Chicago Blackhawks’ Corey Crawford on Track for Vezina Trophy Consideration
By Sean Sarcu
@seansarcu
Getty Images
The Chicago Blackhawks have been brilliant defensively early in the 2014-15 season, giving up the fewest goals against per game in the NHL and — at least in their own zone — looking very much like the team that dominated all opposition during the Stanley Cup-winning 2012-13 campaign. Corey Crawford, who both contributes to and benefits from Chicago’s excellent defense, has looked like a viable Vezina Trophy candidate so far.
Crawford’s save percentage is a pristine 93.8%, and he boasts a goals against average of just 1.53. He hasn’t been a high-variance performer, either; the netminder has just one shutout in his seven games played and has only given up more than two goals once this season (three in a loss on the road to the Toronto Maple Leafs). Consistency has defined Crawford’s game in 2014-15, just as it almost always has.
The season is young, but with the Blackhawks looking so strong defensively there’s no reason to suspect that Crawford can’t continue playing at or near this level. Sustaining anything above a 93% save percentage would make Chicago’s No. 1 one of the primary candidates for the Vezina in the summer. His positioning has looked as good as ever; the early returns on the Jimmy Waite hire (the Blackhawks’ new goaltending coach) have been distinctly positive.
Crawford doesn’t get anywhere near as much appreciation as he deserves from local fans or the national media, but he’ll be hard to ignore if he keeps playing the way he has so far.
Sean Sarcu is a Chicago Blackhawks writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter or add him to your network on Google.
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