Minnesota 2, Chicago 1
When: 8:30 PM ET, Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Referees:
Dan O'Halloran, Dean Morton
Linesmen:
Tony Sericolo, David Brisebois
Attendance:
21851
By The Sports Xchange
CHICAGO -- The Minnesota Wild clinched their third consecutive playoff berth with a 2-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
Center Mikael Granlund and left winger Jason Zucker scored for Minnesota, which earned its 11th consecutive road win to increase its franchise record streak. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk stopped 32 of 33 shots for the Wild (45-27-8).
Left winger Bryan Bickell scored the Blackhawks' lone goal. Chicago (48-26-6) dropped its second consecutive game on home ice.
Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford turned aside 28 of 30 shots in the loss.
Granlund broke a scoreless tie with 10:30 remaining in the third period when he skated in from the slot and ripped a rising shot past Crawford. Left winger Zach Parise set up the goal by battling for the puck in front of the net and feeding a pass toward his charging teammate.
The goal snapped a 14-game scoring drought for Granlund, whose last goal came March 6.
Zucker increased Minnesota's lead to 2-0 when he converted on a two-on-one break with right winger Chris Stewart with 6:46 remaining in the third period. Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith could not retreat in time to stop the shot by Zucker, who was playing in his first game back since suffering a broken clavicle that sidelined him for the past 27 games.
Bickell sliced the deficit to 2-1 when he lifted a rising shot from the left circle with 1:48 remaining in the third period. Chicago coach Joel Quenneville pulled Crawford for an extra skater in the final minute, but the Wild withstood the attack.
Dubnyk provided several highlight-reel saves to improve to 36-13-4. He stopped center Andrew Shaw and left winger Patrick Sharp during a frenzy in front of the net with about 11 minutes remaining in the second period. Minnesota defenseman Jared Spurgeon ended the sequence when he swept a loose puck from the crease to prevent a goal.
Both teams went 0-for-1 on the power play.
NOTES: Blackhawks C Brad Richards (upper body) sat out Tuesday, and he is expected to miss the remaining regular-season games. ... Wild LW Jason Zucker returned after missing 27 games because of a broken collarbone. ... Blackhawks D Kimmo Timonen missed the game because of an upper-body injury. ... Wild D Jordan Leopold played in place of D Nate Prosser, who was a healthy scratch. ... Blackhawks RW Kyle Baun made his NHL debut. Baun, 22, signed an entry-level contract with Chicago on March 26 after completing his junior season at Colgate. ... The Blackhawks announced defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk underwent successful surgery to repair a right wrist injury. The procedure was performed at Northwestern Memorial Hospital under the supervision of Blackhawks physician Dr. Michael Terry. ... Wild LW Matt Cooke missed his 31st consecutive game as he recovers from sports hernia surgery. He could return later this week. ... The Blackhawks finish with road games at St. Louis (Thursday) and at Colorado (Saturday). ... The Wild close with road games at Nashville (Thursday) and at St. Louis (Saturday).
Top Game Performances
Minnesota |
|
Chicago |
Mikael Granlund 1 |
Points |
Bryan Bickell 1 |
Mikael Granlund 1 |
Goals |
Bryan Bickell 1 |
Zach Parise 1 |
Assists |
Niklas Hjalmarsson 1 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Devan Dubnyk .970 |
Save Percentage |
Corey Crawford .933 |
Devan Dubnyk 32 |
Saves |
Corey Crawford 28 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Minnesota
|
30 |
2 |
0-1 |
1-1 |
2 |
20 |
Chicago
|
33 |
1 |
0-1 |
1-1 |
2 |
32 |
Upcoming Games
-
Chicago will play their next game on the road against St. Louis. The Blackhawks have a W/L % of .521 after a win and .719 after a loss.
-
Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Nashville. The Wild have a W/L % of .578 after a win and .543 after a loss.