Game 3 goes to the Canucks

Tuesday night, the Vancouver Canucks took home ice advantage back in their series against the Chicago Blackhawks, with a 3-1 victory at the United Center in Chicago.

The matchup was the first time that the Hawks had hosted a game in the month of May in 13 years. The 22.659 fans in Chicago will have to wait at least another two more days for a May victory at home this year.

Just like the first 2 games, the Canucks got off to a better start and grabbed the lead early. But this time, they were able to hang on, and hold the Hawks to just 1 goal. With the win, Vancouver is now up 2-1 in the series. Game 4 is set for Thursday, again at the United Center.

Vancouver did all the little things right, and played a perfect road game. They won face-offs, chipped the puck out and slowed the pace of the game right down to get the rowdy crowd out of it. They got the lead and tried to shut things down, relying on their captain, Roberto Luongo.

It was 3-0 again before Chicago could even breathe. Brian Campbell scored on a power play at the 11:09 mark of the 2nd period, but aside from that, there was not really much else to be excited about if you were in the Chicago corner. Head coach Joel Quenneville did not like anything about his team’s game, and felt that his team basically did not show up.

Vancouver did play a good game; they capitalized on the Chicago mistakes early, and then just tightened up. The Hawks showed signs, but they were few and far between. It is now Chicago’s turn to regroup. They must come out a lot stronger and put together a string of 60 minutes if they want to remain in this series.