Goalies are overrated: Corey Crawford is magic?

If you watched last night's Chicago-Edmonton game, you would have seen a crazy second period by the Blackhawks. I am not sure what happened - were they loose from their early two-goal lead? Were they pushing for another goal? Did they take a breather? Not sure.

I can say, though, Edmonton took advantage. They must have generated 12 shots off of breakaways (I didn't count - just saying they generated A LOT) Overall, the Oilers put the rubber on Corey Crawford 22 times. Not once did it get past the guy.

It's one of the ways that goalies are overrated.

In every article about this game - Crawford's second period will be highlighted. He will be praised hugely for facing 22 shots and stopping 22 shots. Many of them were high quality chances too. Jordan Eberle had two or three breakaways or two-on-ones. But even in those high quality chances, puck placement was nothing special. Yet Crawford amasses praise for the saves. In one case, for example, I believe it was one of Eberle's chances, the player comes in on Crawford's right wing. He can pass to a teammate on the opposite side of the net (through a defender) or take the shot. He does it well and Crawford is forced to wait until the last minute and then commit to the player's side of the net by sliding over with pads on the ice. The player places the shot for the post but on the ice. Crawford gets the save - a toe-save they will call it. In truth though, the difference between a goal and a save is the shooter's placement. Crawford did all he could do. But if Eberle lifts that puck 8 inches, it's a goal. 8 inches high and on the post and NO GOALIE saves it. There were a lot of saves like this one in that period.

Now as Crawford gets All-World praise for his performance in that period, he goes on to let 2 goals get past him in the third off of 9 shots. One of those goals was by Jordan Eberle. What was so different? The puck comes across off a rebound and Eberle puts it basically in the same spot. Accordingly, if it is about the goalie, then Crawford should have saved that one. But let's be honest, no goalie saves that one. And if they faced one shot like that in every 3, they'd let in 7 goals on 22 shots, at least. Or in the case of the third period, 1 goal on that 1 shot.

You must judge goalies based on shot quality and placement. If a team of workers plays a high skill group, I would expect that hard-working team to get a lot of shots and the goalie would look stellar because most of the shots are on the ice or right in the middle of the net. A team of skill players though only needs a couple of chances to find the back of the net. And the unlucky goalie facing that team might look like the goat. It isn't right.

Go look at that backhander from Patrick Kane last night. Max Talbot, goalie for Edmonton, has to know how sneaky Kane's hands are. But what options does a goalie in that spot have? Kane was basically in front of the net. The d-man was lost looking for the puck. Kane was free. So the goalie has two choices: come out, attacking Kane or play positional, covering the near-side post.

Kane is moving across the goal from Talbot's right to left. Talbot follows him.

If Talbot attacks the puck, Kane's motion likely gets past Talbot, giving him an empty net to drop the puck in.

Talbot held tight, protecting the near-side post. And honestly, I think it was the best move he could make. Yet Kane sends a quick backhander to the far-side post for a goal. Truly a special shot placed especially well.

Critics may well blame Talbot - he should have moved out a little more or the inverse, he was too far back in the net. But as you come out of the net you have more distance to cover if the player changes angles. And really, Kane's quick release gave Talbot little time to read the situation any better - he covered the weakest spot and just got beaten by a guy that beats a lot of goalies like that - placing the puck in a very difficult spot to hit.

So throw the critiques at Talbot, but in truth this circumstance was much like a penalty kick in soccer where even if the goalie guesses the correct way to dive, the shot is placed perfectly high and on the post. Goal.

Crawford saved nothing like this one. Yet the 22 saves on less special shots will be inflated, thus, adding to the legend of goaltending and leaving me saying Goalies are overrated.