Blackhawks’ Crawford injured in loss

Goalie Corey Crawford left the Blackhawks’ game against the Sharks on Sunday with 1:30 left in the first period after the back of his head struck the right post during a goalmouth pile-up.

Crawford suffered a concussion against the Devils on Dec. 23, 2017, that forced him to miss the remainder of the 2017-18 season and the first five games of 2018-19. He returned Oct. 18 against the Coyotes and was 6-14-2 with a 3.23 goals-against average in 22 games entering Sunday’s 7-3 loss to the Sharks.

Crawford had just made a left pad save on Logan Couture, who had broken in off right wing. As Couture cut across the crease, Blackhawks center Dylan Strome tried to cut him off and slashed him.

At the same moment, the Sharks’ Evander Kane plowed into Strome from behind and Strome tumbled into Crawford, forcing the goalie into the goalpost.

Alex Tuch buried a sharp-angled shot just over two minutes into overtime, giving the Golden Knights a 4-3 victory over the Rangers. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 27 shots in his 423rd career victory, which moved him into a tie with Tony Esposito for ninth on the NHL’s wins list. AP