The Western Conference Finals continue tonight with Game 3 (8 p.m. ET, 
) at Allstate Stadium in Rosemont, Illinois, the first of three games in four nights between the Wolves and Eagles.
Colorado scored four goals in the final five minutes of Game 2 on Saturday night to win 5-2 in a close series.
TJ Hughes (4-5-9) scored the winning goal in just 52 seconds with 4:08 left in the game. Jacob McDonald His first goal of the playoffs tied the game. Hughes has 11 points in 14 games since joining the Eagles from the University of Michigan, where he captained the Wolverines in the Frozen Four, was named Big Ten Player of the Year and was named a finalist for this season’s Hobey Baker Award.
Colorado head coach Mark Lightstu Said the message in the dressing room at the second half-time break was to relax.
“This is what the playoffs should feel like,” Letestu said. “It’s inherently difficult. They’re a very good team and it takes a lot of patience, a lot of grind…and then to finally get there, you get some good feelings. Embrace the ‘hard’ and everything will work out in your favor in the end.”
The Eagles led the Wolves 30-15 in the second game, including a 13-1 lead in the third quarter. Chicago went without a field goal in more than 26 minutes from the second half of the second quarter to the final minute of regulation.
head coach Spiros Anastas Called his club’s efforts “unusual”.
“Keeping the puck below the goal line, giving them a D-turn, putting pressure on them…that’s what we did (in the second period) and then we got a very undisciplined penalty (a boarding slam). Dominic Badinka) that tilted the momentum,” Anastas said. “It was great to kill it, but it changed the course of the game. If we play a good five-on-five game, we’ll be confident that we can control the tempo of the game, hopefully. “
Quick click:
- Colorado added two more power-play goals in Game 2 and is now 4-for-11 in the series with the man advantage. Chicago is 3-for-7 in the series and 8-for-21 (38.1%) in six games against the Hawks this season.
- With four goals in the third period on Saturday, Colorado outscored opponents 18-5 in the final frame of the playoffs and 32-12 after the first intermission.
- In the previous six Calder Cup conference finals, the Wolves had a home record of 13 wins and 3 losses.
- In the history of the Calder Cup playoffs, there have been 210 best-of-seven series with two games tied. The winner of Game 3 has won the series 151 times (71.9%).
