The Blackhawks don't even get to game 7 against the Kings in 2014 with Niemi in net, let alone win.
Crawford's numbers in that series weren't great... but they were basically the mirror image of Jonathan Quick's, give or take a percent or two.
In a shocking turn of events, when you put the two best teams in the league on the ice and dial the pace up to ludicrous speed, lots of goals are going to get scored.
I blame the defense (particularly Seabrook who probably had his worst playoff series as a Blackhawk that series) and coaching/roster management for the WCF 2014 loss far more than Crawford.
Put it another way, were the 2014 Kings that superior to the 2010 Flyers (ironically both had Jeff Carter and Mike Richards) AND the 2014 Chicago D that inferior to the 2010 D (doubt anybody thinks so), that a [much] superior starting goalie in Crawford ended up sporting a ghastly 4.50 GAA, comparable to the alleged backup-caliber Niemi?
Yes, the 2014 Kings were far superior to the 2010 Flyers. They were essentially the same defensive monsters as the 2012 Kings, but they added a ton of speed and scoring to their lineup with the 70s line and Gaborik. That's what people forget about 2014. They didn't beat the Hawks by roughing them up or defending them, they skated up and down the ice with the Hawks. Better than the Hawks in many games.
As far as the defensive composition, yes the raw talent was better than 2010, but their play and deployment was not. Seabrook was a disaster that series, and Rozsival's lack of speed was exposed big time. Q never went away from the Oduya-Seabrook pairing that got torched every single time they touched the ice, and Rozsival continued getting big minutes even when it was clear that he was getting exposed big time and Leddy's speed would have been a greater asset.
The Blackhawks played a deeper team, a better coached team (as far as roster management), and the goalies basically played to a draw with each other. The better team won a close series. With Niemi in net, the better team wins in 5 or less.