Chicago went into this game hoping to emulate the Maple Leafs, Islanders and Flyers and become only the 4th team in history to come back from a 3-0 series deposit and win 4-3. Vancouver needed a huge performance on home ice. They had Luongo back between the pipes to start the game.
This one only took 2.43 to get going on the scoreboard and it was the home fans at the Rogers Arena that were up on their feet. Kesler skated into the circle and played the perfect pass to Burrows who was rushing down centre ice. He just wristed it low past Crawford who never got set on the play and the Canucks were 1-0 up.
The Canucks had started this game being very aggresive, laying a lot of hits on the Blackhawks, everyone of them being cheered enthusiastically by the fans.
Kesler took a puck to the head off his own players shot around the 11 minute mark but he skated to the bench on his own and was fine to continue.
Louongo was in the zone. He pulled off a good save from Toews infront. As the centre tried to sweep the puck in he got a strong pad down to it. Luongo was smothering most things fired at him and not giving rebounds or letting things under arms / through him. He had started well.
The Canucks got the 1st powerplay of the game with 3.39 left in the period. A cross check by Seabrook on Kesler. Most of the 2 minutes were spent with Vancouver controlling the zone but Crawford fended off what was thrown at him. That meant the Canucks came out of the 1st with a slim 1-0 lead. It had been a tight period, the Canucks starting superbly but the Blackhawks getting back into it as the period went on.
The Blackhawks got their 1st powerplay chance with 9.42 left in the period, Hansen going for tripping. The Canucks penalty kill was aggresive and Raymond had a great chance shorthanded. He stole the puck behind the net and went short side on Crawford who made a great save, just as it looked like Raymond had him coming off his near post. A great kill from the Canucks.
Edler created another good chance with a slapper from the point, Crawford making the save and Daniel Sedin trying to get the rebound out of his feet and slam it home but just failing as the netminder covered up.
The Canucks had another great period of sustained pressure infront of Crawford going into the last 3 minutes. The Blackhawks defence struggled to clear their zone and were greatful their netminder was seeing all the shots coming in and making the saves.
The 3rd period started with Keith pulling down a clear Burrows, crashing him into the net. Burrows got awarded the penalty shot with the period just 21 seconds in. Crawford came out high to the top of his crease as Burrows skated down on him and he took away the net superbly giving the forward nothing to shoot at and making the save.
8 minutes into the period Henrik Sedin found himself free in the slot after Seabrook made a bad play with the puck but instead of taking the clear shot he passed it to the side of the net to Burrows for a one time play. Burrows wasn't expecting the pass and never got it on his stick cleanly, the play being cleared by the Blackhawks defence.
Luongo was still getting himself infront of everything that the Blackhawks were throwing at him, even though some of the saves were slightly unorthodox. The Blackhawks were shooting the puck in on him more this period but still not getting through.
Crawford then made another big save with 5 minutes left, sprawling in his crease and getting his glove to a Kesler rebound, the forward just not able to get the desired lift on the puck.
Burrows got his legs going down the wing with just over 3 minutes left and shot high shortside, Crawford getting his blocker and stick up to the puck but Keith taking a 2 minute penalty for hooking as he tried to hold Burrows back.
The Rogers Arena all got to their feet going into the last 2 minutes as again the noise level rose, their team now close to getting through into the next round.
Toews killed that mood. It was the first shorthanded goal of the playoffs so far. He stole the puck centre ice and skated against 2 Vancouver defencemen as he tried to get the puck to the front. He went down and lost control of the puck. Hossa slid it towards net and off the pads of Luongo and as Toews was trying to get up in infront of the net the puck bounced infront of him, he dove and sticked it to the back of the net with just 1.54 left.
The Canucks still had 30 seconds left on the powerplay but again couldn't get passed Crawford and that saw this game go into overtime.
The overtime period started with a penalty being called on the Canucks. Burrows called for holding just 24 seconds in. Luongo made a good save just 20 seconds into with Sharp having a shot from a tight angle close in. Sharp not getting as much as he would have liked on it with it being a rolling puck.
The crowd raised the noise again as the Canucks killed the penalty and Hamhuis made a big hit in the defensive end on Toews.
Burrows won the game for Vancouver 5.22 into the overtime period. A bad play from Campoli trying to clear the zone was gloved down by Burrows on the blueline and he skated in, blasting a slapshot high stick side and into the top corner.
You could feel the relief in the building as the fans roared and the Vancouver bench piled onto the ice and on top of each other. The Canucks had managed to get past the Blackhawks for the first time in 3 years.
The Blackhawks were oh so close to coming back from that 3-0 series deposit. Even going into the last 2 minutes of the game 1-0 down and on the penalty kill they just didn't give up and managed to tie it. Both netminders were superb tonight and the closest game of the series was also the most tense.
Someone had to win it and after Burrows had scored what looked like the winner early in the game, then missed a penalty shot to go 2-0 up he finally got the game done in the OT period.
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