Chicago Blackhawks: Getting Corey Crawford back shouldn’t matter
The Chicago Blackhawks getting Corey Crawford back shouldn’t matter.
The Chicago Blackhawks got some good news back over the weekend. Corey Crawford returned to practice and joined his teammates. He confirmed that he did test positive for COVID-19 but he was quarantined and is now fully back and ready to go. He should have enough time now that they are in the Edmonton bubble to be ready to go when they hit the ice against the Edmonton Oilers.
They are going to play an exhibition game against the St. Louis Blues first so it will be interesting to see if Corey Crawford is allowed to suit up for that game. It is Wednesday night so that should be enough time for Crawford to get back to speed. If he is involved in that game, there is still a good chance that he is ready by the time they take the ice in Edmonton.
Crawford, even at half speed, is the best option in the goal crease that the Blackhawks have. Collin Delia and Malcolm Subban are mediocre backups but Crawford is still a premier starting goaltender. With that said, his return isn’t going to make that much of a difference. The Edmonton Oilers are a fast skilled team that has some offensive firepower that should flourish against this pitiful Blackhawks defense.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are unbelievable players. They were the NHL’s two leading scorers for the 2019-20 season so you know they are a force to be reckoned with. There is something to be said about the firepower of the Blackhawks with Patrick Kane leading the way as well. That means each team is going to create some offense but neither team is a defensive Stallworth. Each goalie is going to give up lots of goals if each team plays the type of game that we are expecting them to.
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Crawford might be a better goalie than each guy the Oilers might use but there is no guarantee that it means anything. There is only so much he can do so if McDavid, Draisaitl, and the rest of the Oilers offensive players play well. It seems like the Blackhawks have a poor chance of containing them enough to win the series.