On the 2017-18 season, Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford faced the top three of the four teams in the Eastern Conference from last year in Pittsburgh, Columbus and Montreal. His record: 3-0-0 with a .971 save percentage and a 1.00 goals-allowed.
Pretty “solid” — as NBCSN’s broadcast team described him last night in the victory over Montreal — for a goaltender these days. Crawford is never mentioned as an elite goaltender. Sometimes he is not even mentioned as a top-10 goaltender.
Maybe it is because he doesn’t always make a flashy kick save or a sprawling dive to stop the puck from getting into his net.