Goaltending depth has not always been an advantage that the Chicago Blackhawks could claim. It's become one as the 2014-15 season heads into the second month of the season.
Corey Crawford is a strong No. 1 goaltender, and that's not going to change any time soon. He led the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup in 2013 and overtime of the seventh game of the Western Conference Final last year.
Crawford has not played since Oct. 18 as a result of an upper-body injury.
Backup Antti Raanta and Rockford (AHL) call-up Scott Darling have played the ensuing five games, and while the Blackhawks lost three of them, the goaltending has been strong.
Raanta proved to be a fine No. 2 goaltender last year after he was called up from Rockford, and Darling has had two excellent efforts. He registered a 2-1 victory over Ottawa in his first start at the United Center and was in net during the Blackhawks' 1-0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks Tuesday night.
Darling was locked in a goaltending duel with the Ducks' John Gibson and neither man blinked until the latter half of the third period, when Chicago's Brent Seabrook lost the puck ...
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Article written by Steve Silverman
Goaltending Depth Has Chicago Blackhawks in a Postion to Succeed
October 30th, 2014 by Steve Silverman Leave a reply »
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