CHICAGO, Ill – The Chicago Blackhawks reminded people how they won the Stanley Cup last season en route to a 7-2 victory Tuesday night. The win at the United Center avoided a Vancouver sweep.
For the first time in this series, Dave Bolland played for Chicago. His presence was felt early in the first two minutes as he won an offensive zone face-off that led to the game’s first goal. Brian Bickell picked up his first career playoff goal 1:43 into the contest.
Just as the crowd was ready to settle back into their seats, Sami Salo’s power play goal tied the game at one. That was the last time Canucks fans would feel their team had a chance to win.
Chicago came out after the first intermission and never looked back. Brian Campbell put the Hawks ahead for good 5:18 into the second period. Just 17 seconds later, Duncan Keith lit the lamp for the second time this series, Bolland picked up an assist.
The buzz from the sellout crowd continued throughout the second period, as Chicago started to use their bodies to send more messages to the Canucks players. Just as it looked like things were starting to settle down, Bolland decided assisting was not as fun as scoring. His unassisted goal at 14:35 gave Chicago a 4-1 lead.
If a three-point night was not enough for the Hawks center, Bolland found Michael Frolik alone in front of the net with just over a minute remaining the middle period. Frolik’s goal, making it 5-1, was his first career playoff goal.
The Blackhawks did not sit back in the third period either. Vancouver elected to keep Roberto Luongo in net, and it turned out to be the wrong decision. On the power play, Jonathon Toews made an outlet pass to Patrick Kane who calmly skated into the zone. Trailing the play was Patrick Sharp, who was left all alone inside the left wing face-off circle. Sharp found the back of the net, chasing Luongo to the locker room.
Shortly after backup Corey Schneider came into the game for his first ever playoff minutes, Vancouver put themselves shorthanded yet again. Sharp greeted the met minder with his second goal of the contest.
With the Hawks going up by six goals, out went the finesse and in came the chippy play. Penalties dominated the last half of the third period. The usually disciplined teams combined for 42 penalty minutes in the game’s final eight minutes. The Canucks’ Daniel Sedin scored his fourth goal of the series, to end the night’s scoring.
The series will shift back to British Columbia Thursday night. Chicago will once again try to stave off elimination and push the series to a Game 6 in Chicago on Sunday night.
GAME NOTES: The first three games of the series saw Vancouver dominate the Blackhawks in the hits, puck possession and face-off departments…Chicago out hit the visitors 44-33 and virtually tied in the face-off stats…Vancouver top line of the Sedins and Mikael Samuelsson were a combined -7 and one point. Goalie Corey Crawford picked up an assist, the first Hawk goalie since 1991 (Dominic Hasek) to do so..The Blackhawks have scored at least five goals, six times in the last 16 playoff games versus Vancouver.
Contact Adam.Minnick@prohockeynews.com
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