The NHL playoffs are once again upon us. The Chicago Blackhawks have made it once again. Finishing third in the Western Conference behind rivals the St. Louis Blues and the Nashville Predators and finishing ahead of the Minnesota Wild and the Winnipeg Jets for a non-wild card spot. The Blackhawks drew their division foe Predators in the first round. Earlier in the season, the Blackhawks were dealt a devastating blow after star right-winger Patrick Kane broke his clavicle after a cross-check by Florida Panthers defenseman Alex Petrovic. He will be back in time for the first round. At the time, Kane had the most goals scored in the NHL.
The Blackhawks finished with a record of 48 wins, 28 losses, and 6 overtime losses for a total of 102 points to take third in the division. They have dealt with a few injuries, the major one being right winger Patrick Kane and rookie defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk but also had the emergence of rookie center Teuvo Teravainen. The Hawks are trying to win their third Stanley Cup since 2009.
On Wednesday, April 15, the Hawks defeated the Predators in two overtimes in Nashville. The first period was disastrous; Hawks goalie Corey Crawford allowed three goals (2-Colin Wilson, 1-Viktor Stalberg). The Preds led 3-0. In period number two, goalie Corey Crawford was pulled for rookie goalie Scott Darling. One minute and forty-three seconds later, Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson scored with a wristshot after a spot-on pass from Teuvo Teravainen to make it 3-1. At 8:32 in the second period after two Predator penalties and a 5-3 situation, Patrick Sharp scored again off of a redirect from Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne’s pad to cut the lead to one. Chicago’s captain Jonathan Toews tied the game with about 7:00 left in the period when he stuffed the puck past Rinne’s pad into the goal. The next goal did not come until the second overtime period when Duncan Keith scored on a slapshot to give him the goal and the game to Chicago. Scott Darling was fantastic in relief of Crawford, saving 42/42 shots. Game two is on Friday night at 8:30 PM from Nashville. It can be seen on CSN-Chicago or NBC Sports.