If Blackhawks fans went to sleep Thursday night and dreamt up the doomsday scenario that isa Corey Crawford injury, their nightmare has come true. The defensively challenged Blackhawks placed their starting goalie and early season MVP on injured reserve Friday afternoon, declining to disclose the nature or severity of the ailment in a brief media release. It was a surprise development after Crawford played the entirety of a4-3 overtime lo s to theStars Thursday, stopping 31 of 35 shots. MORE: To take Crawford's place, Chicago recalledJean-Francois Berube(6-6-0, 2.56 GAA,.913 save percentage)from their AHL affiliate. He'llback up Anton Forsberg for the time being Jahmi'us Ramsey Jersey . Goaltender Jean-Francois Berube has been recalled from the IceHogs and the have placed goaltender Corey Crawford on injured reserve. Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) Berube, who's6-6-0 with a .913 save percentage this season with the AHLIceHogs, wasthe primary subject of the Blackhawks' announcement, which devoted a mere two sentences to Crawford. Neither Crawford nor coach Joel Quennevilleindicated a po sible injury following Thursday's game, andQuennevilleisn't scheduled to addre s the media until Saturday's morning skate, leavingBlackhawks followers fearing the worst about their oft-injured goalie. There was a point in the third period where Corey Crawford was slow to get back on his skates after moving from left to right. Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) The 32-year-old Crawford is 11-7-2 in 22 starts this season. His.930 save percentage ranks fourth in the NHL, a small miracle given the struggles of Chicago's thin blueline, and any long-term absence would be cause for panic for a team that enteredFriday in fifth place (12-9-4, 28 points). A series of medical i sues have limited Crawford throughout his eight-year NHL career, most recently an emergency appendectomy Dec. 2, 2016, that kept him out most of December last season. He also suffered a concu sion at the end of the 2015-16 season, whenofficials for the Blackhawks and NHL failed to remove him from a game, perprotocol. It's too soon to paint a doom-and-gloom picture until Quenneville clears the air. But if Crawford mi sesmore than a week or two, it could be enough to set the Blackhawks backimmeasurably within a competitive Central Division. Trevor Ariza Jersey
If Blackhawks fans went to sleep Thursday night and dreamt up the doomsday scenario that isa Corey Crawford injury, their nightmare has come true. The defensively challenged Blackhawks placed their starting goalie and early season MVP on injured reserve Friday afternoon, declining to disclose the nature or severity of the ailment in a brief media release. It was a surprise development after Crawford played the entirety of a4-3 overtime lo s to theStars Thursday, stopping 31 of 35 shots. MORE: To take Crawford's place, Chicago recalledJean-Francois Berube(6-6-0, 2.56 GAA,.913 save percentage)from their AHL affiliate. He'llback up Anton Forsberg for the time being Jahmi'us Ramsey Jersey . Goaltender Jean-Francois Berube has been recalled from the IceHogs and the have placed goaltender Corey Crawford on injured reserve. Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) Berube, who's6-6-0 with a .913 save percentage this season with the AHLIceHogs, wasthe primary subject of the Blackhawks' announcement, which devoted a mere two sentences to Crawford. Neither Crawford nor coach Joel Quennevilleindicated a po sible injury following Thursday's game, andQuennevilleisn't scheduled to addre s the media until Saturday's morning skate, leavingBlackhawks followers fearing the worst about their oft-injured goalie. There was a point in the third period where Corey Crawford was slow to get back on his skates after moving from left to right. Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) The 32-year-old Crawford is 11-7-2 in 22 starts this season. His.930 save percentage ranks fourth in the NHL, a small miracle given the struggles of Chicago's thin blueline, and any long-term absence would be cause for panic for a team that enteredFriday in fifth place (12-9-4, 28 points). A series of medical i sues have limited Crawford throughout his eight-year NHL career, most recently an emergency appendectomy Dec. 2, 2016, that kept him out most of December last season. He also suffered a concu sion at the end of the 2015-16 season, whenofficials for the Blackhawks and NHL failed to remove him from a game, perprotocol. It's too soon to paint a doom-and-gloom picture until Quenneville clears the air. But if Crawford mi sesmore than a week or two, it could be enough to set the Blackhawks backimmeasurably within a competitive Central Division. Trevor Ariza Jersey