Stanley Cup playoffs roundup: Flames deal Ducks first loss; Blackhawks put Wild in 3-0 hole

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Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau sat on the bench late in Game 1, his coach fed up with how the bigger Ducks forwards were having their way with the 5-9, 150-pound rookie. In fact, Anaheim beat up on Calgary in winning the first two games of the teams' second-round Stanley Cup playoff series by a combined 9-1.

All of that changed Tuesday in Game 3. 

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After it appeared Calgary may have been wrongly denied a goal by the officials, Gaudreau found redemption and tied the game with 19.5 seconds remaining in regulation. Mikael Backlund followed up with a goal 4:24 into overtime to cap a Flames comeback and give the Ducks their first loss of the playoffs.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference, Corey Crawford and the Blackhawks shut out the Wild and moved one win away from a sweep.

Flames 4, Ducks 3, OT (Anaheim leads series 2-1)

Takeaway: The consensus heading into Game 3 was the Flames would need more production out of their top line of Gaudreau, Jiri Hudler and Sean Monahan, who had been kept in check after fueling the team in the first round. They continued to struggle against the bigger, more experienced Ducks, but rank-and-file players such as Backlund, Joe Colborne and Brandon Bollig stepped up with big goals.

Backlund's overtime winner was the first goal of his playoff career.

If not for a controversial no-goal call, the Flames may have tied the game sooner. With a little more than six minutes to play, rookie Sam Bennett managed a shot at close range that, at first glance, appeared to be turned aside with a great save by Ducks goalie Frederik Anderson. The play was reviewed. One replay angle led some — including an irate Flames bench and a sold-out Saddledome — to believe Bennett had scored, but referees ruled the video was inconclusive and upheld the call.

Quotable: “I can't say we played our best game, but we never stopped believing or fighting or battling,” Backlund said. “In the third period, they were sitting back and we were trying to get something going. I can't say we didn't earn it.”

Highlight: We're not sure what Hampus Lindholm was trying to accomplish here, but kudos to Colborne for taking full advantage. He finishes the breakaway with a pretty move and scores a shorthanded goal that gives the Flames some life.

Next up: Friday at Calgary, 9:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN

Blackhawks 1, Wild 0 (Chicago leads series 3-0)

Takeaway: Crawford would rather not talk about the first round, so don't bring it up.

After being pulled in Games 1 and 2 against the Predators, Crawford is just now starting to resemble the goalie who led the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup two years ago. When a reporter asked Crawford about those struggles again after a 30-save performance Tuesday, he shrugged, figuring there were better things to talk about.

"First round’s over," he said.

Crawford allowed nine goals on 47 shots in those games and presumably lost his job for good to red-hot rookie Scott Darling. But Darling found himself in hot water in Game 6 against Nashville, and Crawford stepped in to finish the job. He stopped all 13 shots to help Chicago clinch a series victory. He has allowed four goals on 94 shots in three games since, all Blackhawks wins. Chicago is now in position to finish off the sweep Thursday night.

Quotable: "We came back from the dead once before this season," said Wild coach Mike Yeo, referring to his team's pre-January struggles. "Crawford, he's a star against us. He's (Martin) Brodeur, he's (Patrick) Roy. He's everybody. We've got to find a way to solve that."

Highlight: The game's only goal came courtesy of — who else? — Patrick Kane. That brings his playoff scoring total to 11 points (six goals, five assists) in nine games, trailing only Anaheim's Corey Perry, who has 14 in seven games. Kane, of course, is no stranger to the postseason. He now has 102 points in 102 career playoff games.

Next up: Thursday at Minnesota, 9:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN

Three stars

3. Johnny Gaudreau, F, Flames: Gaudreau broke through when it mattered, scoring the critical goal with the Flames on a 4-on-3 power play in the final seconds of regulation. He also skated 22:03 — second only to Backlund's 24:46 among forwards and far than the 14:34 he logged in Game 1.

2. Mikael Backlund, F, Flames: Backlund picked a good time for his first career playoff goal.

1. Corey Crawford, G, Blackhawks: Crawford's shutout improves his postseason goals-against average and save percentage to 2.23 and .920, respectively.

Injury report

Raphael Diaz, D, Flames: Diaz returned to the lineup after missing 12 games with a lower-body injury. He skated 10:45 and finished plus-1.

Chris Stewart, F, Wild: Stewart was held out of the lineup Tuesday with an upper-body injury he suffered when tumbling into the boards in Game 2. Jordan Schroeder played in his place, skating 14:34 and registering a shot on goal. Yeo said after the morning skate that Stewart is considered day to day.

Wednesday’s games

(All times Eastern)

Canadiens at Lightning, 7 p.m., USA

Rangers at Capitals, 7:30 p.m., NBCSN

Author(s)
Brandon Schlager Photo

Brandon Schlager is an assistant managing editor at The Sporting News.