Chicago Blackhawks edge Detroit Red Wings 4-3 forcing Game 7 – NHL Playoffs
Chicago Blackhawks kept the momentum rolling as they won their second straight matchup, edging the Red Wings in Detroit, 4-3, and forcing a Game 7 competition in the 2013 National Hockey League (NHL) Western
Conference Stanley Cup Playoff Semifinals.
On the other side of the Western Conference, San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings are also geared up for a final matchup and one of those teams will be going up against either Chicago Blackhawks or Detroit Red
Wings in the conference finals.
The Blackhawks may not be downing Detroit by a major lead by everything up until now for Chicago has been based on confidence and their ability to downplay the opposition. They won the Stanley Cup back in 2010
and know how to get it back home.
"It was just pure confidence. Our heads were just in the right spot," said Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, according to NHL.com. "We knew what we had to do and we weren't panicking. We just had to stay with
it.”
It was a pressure situation playing in front of over 20,000 Red Wings fans but Chicago did not let that affect them, as Marian Hossa kicked off the scoring with his fifth of the playoffs on a power play opportunity.
Patrick Eaves levelled it with his first at the 18:51 mark in the first.
"We're doing the right things to score goals and we're confident when we get those chances that they're going to go in somehow," Toews added. "We've got that momentum, we want to keep it."
Detroit was up by one after Joakim Andersson broke the tie midway through the second, giving the Red Wings something to work on entering the final 20 minutes of regulation. Chicago was determined to set the record
straight and they did exactly that, as Michal Handzus, Bryan Bickell and Michael Frolik scored three back-to-back and gave Chicago a tremendous lead with a little over 10 minutes remaining. Damien Brunner added one more for Detroit at 19:08, but with less
than a minute, they failed to equalise it and get another chance in overtime.
Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings are set to go head-to-head for Game 7 on Wednesday at 8 PM ET, this time at the United Center in Chicago!
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