Sugar Ray KO's Crawford

Ray Emery will start his 3rd game in a row for the Blackhawks; knocking Corey Crawford out of the crease in 4 of the last 5 games.

Emery, 29, has put together a great effort during this stretch with a .943 save percentage (SV%) and a 1.57 goals against average (GAA) in his last 4 games played in (GPI)--including his relief of Crawford on December 5th against the Coyotes.

Crawford, 26, was pulled 2 times in a span of one week (Nov 29th-Dec 5th) which paved the way for Emery to take over the reigns as crease king. Corey has put together a 12-7-2 record with a second-rate .896 SV% and a level 3.00 GAA this year.

I can't quite put my finger on the struggles that Crawford has seen this year, but I do think that part of it has to do with the way the team has played in front of him. Of course, not all the blame lies on them but the difference was night and day after he was pulled in favor of Ray Emery against the Coyotes.

The team seems to be too comfortable with Corey in net when performing an eye test, but when looking deeper into the statistics the team has pretty much allowed the same amount of shots for Crawford to stop (roughly 27 shots against on average) when comparing the team to last year--the difference comes into play when you look at the quality of chances coupled with the fact that, plain and simple, Crawford has let in some really soft goals this year.

Now we've come to this point. Ray Emery will start against the top team in the Western Conference: the Minnesota Wild, making this his 5th appearance in a row and 4th start in 5 games. Has he knocked Corey out of the crease?

Of course not. Not yet at least, just consider this start as an important test for Emery.

Joel Quenneville has always had competition at the goaltending position every year he has been in this organization. That's just the way Joel works his hand and his ability to recognize and ride the hot goaltender is really a strong advantage for the Blackhawks.

Huet and Khabibulin had their moments sharing the net when Quenneville took over for Denis Savard after 4 games into the season. The following year Huet was intended to be the #1 until rookie Antti Niemi stole the spotlight and rode his glory all the way to the Cup. Last year, Turco was signed and Crawford was given an opportunity, another rookie, making the most of it and forcing Joel to ride him for the year. No doubt, Joel gives both goaltenders an opportunity to succeed no matter what "label" the media gives them. I believe he will continue the same trend and give Emery an opportunity to prove himself throughout the year.

I will admit, this year was the first year that I did not expect much competition in the Blackhawks net. Corey Crawford simply was suppose to be that guy, but this slump (and really, that's all it is) has me wondering one last question: Can Ray Emery be the guy Joel rides into the playoffs the last 15 games of the season?

Last year Ray Emery uprooted Dan Ellis on the Ducks on their ride to the playoffs before fizzling out in 7 games to the Nashville Predators. In 2007, Emery played an important role in leading the Senators to their first Stanley Cup Finals berth.

He has been there before, he knows what it takes to win and if Corey can't respond with his opportunities then I do believe that Emery could be the guy that Quenneville relies on if he can continue to perform at a high level.

That said, it's possible--but I just can't see it happening. Crawford is an elite competitor in my eyes. He knows how to make the most of the smallest opportunities otherwise he would have never made it this far being in the Blackhawks organization stuck behind countless goaltenders for many years. There will be a battle until the end of the year, that I am sure of, but when it's all said and done I think Crawford will figure it out and emerge as the protector.

Bottom line: Don't put that #50 sweater away yet, it's just the beginning of another long goaltending battle.