From the Chicago Tribune's Steve Rosenbloom:

If Corey Crawford’s “upper-body” injury keeps him out the rest of the season, which was a possibility indicated by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, then the Blackhawks will have a “lower-standings” issue.

No, wait. They already do. They’re already three points out of the playoffs, and while they continue their five-day break that ends this weekend, they’ll continue to lose ground.

Just guessing that “One Goal” was not about finishing last in the division and missing the playoffs, but hey, that’s one way to avoid getting swept by the Predators, eh?

When Crawford was placed on the injured list on Dec. 27, the Hawks were two points behind the Wild for the second wild-card spot, but held two games in hand.

Without Crawford, the Hawks have gone 5-4-1 and find themselves three points behind the eighth-seeded Kings, who also have a game in hand.

Continued