Joel Quenneville believes his No. 1 goaltender Corey Crawford will be on the ice when the Chicago Blackhawks host the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 18. It’s the sixth game of the season for the Blackhawks.
Does Corey Crawford looks like his old self to Quenneville: “He looks extremely good out there. He’s tracking the puck, his quickness, his anticipation, his movements, (he) feels good. Glove hand looks sharp. He’s sharp in all areas. So I don’t see anything different.”
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) October 2, 2018
Crawford participated in Chicago’s team practice for the second straight day Tuesday. Monday’s practice was the goaltender’s first since February in Arizona as he tried to return from a concussion he suffered in late December. Crawford reveled at the start of training camp that he was still dealing with lingering symptoms from the concussions, but did not say what exactly those were.
On Monday, Quenneville said the team has discussed Crawford playing a game or two with the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL but the netminder didn’t agree.
Prior to his injury, Crawford posted some of the best numbers of his career with a .929 save percentage and 2.27 goals-against average and a 16-9-2 record. He was placed on injured reserve Dec. 27 with an undisclosed upper-body injury. The Sun-Times later reported he was experiencing vertigo-like symptoms. In February, he participated in a morning skate with the team in Arizona, but was later shut down for the rest of the season.