Canucks 3 – Blackhawks 1
The Skinny: The Canucks jumped out to a 3-0 lead on goals by Mason Raymond, Steve Bernier and Henrik Sedin, but for the first time in this series, did not relinquish the early advantage. Roberto Luongo made 23 saves for his sixth victory of the playoffs, as Brian Campbell’s power-play point shot was the only one to elude the Canucks captain.
The pace: Game 3 was far less wide open than the first two games which favoured Vancouver. The Hawks generated very few chances off the rush, while the Canucks’ forecheck was extremely effective for the first time in this series.
The battle: Luongo and human eclipse Dustin Byfuglien continued the crease war established in Vancouver. Byfuglien talked smack after providing the screen on Chicago’s goal; Luongo responded with a two-hand shot to the chest of the Hawks forward.
The return: Taylor Pyatt played his first game since the tragic death of his fiancée on April 2, and he acquitted himself nicely. Pyatt had a team-high four shots on goal, blocked three shots and took a two-minute penalty for boarding.
The rating: Nowhere near the offence provided early in the series, but that suits Canucks’ fans just fine. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
The next game: Game 4 goes tomorrow in the Windy City before the series shifts back to Vancouver on the weekend.
