Nov. 13--Moments after he had backstopped the Blackhawks to a victory with a brilliant performance Tuesday night, Corey Crawford sat at his dressing room stall and fist-bumped goaltending coach Jimmy Waite as the two chatted briefly about what had transpired.
It would not be the last time the duo analyzed Crawford's efforts during the Hawks' 3-2 victory over the Lightning in a shootout at the United Center. The veteran net-minder and first-year Hawks goaltending coach break down the tape of all of Crawford's appearances.
"I just try not to get into bad habits during games and make sure I'm always at the top and set and square and patient," Crawford said. "It starts from there and the rest is just read and react."
Crawford has been reading and reacting to shots this season as well as he has at any time during his career and has been the Hawks' rock, even when the team has not been at its best in front of him. In 10 games, Crawford has allowed three goals twice (both losses), two scores five times (4-0-1), one goal twice (1-1) and he has a shutout.
Those add up to some impressive numbers as Crawford ranks fourth in the NHL with a minuscule 1.76 goals-against average and seventh in the league with an impressive .931 save percentage. All this despite sitting for six games with an upper-body injury last month.
"I feel great physically," Crawford said. "I'm reading plays really well, and the mental part, too. I'm always taking that next shot and not letting too much bother me right now.
"I'm just preparing myself for every game to be at my best. I'm staying focused throughout the whole game. (With) experience I'm able to read plays a little bit better. Some situations I've seen over time and can get better reads on them."
At 29 and with a Stanley Cup championship under his belt, Crawford appears to be hitting his peak. The Montreal native has 221 NHL games on his resume and is using the knowledge gleaned from each shot he has faced to get better.
"As you grow (older) you tend to learn from your mistakes," Crawford said. "Just certain situations that I've seen before that I can read to be more patient or be a little more aggressive."
While the Hawks have been inconsistent offensively, Crawford has kept them in every game by using his textbook technique honed under the tutelage of Stephane Waite, Jimmy's brother and former Hawks goalie coach for a decade.
"With Crawford, you're going to feel confident every night he's in the net and pretty much every time they're shooting the puck you're confident he's going to stop it," teammate Patrick Kane said.
Coach Joel Quenneville has leaned heavily on Crawford and is expected to do so as the Hawks kick off a stretch of seven of eight games on the road, beginning Friday night with a showdown against the Red Wings in Detroit. On the road this season, Crawford's numbers are even more impressive. He is 2-1-0 with a 1.63 goals-against and .944 save percentage.
"He's sharp, he's handling the puck well around the net, controlling his rebounds, he's very alert (and) very aware," Quenneville said. "He's just focused game in and game out."
Crawford is not one to get ahead of himself, instead focusing on the here and now.
"I'm just thinking next shot and worry about the play as it comes," he said. "Reading and reacting to every play."
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Twitter @ChrisKuc
