The Anaheim Ducks skated to a gritty 2-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on Thursday and now the team has control of the series again by a two-games-to-one edge.
Rangers vs. Lightning: 5 Storylines From The Eastern Conference Final
The Ducks took Game 1 in Anaheim a the Honda Center 4-1, but the Blackhawks bounced back with a 3-2 triple overtime win in a classic game to hand the Ducks their first loss on home ice this postseason.
When the series shifted to Chicago, Anaheim was able to hold off a late third period barrage by their opponents to take Game 3 by one goal and improve to 10-2 in these playoffs.
Ducks vs. Blackhawks Western Conference Final Predictions and Preview
Before the puck drops on Game 4 on Saturday back at the United Center, here's a look at five key storylines thus far in the Western Conference Final.
Star Power: With players like Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf on the Ducks and Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane on the Blackhawks, there has been no shortage of star power in this series. While these players make a difference in other facets of the game, they haven't factored very much on the score sheet thus far. Perry, who is tied for second with eight goals in the playoffs and ranks alone in second with 12 points, has just one tally in the set while Getzlaf hasn't found the twine yet, though he does have four assists. Toews and Kane, meanwhile, have just one point apiece as Toews has a helper and Kane has a marker on a slick no-look backhand tally in Game 3.
Secondary Surge: While the superstars have been dormant as far as scoring goes, it's paved the way for some unlikely heroes thus far in this set. Simon Despres scored his first ever playoff goal in Game 3 for the Ducks and it held up as the game-winner while Kyle Palmieri found the back of the net for Anaheim for the first time this postseason in Game 1 and Hampus Lindholm and Nate Thompson each lit the lamp for just the second time this spring in that contest as well. For the Blackhawks, Marcus Kruger scored for just the second time in these playoffs when he was the triple overtime hero in Game 2 in Chicago's longest game in franchise history while Andrew Shaw, whose head-butt goal was disallowed, found the back of the net for the second time this spring as well.
Special Team Spirit: Anaheim's special teams are a key reason it's ahead in this series after Game 3 as Chicago had five power plays in the contest -- including a double minor in the first period -- and failed to score on all of them. The Blackhawks had 9:18 of ice time up a man and couldn't find the twine while the Ducks had one power play and Patrick Maroon buried the puck. The Ducks are 8-for-13 on the kill in this series while their power play has only converted once in seven chances.
Battle Tested: The Blackhawks top four defenseman have been relied on heavily this postseason and have logged key minutes as a result. Duncan Keith paces the entire NHL with 31:44 average time on ice in these playoffs. Brent Seabrook is next with 26:28 followed by Niklas Hjalmarsson (25:38) and Johnny Oduya (25:35). Chicago needs to hope this unit doesn't get burned out by the physicality of the Ducks.
Clash in the Crease: Both goaltenders have stood tall throughout the playoffs and in this series. Frederik Andersen has allowed just five goals on 117 shots in this set while Corey Crawford has yielded seven tallies on 115 shots, including a 60-save effort in his team's Game 2 triple overtime victory. Andersen is 10-2 this spring with a dazzling 1.75 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage while Crawford is 6-3 with a 2.29 GAA and a .925 save percentage.
It's been a tight series thus far and it's sure to continue that way when the lights come up at the United Center for Game 5 in Chicago on Saturday.
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