![16 March 2016: Chicago Blackhawks Goalie Corey Crawford (50) [3760] warms up before a game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire)](http://frsports-bucket-0001.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2016/03/17160145/DEZ16031607Flyers_at_Blackhawks.jpg)
The Chicago Blackhawks are in the midst of a four-game losing streak as they head to Winnipeg to take on the Jets tomorrow night. If they snap the streak, it’ll be without starting goaltender Corey Crawford in the net. Earlier today Mark Lazerus of The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the netminder didn’t travel to Manitoba with the team, calling him “day to day” with an upper-body injury.
That leaves Scott Darling as the man who will likely take on the Jets tomorrow night. Chicago recalled Michael Leighton to backup Darling earlier today.
#Blackhawks recall goalkeeper Michael Leighton from the @goicehogs. https://t.co/l5wOp0RDWV
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 17, 2016
Leighton is having a stellar campaign at the AHL level. He set a record for most career shutouts in the AHL earlier this season and sports a sparkling 28-8-8 record through 48 starts for the Rockford IceHogs. The Blackhawks haven’t given a definitive timeline for Crawford’s return just yet, but it seems unlikely that the veteran will see action during this recall.
Chicago has a day off before its next game against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday, and has a light schedule next week with just three games on the docket. However, they do play in back-to-back contests against the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks next weekend. If Crawford is still on the sidelines at that point, then the ‘Hawks may have bigger things to worry about than icing Leighton for a game or two.
Crawford has quietly nosed his way into Vezina Trophy talks with his play in 2015-16. He carries a 35-18-3 record and a strong .926 save percentage.
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It’ll be interesting to see how much time Crawford misses here. Some have speculated that this is just a matter of getting Crawford some rest ahead of the postseason, but sitting him while in the middle of a losing streak seems counterproductive. This will be a situation worth keeping an eye on as we learn more about the nature of the goalie’s injury.
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