Blackhawks goaltender Cam Ward will be out 7-10 days with a right knee injury, the team announced Tuesday more than a hour after saying they had recalled goalie Collin Delia from the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL on an “emergency basis.”
Ward stopped 29 of 33 shots in a 5-2 loss Sunday in San Jose. The timeline means he will miss at least three games (Thursday vs. Sabres, Saturday at Stars and Monday vs. Coyotes) and could be back as soon as March 13 in Toronto. The IceHogs only have a back-to-back against the Manitoba Moose this weekend in Winnipeg during that span.
It’s the second time this season the Blackhawks have used the terminology “emergency basis” while recalling Delia from the AHL. His first NHL stint this season lasted a little more than two months.
Delia went 6-4-3 with a 3.48 goals-against average and .909 save percentage in 15 games with the Blackhawks earlier this season while No. 1 netminder Corey Crawford was out since Dec. 16 with his second concussion in less than a year.
The Blackhawks activated Crawford from injured reserve Feb. 25 and re-assigned Delia to the AHL in a corresponding move. Crawford made 32 saves in Chicago’s 4-3 win against the Ducks on Feb. 27 in Anaheim before allowing six goals in a loss to the Kings on March 2 in Los Angeles.
In his return to the AHL on Feb. 26, Delia made 24 saves in a 1-0 road loss to the Chicago Wolves before allowing four goals in a 5-4 overtime home win over Grand Rapids on March 1.