Blackhawks 3 – Canucks 5
The Skinny: Sami Salo scored his second game-winner of the playoffs by potting a rebound on a 4-on-1 rush with just over a minute to play. Vancouver raced out to a 3-0 lead through two periods on goals by Pavol Demitra, Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler, only to see the young Hawks roar back to tie it in the third. Ryan Johnson iced the victory with an empty-netter.
The scare: David Bolland’s goal with 5:29 to play capped a three-goal rally in less than fourteen minutes that saw sniper Patrick Kane beat Roberto Luongo twice. Overtime seemed imminent before Salo snuffed out the comeback.
The review: Expect Chicago’s Ben Eager to at least get a call from NHL head office after he delivered a late hit to Rick Rypien’s head with his elbow. Canucks coach Alain Vigneault compared the incident to the one that earned Washington’s Donald Brashear a five-game suspension earlier this week.
The star: Kyle Wellwood was all over the ice. He finished with a pair of assists and drew ten minutes in penalties, including two double-minors for high-sticking.
The quote: “At least he looks a bit more like a hockey player now.” Vigneault joking about the pair of cuts on Wellwood’s face as a result of Hawks lumber.
The rating: Chicago didn’t show up for the first two periods, but the game got very interesting in the third. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
