The Chicago Blackhawks are at a loss for words when it comes to explaining just why they failed to beat the Phoenix Coyotes.
They ran into a hot goalie named Mike Smith and failed to solve him before they were eliminated from playoff contention.
The finger pointing will start soon for the Hawks and someone will take the blame for this first-round exit. One thing is for sure, it should not all be on the shoulders of goalie Corey Crawford.
Inconsistency has plagued Crawford all season long to the point where backup goalie Ray Emery saw significant amounts of ice time.
There were many times in this series that Crawford was put on the spot; either by bad defensive positioning or from a bad neutral zone turnover.
Sure, Crawford wasn't as stellar as many of the goalies that are in the NHL playoffs; but with the way this Blackhawks' team is built, does he have to be?
The Hawks are build as a puck-possession team thus they will have the puck more and should be able to generate the better scoring opportunities.
The top-line defensive pairing of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook should be able to c ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by James Maahs
Chicago Blackhawks: Corey Crawford Not Solely to Blame for Early Exit
April 24th, 2012 by James Maahs Leave a reply »
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