I really think Crawford is injured. I get that Emery is playing really well lately but up until the last few games he hadn't done any better than Crawford. The 'Hawks also can't bring up Salak without risking losing him on re-entry waivers so that's why I'm assuming they haven't put Crawford on injured reserve.
I don't know, but an injury just seems a little out there for me. A few games ago, the commentary team mentioned that Crawford told them before the game that he felt uncomfortable with how he was playing and was struggling to find a rhythm so he wanted to be sat for awhile so he could try and correct the issue in practice. He said he would have a few good games and then completely break down and couldn't get back in it, which is essentially what happened when Crawford started to let in at least 4 - 6 goals a game. I can totally see Coach Q sitting Crawford for awhile to let him rest and get some of that swagger back, especially with a great backup. However, if he is hurt... he is hurt. At least we have a strong backup!
I think Emery is playing a lot better than Crawford was when he was benched so I don't think Emery will be pulled anytime soon, because Emery is displaying a lot of confidence in goal right now which is something I noticed Crawford was missing in some of those late games. I mean, you can tell that Emery is wanting a contract extension. Emery looked really, really good tonight and has since he took over.
Regardless, I am extremely happy to have Emery on the team. I was actually really excited when they announced they signed him, because he has almost always been a very good goalie; unfortunately just plagued with attitude problems and an inability to land a solid, safe job. He seems like he has finally matured up and is ready for some stability and it shows in how well he is playing. Emery will be pulled when he is starting to show some signs of weakness and then they will put a fresh Crawford back in and we are right back to winning. The cycle will repeat when Crawford weakens and Emery is back in... on and on.
The Hawks are in a really, really good position with the goaltending right now though. Both goalies they have right now are extremely talented and they can probably go to either one and feel 100% confident in either.
On a different note, that Kane goal was absolutely amazing... it almost looked like Kane wanted to show Cullen how that type of goal is done, haha. Even if the Hawks lost, I wouldn't even be mad because both teams deserved that win. The Wild are amazing and it will interesting to see the rest of the season for that team.
