Blackhawks hang on to take Game 1 after squandering big lead vs. Wild
Teuvo Teravainen saved the day with his first career playoff goal late in the second period after the Chicago Blackhawks let a three-goal lead slip away against the Minnesota Wild in Friday's Game 1 of their second-round series.
Chicago ended the first period with a 3-0 lead, but the Wild clawed back with three goals in the opening 9:30 of the second before Tarvainen's tally in the last minute of the period. Corey Crawford made eight saves in the final 20 minutes to preserve the 4-3 victory.
Star Performer: Zach Parise was the best player despite being on the losing end of Game 1. He engineered Minnesota's second-period comeback with a goal and an assist - becoming the Wild's franchise playoff points leader in the process - and was a scoring threat every time he stepped onto the ice.
Turning Point: Teravainen revived a pacified United Center crowd with his go-ahead goal, and Chicago rode that momentum to victory with 15 shots in a dominant third period.
Goalie Comparison: Crawford looked shaky with the Wild pressing in the second period, but he was better than Devan Dubnyk, who had his worst outing since being pulled in Game 4 against the St. Louis Blues.
| Goalie | Shots | GA | Saves | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubnyk | 35 | 4 | 31 | .886 |
| Crawford | 33 | 3 | 30 | .909 |
Top Highlight: Brandon Saad set the pace for the Blackhawks with a goal on the first shot of the series. He chipped the puck around Wild defenseman Ryan Suter before firing a quick shot past Dubnyk 75 seconds into the game.
(Courtesy: NHL.com)
Stat of the Night: The Blackhawks improved to 27-0-0 when leading after two periods in 2014-15 (regular season and playoffs).
Series at a glance
Game 1: Blackhawks 4, Wild 3
Game 2: Sunday, May 3, 8:30 pm ET
Game 3: Tuesday, May 5, 8 pm ET
Game 4: Thursday, May 7, 9:30 pm ET
Game 5*: Saturday, May 9, TBD
Game 6*: Monday, May 11, TBD
Game 7*: Wednesday, May 13, TBD
*If necessary