Blackhawks Take Must-Win Game in OT

I don't have to beat you over the head with numbers. A team that goes down 3-0 in a best-of-seven is pretty much cooked.

This is especially true when you're playing a team more than capable of winning the Stanley Cup. Chicago faced this reality Friday night, and you have to tip your hat to them for how they responded to adversity. The adversity and pressure increased tenfold when the Blackhawks blew a 3-0 lead.

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The Blackhawks were able to eke out the overtime win on a rebound goal by Patrick Sharp, his second goal of the game. The play was taken right out of the Red Wings' playbook. All three Detroit goals were scored from the perimeter, the result of well-placed shots eluding a screened Nikolai Khabibulin. On the winner, forward Dustin Byfuglien screened Wings goalie Chris Osgood, and that kept him from being able to see the puck coming from the stick of Cam Barker at the right point. A loose puck came to the stick of Matt Walker, who shot it across the slot to Sharp. He had an open net to shoot at and didn't make a mistake.

The three-goal barrage in the second period stunned a United Center crowd of over 22,000, and it seemed to really put a jolt through the Chicago bench. The Red Wings simply took over late in the period, and the only thing that stopped them from inevitably taking the lead was the horn to end the period.

In the third, you could see the Blackhawks responding. Shift by shift, they started playing with a greater focus. They only had six shots on goal, but they prevented the Red Wings from establishing offensive zone possession for long amounts of time, and they generated some serious energy in Detroit's zone, thanks in large part to some great shifts led by Byfuglien and captain Jonathan Toews.

This was another shining example of the work Joel Quenneville has done with this very young Chicago team. He has helped them rally from adversity numerous times in these playoffs, despite their age and relative lack of experience. There would have been no shame in such a team losing Friday's game in the third period. Instead, they got better in the third, and they were able to make the winning play in overtime.

Detroit's lead in the best-of-seven series now stands at 2-1. Game 4 will be played Sunday afternoon in Chicago.