Joel Quenneville Confident Corey Crawford Will Be Ready For Playoff Opener, But Crawford's Not Quite As Certain
(CBS) Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford has been sidelined since March 14 with an upper-body injury that reportedly is head-related, raising questions about his availability as the playoffs approach.
So will Crawford be ready when Game 1 of the first-round series rolls around? Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said "absolutely" on Tuesday. Crawford himself isn't so sure.
"I'd love to," Crawford said, according to the Tribune. "But then again, there's no rush. It's literally day-by-day. The training staff has done a good job. They always make sure our guys are ready when we get on the ice. It's no different here. But (Tuesday) was a really good day."
Crawford has missed Chicago's last nine games and will sit out again Tuesday evening when his team hosts Arizona at the United Center. He joined the Blackhawks for a morning skate Tuesday, but there's still uncertainty surrounding his timetable for game action.
"Right now I feel pretty good," Crawford told the Tribune. "I was seeing pucks well. I was moving well. Moving pretty quick and everything."
Crawford's 35-18-4 this season with a 2.32 goals against average and a .926 save percentage. In third place in the Central Division, the Blackhawks are currently on track to open the postseason on the road against the Blues.
In other injury news, Blackhawks forwards Marian Hossa and Andrew Shaw will miss Tuesday's contest.