Despite the fact that the Chicago Blackhawks ended up cruising their way to a 5-2 win against the Minnesota Wild in the first game of the Western Conference Semifinals, things might not be as good as expected for the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
The third-liner suffered a lower-body injury on Saturday and his status is still unknown for the second game of the series. Blackhawks’ coach Joel Quenneville said Shaw would be reassessed during Saturday.
Shaw didn’t spend much time on the ice against Minnesota, taking a hard hit in the Wild’s offensive zone shortly after the 10-minute mark of the first period. He left the game, never returned to the ice and it remains to see what will happen with him throughout the rest of the playoffs.
Blackhawks’ netminder Corey Crawford believes the team needs Shaw to recover sooner than later.
“"[Shaw's] a guy that plays hard and goes in hard on the forecheck," Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford said. "He’s a pest in front of their net. He gets in front of the goalie”.
"Even though he’s a small guy (5-foot-10, 180 pounds), it seems like he’s able to take a lot of goalies’ vision away. He’s a key player for us. I don’t know what he’s like right now."
The second game will be played on Sunday at the United Center.