Goalie Corey Crawford was spectacular Tuesday night for the Blackhawks, stopping all 32 shots he faced as the Hawks notched their first shutout of the season — a 3-0 win over the Stars at the United Center.
“[There] were a few times where we got stuck in our zone and we didn’t panic, just kept them to the outside,” Crawford said. “Some big blocked saves by [Brent Seabrook] there — a couple kick saves. It was a good win against a really good team.”
Crawford’s heroics improved the Hawks’ team save percentage to an incredible .939 over the last 15 games. He’s now .920 this season after a rough start and has climbed into a tie for 12th in the NHL.
And he still has nothing on teammate Robin Lehner, whose .938 tops the league.
“It gives us the confidence that we know they’re going to make the save for us if we need one,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “It helps you to play better defensively, actually, just knowing that if you make a mistake, it’s not necessarily going to go in.”
Crawford’s performance — highlighted by an acrobatic stoning of Tyler Seguin in the second period — made Brandon Saad’s first-period goal hold up until the final 10 minutes, when Alex DeBrincat found Patrick Kane on a power play to finally extend the Hawks’ lead.
Dylan Strome was a late scratch with concussion-like symptoms. Recently recalled Matthew Highmore filled in, making his first NHL appearance since March 2018.
The Hawks’ win broke the Stars’ absurd 14-1-1 run and earned an important split of a home-and-home series after the Stars’ 2-1 victory in a shootout Saturday in Dallas.