ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Chicago Blackhawks narrowly defeated the Minnesota Wild 1-0 in Game 3 of this Western Conference second-round Stanley Cup playoff series Tuesday night at Xcel Energy Center. With the win, the Blackhawks have a 3-0 series lead.
How it happened: So much for a goaltending controversy in Chicago. Blackhawks' Corey Crawford was outstanding and finished with 30 saves to earn his first postseason shutout since Game 3 (34 saves) of the 2014 first-round series against the St. Louis Blues. On Tuesday, he made timely save after timely save and kept the Wild at bay the entire game. The Wild wanted, and needed, to have a strong start in hopes of gaining the early lead. Minnesota came out flying and created solid pressure on the Blackhawks. However, Chicago capitalized first and it seemed to quickly deflate the Wild. With Minnesota's Jared Spurgeon in the penalty box for tripping, Chicago's Patrick Kane beat Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk through the 5-hole to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead at 14:06 of the opening period. History was on Chicago's side, too. The Blackhawks entered this game with a 28-0-0 record when leading after two periods this season. Since the Wild couldn't convert in the second period on Tuesday, Chicago continued its streak en route to victory. Crawford also had a lot of help from his teammates, who were blocking shots and getting sticks in passing lanes all game.
What it means: It's do-or-die for the Wild. The Blackhawks have a chance to eliminate Minnesota with a victory in Game 4 Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center. There have been four teams in playoff history to erase a 0-3 deficit, including the Toronto Maple Leafs (1942), New York Islanders (1975),Philadelphia Flyers (2010) and Los Angeles Kings (2014). If Chicago wins on Thursday, or even this series, it will advance to the Western Conference finals for the fifth time in the last seven seasons.
Saves of the game: With the Blackhawks clinging to a one-goal lead midway through the second period, Crawford made a timely save to secure Chicago's advantage. Minnesota's Zach Parise sent linemate Mikael Granlund in on a breakaway with a nifty saucer pass. Granlund had plenty of time do decide where to shoot and snapped it off to the stick side of Crawford, but the goalie made a quick blocker save to stifle the quality scoring chance. Crawford came up with an even bigger save at 8:30 of the third period: Minnesota was pressuring and created a scramble in front of the Chicago net. Wild players were chipping away and the puck was about to trickle over the goal line, but Crawford reached out with his blocker hand and pushed the puck out of the crease.
The other masked man: Dubnyk was solid in his end, too. He also turned in a highlight-reel save early in a scoreless game when he stoned the Blackhawks'Jonathan Toews with a huge left-pad save with 13:20 remaining in the first period. When the final buzzer sounded, however, it was Crawford and the Blackhawks with the win.
Special teams: Chicago's penalty kill came up big in Game 3. The Wild had three man-advantages, but Minnesota couldn't sustain any real pressure, and with the Blackhawks holding onto a 1-0 lead, their timely kills proved crucial. Chicago was called for too many men midway through the third period, but again, the Blackhawks killed it off.
Up next: The Wild will attempt to stave off elimination in Game 4 Thursday (8:30 ET) at Xcel Energy Center.
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