Crawford will join West Coast trip, but still needs clearance
Corey Crawford will accompany the Blackhawks on their three-game West Coast trip next week, but it still isn’t clear when he’ll be available to play his first game since suffering a concussion Dec. 16.
Crawford hasn’t undergone the test required to clear him medically. Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton said Saturday that he thinks Crawford will be tested this week.
As for whether Crawford could play Wednesday against the Ducks on the first game of the trip, Colliton is taking a waitand-see approach.
“He’s a very important part of our team, and obviously this isn’t the first (concussion) he’s had,” Colliton said. “So it’s important that we’re sure he’s ready. It’s a good situation having him kick the door in to play. That’s what we want.”
Back to Rockford: The Hawks re-assigned rookie defenseman Henri Jokiharju to Rockford on Saturday, a day after he played 9 minutes, 14 seconds in a 5-3 home loss to the Avalanche.
Jokiharju was with the Hawks less than 24 hours after being an emergency recall because Carl Dahlstrom (flu-like symptoms) and Brent Seabrook (abdominal strain) were unable to play.
The ice time was a season low for Jokiharju, who played 37 games with the Hawks before being sent to Rockford in January. When Jokiharju first joined the IceHogs he took it pretty hard.
“Initially when we sent him down he wasn’t very happy,” Colliton said. “But when he got there, it was like, ‘Oh OK, maybe this is a good thing.’ And that was the reaction last night too. Yeah, he wants to be in the NHL, he wants to be a great player, an elite player, and that’s what we want too. But he’s where he should be right now.”
Dahlstrom will is expected to return Sunday against the Stars, but Seabrook will be a gameday decision, though Colliton said “it looks good that he’ll play.”
Colliton said he wasn’t sure if Marcus Kruger, who took a slap shot off his leg against the Stars, would be available Sunday.
Costly mistake: The Avalanche’s winning goal Friday came on a turnover by Hawks defenseman Slater Koekkoek, whose ill-fated pass attempt ended up on the st i c k o f Pa t r i c k Nemeth. Nemeth then sent a pass to a streaking J.T. Compher, whose breakaway goal snapped a 3-3 tie.
“Between the staff, someone’s going to talk to him or maybe a bunch of us will,” Colliton said “He knows, though. … He’s already taken responsibility.”