Will the Loss of Corey Crawford Halt the Chicago Blackhawks' Recent Turnaround?

The Chicago Blackhawks are so hot right now that Corey Crawford's recent foot injury seems like nothing more than a minor pothole that has to be avoided, something Chicago drivers do on an everyday basis.

The Blackhawks have won six games in a row and nine of their last 10 as they prepare for a busy week that will see them play five games between Tuesday night and Dec. 16.

The idea of going into battle with Antti Raanta and Scott Darling handling the goaltending chores doesn't scare either of the two backup goaltenders or head coach Joel Quenneville.

Raanta was in goal for wins over St. Louis and Montreal last week, while Darling backstopped the Blackhawks to a road win at Nashville Saturday night.

“Commend our goaltenders,” Quenneville told CSNChicago.com's Tracey Myers after the win over the Preds. “We lose Crow, everything changed instantly and these guys respond with three big wins for us. We don’t change how we play regardless of who’s in the net, and that’s a statement to our goalies as well. It’s a big six points for them.”

The Blackhawks have found their offense in recent weeks, and that's a big part of the reason why the team has been so hot and moved to within one point of the St. Louis Blues in the Central Division.

They have scored 19 goals in their last five games and are playing their best hockey of the season.

But could confidence be misguided? Crawford was playing sensationally before he suffered his injury while attending a concert in Chicago, and he was one of the main reasons the Blackhawks were keeping their heads above water before their recent hot streak. The goaltender is likely to be out another two weeks.

Crawford has a 12-5-1 record with a 1.87 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage, and he has performed much better this season than he did last year, when he regularly gave up goals that he should have been able to stop.

Crawford was the subject of a lot of fan criticism last season, and Quenneville would occasionally point out his flaws while maintaining public confidence in his No. 1 goalie.

There has been nothing but praise for his play this season from the coaching staff and the fans.

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

The Blackhawks face road games against the New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins and New York Islanders before returning home to face the Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild within the next week.

While all systems are go right now and the Blackhawks are playing sensationally, one or two subpar games could lead to concerns from the coaching staff and the fans.

Raanta, the team's No. 2 goalie, is likely to get most of the work during the remainder of Crawford's absence. He has a 3-2-0 record, a 2.02 GAA and a .942 save percentage. Darling, who was called up from Rockford of the American Hockey League, has also been sharp. He has a 3-1-0 record, a 1.74 GAA and a .943 save percentage.

Raanta, 25, proved that he was a capable backup last season when he had a 13-5-4 with a 2.71 GAA and an .897 save percentage. While those numbers were decent, he was not infallible and can obviously be beaten.

Darling, 25, had never played an NHL game before this season.

Raanta is working hard to get better. “You can’t have a day off in a game. You just have to push harder and harder to play good games and keep yourself in the net,” Raanta told Myers. “I like the situation. You can’t give anything [less] in practices. You have to push yourself harder and get better every day.”

Darling echoed a similar sentiment and both men credited goalie coach Jimmy Waite for giving them extra work in practice and keeping them ready.

The pressure of playing on the road in the NHL against desperate teams like New Jersey and Boston could get to either of the goalies, while the Islanders are developing into one of the better Eastern Conference teams. Calgary is in a playoff position right now, while Minnesota has been in the playoffs the last two seasons.

All five of these teams are capable of challenging the Blackhawks and giving their backup goaltenders a difficult time.

The likelihood is the team will survive the Crawford injury on a short-term basis.

The Blackhawks have been getting huge contributions from Patrick Kane (eight points in the last seven games), Jonathan Toews (three points in the last three games) and Duncan Keith (plus-eight in the last five games), while players like Brandon Saad (three goals in the last four games) and Marian Hossa (two goals vs. Nashville) are starting to come around after slow starts.

Opponents know that containing the Blackhawks offense is perhaps the most difficult assignment in the league, so even if Raanta and Darling have an occasional lapse, the Blackhawks are capable of surviving.

However, if Crawford is not back before the end of the month, the concern that is masked by the team's current hot streak could come to the surface.