In the past few years, one goalie has usually dominated the entire NHL season to the extent where they overshadow the rest (Sergei Bobrovsky last year, Braden Holtby in 2015-16, Carey Price in 2014-15), with Devan Dubnyk
usually pulling the short end of the stick; only Bobrovsky has been
able to replicate such high-level performances onto multiple seasons,
although a case can also be made for Holtby last year.
This year, the goalie towering over everybody else is Corey Crawford.
I mean, it's no surprise, really; Patrick Kane said he deserved the Conn Smythe more than he did himself when the Chicago Blackhawks
won the Stanley Cup in 2012-13 after posting a 16-7 record with a 1.84
GAA and .932 save percentage, but the fact is that "Crow" was just as
good when the Hawks won again in 2014-15 on the superhuman play of Duncan Keith with a 13-6 record (he had trouble against the Nashville Predators in the first round, which didn't stop his overall statistics line falling at 2.31 and .924).
And
he's been just as good and steady in the regular season, too, with two
Jennings Trophies in the past five years and a fifth-place Vezina finish
in 2015-16 when he posted a league-leading 7 shutouts (in just 58
games).
This year, he stands second in the NHL for save
percentage, and he missed three games to injury earlier in the season,
where the Hawks lost all three games; upon his return, they won five in a
row. Talk of Hart Trophy nominations should not be off the table for
Crawford, especially if the Hawks sneak into the playoffs on his strong
play.
They'll need Anton Forsberg to hold down the fort while Crow's injured, though.
Here he is wearing the Blackhawks' white (away) uniform, on card #AS-20 from Upper Deck's 2015-16 SP Game-Used Editions set and All-Star Skills Fabrics sub-set:
It features a decent-sized red swatch that is either from one of the horizontal lines or the team's red jersey.
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