During a post-game interview, Patrick Kane made the understatement that the Chicago Blackhawks were “probably fortunate” to win Game 6 against the Minnesota Wild 2-1 in overtime, ending the series in six games.
If the last couple games are any indication, the Blackhawks are absolutely fortunate that they employ Kane and Jonathan Toews.
The Blackhawks are on a ludicrous run (14-0) in series that have been tied 2-2 lately, but this one ranks up there in their robberies. Toews powered Chicago to a tough Game 5 win while Kane helped his team steal tonight’s game despite Minnesota carrying a significant amount of the play.
Simply put, there aren’t many players who could score the kind of goal Kane managed to win this game and end this series, let alone doing so in a high-pressure situation like this. The Blackhawks carry an almost unfair advantage in these situations; they have Toews’ mixture of grit and talent, Kane’s creativity and guys you can’t forget like Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.
You also cannot forget the work of Corey Crawford, especially on a night in which he made 34 out of 35 saves.
Actually, both goalies were brilliant at times on Tuesday, as Ilya Bryzgalov looked impressive at times in stopping 25 out of 27 shots. It’s easiest to summarize the high points of their nights in a clip that includes strong work for both netminders:
The Blackhawks push their bid for back-to-back champions to the Western Conference finals while the Wild fall to Chicago for the second year in a row. Let this be clear, though: Minnesota obviously made some huge steps toward making this a rivalry instead of merely a recurring playoff matchup.
For now, Chicago can enjoy the perks of rolling out Kane and Toews, however.