Corey Crawford was on the ice in full gear Sunday morning for the second straight day and felt no ill effects from the apparent head injury that has kept him out since March 14. Joel Quenneville expects him to get one game in before the end of the regular season, which means Saturday’s season finale in Columbus is the likeliest target.
Is one game enough for Crawford to get back into form in time for the playoffs?
“Better than none,” Quenneville said.
Meanwhile, Andrew Shaw (lower-body injury) already has been ruled out for Tuesday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. But Quenneville expects he’ll get in one or both of the final two games of the regular season. If Sunday’s game were a playoff game, it’s possible Shaw would have played through whatever injury he’s dealing with.
“Knowing him?” Quenneville said with a smile. “I don’t know.”
Hossa leaves early
Marian Hossa left Sunday’s game midway through the third period favoring his left leg after a neutral-zone collision.
“He seemed to be OK,” Quenneville said. “We’ll know more [Monday], but we don’t think it’s much. Hopefully he’ll be fine and ready to go on Tuesday.”
Hossa had several scoring chances, but failed to get his 500th goal in the win. It was obvious at times that his teammates were forcing the puck to him at times.
“That was certainly noticeable,” Quenneville said. “Cant complain about it.”
Milestone watch
It was the 800th victory of Quenneville’s career, making him just the second coach to ever reach that mark (Scotty Bowman won 1,244).
“Certainly I’ve been fortunate to be with good teams, none better than the one I’m with right here,” Quenneville said. “It’s been a fun situation, fun working in Chicago. Great group of guys.”
Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com
Twitter: @marklazerus
