Western Conference Final, Game 3: Ducks 2, Blackhawks 1 – Recap

After a triple overtime win Tuesday, the Hawks were on home ice for game three Thursday. The Hawks got the better of the looks early on, though the Ducks had a couple as well. The Hawks got the game’s first power play 5:39 in when Corey Perry was sent off for tripping. The Hawks would get a couple nice looks, but no goals. The Hawks would get another power play just under ten-and-a-half minutes in when Ryan Kesler was sent off for holding. The power play would end after 1:18 as Marian Hossa was sent off for holding. Neither team would score during the 4-on-4. The Ducks would convert on their power play when Patrick Maroon redirected a shot past Corey Crawford 12:55 in. The Hawks would get another power play 13:36 in when Jakob Silfverberg caught Jonathan Toews with a high stick and drew blood, making it a four-minute penalty. The Hawks would have a hard time getting anything going and come away empty. The Hawks would tie the game 19:03 in on a backhand goal by Patrick Kane. Nobody would score in the remainder of the first, and after twenty minutes, the teams were tied at 1.

The Ducks controlled the action to start the second. The momentum would eventually swing to the Blackhawks, who had a couple great looks that required great saves to keep out of the net. The Ducks struck late in this period (19:05 to be precise) to take a 2-1 lead. Simon Despres had the goal. Nobody would score in the remaining 55 seconds, and after forty, the Hawks trailed 2-1.

The Hawks got out to a much better start in the third than they did in the second, but were unable to capitalize on any of their early looks. Just over five minutes into the period, Ryan Getzlaf was sent off for high-sticking and the Hawks went to the power play. The Hawks would again come away empty on the man advantage. We would go to 4-on-4 play 9:50 into the third when Kesler was sent off for holding and Duncan Keith for slashing. Neither team would score during the 4-on-4. The Hawks would struggle to find opportunities and would pull Crawford for the extra attacker with two minutes to play. The Hawks would get a couple nice looks, but nothing would go, and the Hawks would fall to the Ducks 2-1.

My picks for 3 stars:

★★★ Ryan Getzlaf, C, ANA (2 A)

★★ Patrick Kane, RW, CHI (1 G)

★ Frederik Andersen, G, ANA (27 SV, 1 GA)

Twitter: @KSchroeder2325

E-mail: schroeder.giig@gmail.com