The Minnesota Wild were expected to test the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round, but Chicago dominated the series from the beginning. They continued that domination in game 4 on Thursday night, as Blackhawks held off the Wild 4-3 to complete the series sweep. The Blackhawks are now heading to the Western Conference Finals for the fifth time in seven years.
Corey Crawford made 34 saves, while Patrick Kane recorded a goal and an assist in the win. Marian Hossa scored a late empty-netter with 3:07 left in the third for a 4-1 advantage for Chicago, who never trailed in the series. It was after the fourth goal that the Wild started a late-game comeback in an attempt to keep their season alive.
Minnesota got goals from Jason Pominville and Nino Niederreiter with 2:18 and 1:27 left in regulation, cutting the deficit to 4-3. This after they pulled goalie Devan Dubnyk, who made 21 saves, for a 6-on-4 advantage following a Blackhawks' penalty.
Crawford would not surrender against the Wild, standing on his head to secure the win and the sweep. He finished the series stopping 124 of 131 shots, which is good for a .947 save percentage. With the win, Chicago also improved to 30-0, including 5-0 in the playoffs, when leading after two periods.
Brent Seabrook and Andrew Shaw also scored for the Blackhawks, while Jonathan Toews and Bryan Bickell had 2 assists apiece. The one down side for them is the ankle injury to Michal Roszival, knocking Chicago down to 5 defensemen. No news has been released on how long Roszival will be out, but there is speculation that it may be for a while.
The Blackhawks, in the end, still found a way to eliminate the Wild from the playoffs for the third consecutive year, where they have won 12 of the 15 games. They are now awaiting the winner of the Anaheim Ducks-Calgary Flames series, which the Ducks lead 2-1.
Corey Crawford made 34 saves, while Patrick Kane recorded a goal and an assist in the win. Marian Hossa scored a late empty-netter with 3:07 left in the third for a 4-1 advantage for Chicago, who never trailed in the series. It was after the fourth goal that the Wild started a late-game comeback in an attempt to keep their season alive.
Minnesota got goals from Jason Pominville and Nino Niederreiter with 2:18 and 1:27 left in regulation, cutting the deficit to 4-3. This after they pulled goalie Devan Dubnyk, who made 21 saves, for a 6-on-4 advantage following a Blackhawks' penalty.
Crawford would not surrender against the Wild, standing on his head to secure the win and the sweep. He finished the series stopping 124 of 131 shots, which is good for a .947 save percentage. With the win, Chicago also improved to 30-0, including 5-0 in the playoffs, when leading after two periods.
Brent Seabrook and Andrew Shaw also scored for the Blackhawks, while Jonathan Toews and Bryan Bickell had 2 assists apiece. The one down side for them is the ankle injury to Michal Roszival, knocking Chicago down to 5 defensemen. No news has been released on how long Roszival will be out, but there is speculation that it may be for a while.
The Blackhawks, in the end, still found a way to eliminate the Wild from the playoffs for the third consecutive year, where they have won 12 of the 15 games. They are now awaiting the winner of the Anaheim Ducks-Calgary Flames series, which the Ducks lead 2-1.
