CHICAGO -- Corey Crawford started every single playoff game when the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup last year. Detroit had Jimmy Howard in goal, Jonathan Quick was in net for Los Angeles, Boston had Tuukka Rask, and Crawford beat each one of them. Chicagos unassuming goaltender still had his doubters when this season began. Not so much right now. Crawford is among the NHLs playoff leaders with a .931 save percentage and 1.97 goals-against average, leading the Blackhawks to the Western Conference finals for the fourth time in six seasons. The breakout post-season comes after he set career highs for games and starts while going 32-16-10 during the regular season. "Its another step closer to our ultimate goal and were pretty excited about that right now," Crawford said moments after he helped finish off Minnesota in the second round. "Resilient bunch and we never give up or get down, never get too high. That was a pretty good finish for this one." With Chicago locked in a tight series with the improving Wild, Crawford stepped up at a pivotal moment for the Blackhawks title defence. He had 27 saves in Game 5, helping the Blackhawks rally for a 2-1 win and a 3-2 series lead. Then he made 34 more stops in a 2-1 win at Minnesota on Tuesday night, keeping his team in the game until Patrick Kane got free for the series-clinching goal in overtime. "He was big," Kane said. "Seems to be a trend in this building, kind of in the second period, that they outplay us. Im sure he wasnt happiest with us with how we were playing in front of him. But he did what he does. Hes a great goaltender, and we feel hes the best in the league for that reason." It was Minnesotas first home loss of the post-season, but Crawford didnt sound all that impressed with his performance. "I rate it a as a win," he said. "Thats the only thing that counts." Crawford was just a spectator when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, beating Philadelphia in six games. He took over as Chicagos starting goaltender the following season and posted a career-high 33 wins. Crawford took his lumps when the Blackhawks lost in the first round of the NHL playoffs in 2011 and 2012. He put those years of difficult lessons to good use last summer, when he went 16-7 with a .932 save percentage and an NHL-best 1.84 GAA in Chicagos run to the title. Now hes back for more. Next up is a rematch with the Kings, who lost to the Blackhawks in the conference finals a year ago, or a showdown with the Anaheim Ducks, the Wests top seed. Anaheim held a 3-2 series lead going into Wednesday nights game at Los Angeles. "Every round gets harder," said the 29-year-old Crawford, who received a $36 million, six-year contract extension after last years title. "Two really strong teams that are playing right now, were going to have to face one of them. Have to get some rest and prepare to work harder for our opportunities." Andy McDonald Jersey . His recovery time is expected to be six to eight months. Seidenberg was injured in the third period of Fridays 5-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators, when he got his leg tangled with forward Cory Conacher. Derek Grant Jersey . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. https://www.cheapducks.com/397c-lubomir-visnovsky-jersey-ducks.html . According to a report from the Hamilton Spectator, Infrastructure Ontario has informed the City of Hamilton and the Tiger-Cats the stadium may not be ready by the June 30 deadline. Jason Marshall Jersey . With the Pirates in the thick of the race in the NL Central, the timing couldnt be better. Liriano struck out a season-high 11 in seven innings to win consecutive starts for the first time this season and Pittsburgh beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 on Tuesday night. Stitched Ducks Jerseys . - The fiancee of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez is set to ask a judge to throw out allegations that she lied to a grand jury.(SportsNetwork.com) - The New Jersey Devils have managed to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference playoff race thanks to their recent play. The club hopes to add another win to its cause when the Calgary Flames visit Prudential Center on Monday. The Devils have posted wins in three of their last four games and are currently riding a seven-game point streak with a 4-0-3 record over that stretch. Still, New Jersey is just outside the playoff picture with 84 points, leaving the club tied with Toronto and three points behind Columbus for the Easts second wild card spot. The Devils also are four in back of Detroit for the first wild card berth. Like Columbus and Detroit, the Devils have four games remaining in the regular season, while the Maple Leafs have only three tilts left. New Jersey is the only team from that group in action on Monday. New Jersey won its second straight game on Saturday with a 3-1 road victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Dainius Zubrus scored twice and Cory Schneider stopped 26 shots to help the Devils record two valuable points. Zubrus recorded his second two-goal game of the campaign and now has 13 markers on the season. "It was nice for (Zubrus)," Devils head coach Peter DeBoer said of Zubrus. "He works hard every night and doesnt get rewarded a lot." Travis Zajac netted what proved to be the game-winner 6:34 into the second, while Schneider turned aside all eight shots he faced in the third for the Devils. Schneider has started the last three gammes for New Jersey and could get the call over Martin Brodeur again tonight.dddddddddddd The 28-year-old American is 4-2-0 with a 2.13 goals against average and .936 save percentage in six career games against Calgary. New Jersey has won two straight and three of its last four home games and is 20-10-8 in Newark this season. Although the Flames have been eliminated from postseason contention out West, the club has played with pride down the stretch and picked up a second straight win in Fridays 2-1 road victory at Florida. The win gave Calgary a 2-2-0 mark on a five-game road trip that ends tonight in the Garden State. Mike Cammalleri netted the winner early in the second period and Joey MacDonald stopped 34 pucks to help the Flames down the Panthers, 2-1. Kenny Agostino also produced his first NHL goal for the Flames, who have won six of 10. "We promised our fans and we even promised ourselves that we would play the games to win until the final second of the regular season," Calgary head coach Bob Hartley said of his team playing hard down the stretch. Calgary, which is 15-20-4 as the road club this season, beat a visiting Devils club back on Oct. 11. Sean Monahan notched the game-winning goal with 2:43 remaining for the Flames, as they downed the Devils, 3-2, at the Saddledome. The Flames have won two straight and three of their last four overall games against New Jersey, but the Devils have claimed two in a row and three of four at home in this series. ' ' '