Tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET, the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild take the ice at Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota for Game 3 of their Round 2 best-of-seven series as part of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. The game can be live streamed for free here. Chicago fans can hear all of the action on 720 WGN while Minnesota fans can do the same on WCCO 830.
After doing their job on home ice and taking a 2-0 series lead, Chicago looks to take a commanding 3-0 series lead on the road while Minnesota hopes that coming home will allow it to get into the series as it did in Round 1 against the Colorado Avalanche after dropping the first two games on the road.
The Blackhawks defeated the Wild 5-2 in Game 1 on Friday and followed it up with a 4-1 victory on Sunday to leave Chicago up 2-0.
The Blackhawks are 0-8 in their last eight road openers in the postseason and haven't won an opening road game since 2010. To change the trend won't be easy as the team knows its entering a hostile and electric building in St. Paul.
"They're very stingy in their own building. So we've got to make sure we quiet the crowd as best we can early and try to weather that storm and play the right way and be ready to play a tight game, whether it's low shots, low scoring chances," coach Joel Quenneville told NHL.com.
The Wild lost Games 1 and 2 to the Avalanche last round in Colorado and bounced back at home with two wins before eventually taking the series in seven games. Minnesota is 3-0 at home in these playoffs, but they looked ineffective in the first two games possibly due to the short turnaround between the two series.
"We definitely haven't shown what we're capable of. We haven't been on our game," Wild forward Charlie Coyle, who is tied for the team lead with three goals and has five points in the playoffs, said via NHL.com. "We haven't had that grittiness that we brought last series. I think being at home right now is good for us and usually brings out the best in us, being here and playing here."
Zach Parise is second in the playoffs with points (11) and assists (eight) while adding three goals to pace The Wild. Kyle Brodziak (three goals, three assists) is tied with Mikko Koivu, Jason Pominville and Dany Heatley, who each have one tally and five helpers, with six points.
Jonathan Toews (four goals, five assists) and Brent Seabrook (two tallies, seven helpers) each have led the Blackhawks this postseason with nine points while Patrick Kane and Bryan Bickell have each found the twine five times while adding three helpers for eight points and Marian Hossa also has eight points by lighting the lamp twice and adding six assists.
Kane and Bickell are tied for second in the playoffs with five goals and Bickell has collected five of his points against the Wild in this series through the first two games.
Corey Crawford will man the crease for Chicago and is 6-2 and ranks second in the playoffs in goals-against average (1.87) and save percentage (.936). For Minnesota, Darcy Kuemper (undisclosed) has been sidelined through the first two games and Ilya Bryzgalov has played between the pipes. Bryzgalov is 1-4 with a 3.90 GAA and a .830 save percentage during the playoffs.
The Blackhawks look to take a commanding 3-0 series lead while the Wild try to get into this series at home when the lights come up at the Xcel Energy Center tonight in Minnesota for Game 3 of their best-of-seven series as part of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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