Anaheim handed Chicago their first home loss of the NHL playoffs on Thursday after a 2-1 win in Game 3 put the Ducks ahead by the same margin in the Western Conference final series.
Simon Despres broke a 1-1 tie in the final minute of the second period as Anaheim bounced back from a triple-overtime defeat in Game 2 that tied the best-of-seven series.
Ducks winger Corey Perry told reporters that the team had refused to let that defeat get them down and they had focused on Game 3.
Photo: AP
“We had our chances in that game, so be it. You move on,” he said. “There’s going to be roller coasters in the playoffs.”
On Thursday, Patrick Maroon gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead in the first before Chicago’s Patrick Kane tied it with less than a minute left in the opening period.
Ryan Getzlaf added two assists for the Ducks, tying his own franchise record with 14 for the playoffs.
Anaheim goaltender Frederik Andersen made 27 saves and stood tall in the final stages, when the Blackhawks brought on an extra attacker to chase an equalizer.
Kane looked to have a chance with five seconds remaining when he had the puck on his stick right in front of Anaheim’s goal, but could not put it toward the net.
Corey Crawford, who made 60 saves in Game 2, stopped 25 shots for the Blackhawks.
Crawford has stepped up his game after being benched for much of Chicago’s first-round series against Nashville.
Injuries and fatigue have taken their toll on Chicago, and on Thursday centers Antoine Vermette and Teuvo Teravainen were both dropped despite being healthy.
“It was a tough game the other day with travel, I wanted to bring new guys in,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said.
“I thought we had a good start, when you get behind it’s a different game,” Quenneville said. “We were playing fine until we got behind.”
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