The No. 8-seeded Minnesota Wild entered Sunday down two games to none in the series with the dominant Chicago Blackhawks. Game three was extremely crucial. A Chicago victory pushing the series lead to 3-0 would pretty much spell "game over" for the Wild, but a 2-1 series would bring some life to the state of hockey.
Luckily for the Wild, the result Sunday was a 3-2 overtime victory at the loud Xcel Energy Center, putting the Wild right back into the series and, maybe more importantly, avoiding a four-game sweep. It was already the second overtime game in the series.
I had an event to attend during the game, so I was pretty proud that I was able to watch the entire game I had recorded without being spoiled. The Wild started off slowly, with a bit of the same play that plagued them during Friday's lopsided 5-2 loss in Chicago. They weren't winning the races or putting pressure on with the forecheck. It looked early like the Wild hadn't changed much in the game plan.
Wild uses 'hatred' to advantage
Then things started to turn around as the first period moved along. The Wild were not only hanging with the Blackhawks, but they were taking some control of the game as well. Before the game, Wild head coach Mike Yeo used the word "hatred" as something he wanted to see in this series from his players. They certainly stepped up to that task and started hitting. It was a constant all game long.
Once the Wild got going, they started dominating in the shots-on-goal category. They peppered Chicago goalie Corey Crawford, who to his credit played outstanding throughout the game. Despite the pressure, it was Chicago that struck first, grabbing a 1-0 lead.
Fast forward to 1:30 left in the first period, and it was Pierre-Marc Bouchard who fired a pretty backhander over Crawford's glove for a top-shelf goal to tie the game. It was a huge momentum boost the Wild needed at the first intermission.
Finally, a lead
It was more of the same in the second period, as the Wild continued to pressure, hit and use the forecheck to their advantage. The game was still knotted at 1 until about three minutes into the third period when hard-working goal scorer Zach Parise gave the Wild the lead with a shot pretty much like Bouchard's, hitting the right top-shelf.
It seemed the Wild did back off slightly as the minutes ticked down. Chicago had a few strong offensive zone cycles with the puck that looked like a power-play unit out there, except it was 5-on-5 hockey. With a couple minutes remaining, the Blackhawks managed to tie the game at 2. A potential series-breaking goal that sent the game into overtime for the second time in three games between the two clubs.
As many fans probably do during the playoffs, I watched the overtime play with a nervous feeling in my stomach. I just wouldn't be surprised if Chicago got that final tally. Some games are dominated by one team, but then it's the opponent that just gets lucky or is able to cash in even though they're down in the shots category. It felt like that could be the end result.
Anything can happen in OT
But only a few minutes into the extra session, the speedy rookie Jason Zucker became the hero. He took a sharp-angle shot near the goal line and it went in, electrifying the atmosphere on the ice and in the arena. And where did the goal enter the net? Top right shelf.
Yeo got his first playoff win as the Wild's head coach, and goalie Josh Harding got his first playoff win between the pipes. Harding started in game one after Niklas Backstrom was injured in warmups; Harding played outstanding and deserved the win in that game as well.
The win was just the boost the Wild needed, after losing 2-1 in overtime in a winnable game one, and a 5-2 thumping where they were outplayed in game two. Even though they weren't facing elimination in the best-of-7 series Sunday, it sure felt like a must-win game.
Still work to be done
Even with the win, the series is not over. The Wild need to bottle this effort today and keep that up for game four on Tuesday. Chicago is a team full of talent and proved the other night it can dominate. The Wild needs to have another superb effort to try and tie the series before heading back to Chicago.
So many counted the Wild out before a pucked drop in this series. I think they've done better than expected already. Just having two out of three games go to overtime says a lot to me anyway. The Wild may have gotten their one playoff win already. Though that might be more realistic, I hope that's not the case. Time to really prove the doubters wrong, boys.
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