NHL: Blackhawks take Wild to the brink

ST. PAUL - Chicago Blackhawks right winger Patrick Kane’s trend of hurting the Minnesota Wild in May continued on Tuesday.
Kane’s first-period power-play goal was the difference in Chicago’s 1-0 win over the Wild, giving the Blackhawks a 3-0 stranglehold on their Western Conference semifinal playoff series.
Goalie Corey Crawford added a 30-save shutout for Chicago, which quieted the raucous Minnesota crowd in the first period, then frustrated the home team throughout. The Blackhawks, who ended Minnesota’s season in the playoffs the past two years, can sweep the series and send the Wild to the offseason again with a win on Thursday.
The Wild got 21 saves from goalie Devan Dubnyk, but were an offensive no-show once again. Minnesota managed just two even-strength goals in the series so far.
It was a familiar role for Kane, who has been Minnesota’s playoff nemesis in recent years. It was his overtime goal in Game 6 last season that ended the Wild’s playoff run. In 14 career playoff games vs. the Wild, Kane has seven goals and six assists.
Momentum swung like a pendulum in the opening period, with the Wild getting the game’s first four shots on goal, but needed Dubnyk to come up with a few highlight-reel saves as the Blackhawks offense heated up.
The Blackhawks cashed in on their first power play, as Kane netted his sixth goal of the playoffs, taking a pass from center Andrew Shaw before beating Dubnyk with a low shot from the left circle.
Both goalies were busy, with Dubnyk turning aside repeated rushes from Chicago’s speedy forwards, while Crawford continued to frustrate the Wild, which included turning aside a breakaway by center Mikael Granlund near the midway point of the game.
It marks the third time in Wild history that they have fallen behind 3-0 in a playoff series. They were swept by Anaheim in the 2003 Western Conference finals, and fell 4-1 to the Ducks in the 2007 first round.
NOTES: The Wild’s two playoff goalies celebrated birthdays in the last 48 hours, with G Devan Dubnyk turning 29 on Monday and G Darcy Kuemper celebrating his 25th on Tuesday. ... The Chicago Cubs, on their road trip to St. Louis for a four-game series with the Cardinals on Monday, wore customized Blackhawks sweaters, showing their support for the Windy City’s hockey contingent. ... Minnesota RW Chris Stewart (upper-body injury) was scratched from the lineup. In Game 2, Stewart was tripped up by Blackhawks D Johnny Oduya in the third period and went hard into the end boards.