more than two games the rest of the way, but he's also not worried about Crawford playing in 66-68 games this season.
"Whatever the number is I think he's fresh," Quenneville said. "He likes the workload. We want to keep him ready to play and at the same time, make sure he's fresh. We'll sort that balance out with (goalies coach) Jimmy (Waite) and him and the schedule."
Darling has only played five times since Dec. 10, and one of those was a relief appearance in Carolina. Still, he understands the situation.
"Obviously I want to play, so hopefully I get some games," Darling said. "But it's not really a good excuse to not play Corey Crawford right now because he's been playing so amazing.
"It's great for him, it's great for the team. If we're winning I'm happy, so we'll just see how it plays out."
Outdoor paradise?
On Feb. 21, the Blackhawks will partake in their fourth outdoor game when they take on the Minnesota Wild at TCF Bank Stadium.
Next season, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Hawks could travel to St. Louis for another Stadium Series game - and possibly the Winter Classic on Jan. 2, 2017 - at Busch Stadium to play the Blues.
The paper, according to multiple sources, said the league is finalizing plans to bring an outdoor game to St. Louis, and the Hawks would be a logical opponent to generate buzz and ratings for the league.
An announcement as to dates, locations and teams figures to come in the next week. Asked if these events are more trouble than they're worth, coach Joel Quenneville said absolutely not.
"We love it," the Hawks coach said. "We like the situation. We're thinking about the one in a week-and-a-half, and that's basically where our mindset is because it's a great opportunity and players love it.
"Special setting for families as well. It's always a privilege to be involved with those games."
Slap shots:
After beating the Hawks on Tuesday, San Jose is 23-2-1 when scoring first this season. … Marian Hossa led the Hawks with 5 shots on goal Tuesday. Jiri Sekac, playing in just his third game since being acquired from Anaheim, had 4 SOG in just 7:44 of ice time. … Patrick Kane has 14 power-play goals this season. The rest of the Hawks have 22 combined.
Corey Crawford by the numbers
Season GP W-L-T Save%
2010-11 57 33-18-6 .917
2011-12 57 30-17-7 .903
2013-14 59 32-16-10 .917
2014-15 57 32-20-5 .924
2015-16 46 31-13-2 .931
Pace 66 45-19-2 .931
Note: Lockout-shortened 2012-13 season not included