Crawford passes Esposito for playoff wins record

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford passed franchise legend Tony Esposito to become the club’s most successful postseason puck-stopper following Friday night’s 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues.

In other #crOwMG news, Corey Crawford set a franchise record with his 46th career playoff win.

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 16, 2016

Crawford made 29 saves during Game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinal showdown, helping Chicago tie the series at 1-1 as the action heads to the United Center on Sunday.

The game was not without controversy, however, after Vladimir Tarasenko’s third-period goal, which would have put the Blues 2-1 up at the time, was called back after Jori Lehtera was deemed to have gone offside following a review of the play after Chicago initiated a coaches challenge.

Chicago’s Andrew Shaw scored moments later to give the Blackhawks a lead, with Artemi Panarin adding an empty-net marker with a little under 90 seconds remaining in the game.

St. Louis defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk later grabbed a consolation goal for the Blues, with just two seconds left on the clock.

Two-time Stanley Cup winner Crawford now holds a 46-41 record in the postseason with a .921 save percentage and five shutouts.

He was in excellent form for Chicago this season, and is a potential candidate for the Vezina Trophy after posting a .924 save percentage on his way to 35 wins during the regular season.

He missed the Blackhawks’ final 10 regular season games with an upper-body injury, but does not appear to have been suffering any ill effects through 120-plus minutes of playoff action thus far.

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