'Hawks Up 2-0

By Matt Motyka in News on Apr 19, 2009 4:35PM

A 3-2 comeback win on Saturday put the Chicago Blackhawks two games up on the Calgary Flames in the first round of the NHL playoffs. After falling behind 2-0 in the opening period, Chicago's Nikolai Khabibulin shut the door, stopping all 18 shots by Calgary in the second and third periods. Jonathan Toews sparked the Blackhawks' offense with a power-play goal in the first minute of the second period, and then scored the game-winner in said period's final minute. Toews' two goals sandwiched a score by Patrick Sharp, who flicked Patrick Kane's pass past Flames' goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff to tie it up. Sharp also assisted Toews' first goal, joining Kane, Cameron Barker, Brian Campbell, Brent Seabrook and Dave Bolland on the list of helpers.

Despite the sluggish start and the two-goal deficit, the 'Hawks had reason for optimism heading into the first break. The Flames' Jordan Leopold was called for tripping with just under a minute left in the period, giving Chicago an advantage when the puck dropped in the second. As Coach Quenneville put it, "After the first period we weren't happy. We knew we had a power play in our back pocket. That was pivotal for us. We got some huge momentum off that." That momentum carried the Blackhawks to a 2-0 lead in the series, as Chicago will look to continue its winning ways in Calgary on Monday.