As the third overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Jonathan Toews has always been blessed with exceptional talent. He's excelled on the ice during his first two years in Chicago, he's currently the youngest captain in the NHL, and now that he's getting an opportunity to shine in the playoff spotlight, he's certainly not disappointing.
Toews scored a pair of goals in the second period on Saturday night, as the Blackhawks erased an early deficit to pull out a 3-2 win in game 2 of their Western Conference quarterfinal. Chicago now has a 2-0 lead in the series as it heads to Calgary on Monday.
With the Blackhawks trailing, 2-0, heading into the second period, Toews scored his first goal just 46 seconds into the period, and then scored the eventual game-winner with 24 seconds remaining, giving Chicago a 3-2 lead. Toews now has three points in the first two games of the series, while he's also a +3 and 17-of-27 from the faceoff circle.
For the Flames, it's the second consecutive game where they've surrendered a lead, after allowing Chicago to tie the game late in the third period Thursday night, and then win it in overtime thanks to Martin Havlat's second goal of the game. To say the Flames need a pair of wins in Calgary, as their fans prepare to break out the always awesome "C of Red," is an understatement.
The problem? The Flames haven't won back-to-back games since March 3-5, right around the time they acquired Olli Jokinen and Jordan Leopold at the trade deadline in a series of moves that were supposed to make them Stanley Cup contenders. Jokinen, by the way, recorded his first career playoff point on Saturday -- in his second playoff game -- when he assisted on Adrian Aucoin's goal at the 16:15 mark of the first period. Jarome Iginla also scored for the Flames, while Miikka Kiprusoff turned aside 33 shots in net.
For Chicago, Nikolai Khabibulin was stellar once again, stopping 30-of-32 shots. Going back to his Stanley Cup run with the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2003-04 campaign, Khabibulin is 18-7 in his past 25 playoff starts, posting a .932 save percentage. He made a series of highlight reel saves throughout the game, including a sprawling save on Todd Bertuzzi early in the first period. His biggest stop of the night, however, was perhaps this save on Rene Bourque early in the third period, preserving Chicago's 3-2 lead.
With the win on Saturday, Chicago is now 6-0 against the Flames this season.
