Blackhawks, Ducks look to take commanding 3-0 series leads
We could get a good idea of who will be participating in the NHL’s Western Conference Finals if the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks both snag Game 3 road victories on Tuesday night. Both squads took 2-0 series leads at home in their respective second-round series, giving them the early edge to reach the conference finals.
In the first game of the night, the Blackhawks travel to Xcel Energy Center to take on the Minnesota Wild. Chicago has been in this position against Minnesota in the last two postseasons, and both times, the Wild won Game 3 at home. Of course, the Blackhawks went on to win those series anyway.
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Chicago is coming off a dominant performance in Game 2, which they won 4-1. Star winger Patrick Kane scored two goals in the contest, including the empty-netter to put the game away. Fellow Blackhawks stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp also notched goals.
It could be an interesting game in Minnesota, because there was a power outage at the stadium on Monday night. But while there were some reports that the ice wasn’t in the greatest shape, we got this gem from Andrew Shaw:
Following a power outage, Andrew Shaw says the Xcel Energy Center ice, "is still better ice than the UC," #Blackhawks
— Chris Kuc (@ChrisKuc) May 5, 2015
Although Chicago has looked like the better team in this series, expect Minnesota to come up desperate and full of energy back on its home ice. That’s why it’s no wonder that the Wild are a 1½-goal favorite in this one. The over/under is set at five goals.
Meanwhile, up in Canada, the top-seeded Ducks look for a third consecutive win over the Calgary Flames. Anaheim has outscored Calgary 9-1 in the series thus far after a 6-1 victory in Game 1 and 3-0 win in Game 2. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf both had four points in Game 1.
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Anaheim forced former Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller out of Game 1, bringing backup Kari Ramo into the game. Ramo was ambushed in the first period of Game 2 to the tune of 20 shots in the first period, although he performed pretty well under the onslaught. It didn’t matter much, though, because the Flames couldn’t score any goals.
If there’s any positive for the Flames, it’s that they enjoyed a 21-14 shot advantage after the rough first period in Game 2. It didn’t result in any goals, but there were at least some good chances. Perhaps they can take some of that momentum to their home ice and use it in Game 3.
But unlike the Wild, the Flames aren’t the favorite at home in Game 3, as the Ducks are a 1½-goal favorite. The over/under is 5½ goals at most sportsbooks.
