The goaltending issues that plagued the Blackhawks in the first round series win over the Nashville Predators seem like a distant memory now. Even after a shaky performance in game one in which Corey Crawford gave up three goals, only one puck has found the back of the net in the last two games. Crawford turned in his best performance yet as he shut out the Minnesota Wild 1-0 to take a 3-0 series lead on Tuesday night.
The only goal scored in the game came on a power play for Chicago as Patrick Kane scored his sixth goal of the playoffs, tied for second in the NHL this postseason. Jared Spurgeon got a two minute minor for tripping at 13:09 and 57 seconds later Kane scored the lone goal of the game, assisted by Andrew Shaw and Patrick Sharp.
Minnesota played a great game overall, outshooting Chicago 30-22 and outhitting them 20-11. But once again, the Blackhawks found a way to win, and continued their dominance on faceoffs, winning 37-22.
Devan Dubnyk responded after playing poorly in games one and two in Chicago, stopping 21 of 22 shots for a .955 save percentage. But it was not enough as Crawford stole the show just like he did in game two.
Game four of the series will be Thursday night as Chicago will go for the sweep at the Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis. But if this Chicago team can maintain the form they have shown the last two games, they will be the odds-on favorite to win the Cup, their second in three years and third in the last six.