NHL Sunday: Blues stun Blackhawks with late special teams brilliance

You hear this, supporters of fresh blood in the playoffs?

The offside coaches challenge wormed its way into a third straight game, which in turn gave us one of the greatest periods of playoff hockey this postseason. At the end of the night, the Islanders came away with the 4-3 victory in overtime to take control of the series 2-1.

Captain Henrik Zetterberg made it 2-0 for the Red Wings after a goalmouth scramble saw Bishop out of position. The netminder was unable to set himself properly before a double deflection off the Detroit forward’s skate found its way through his five-hole to end the second.

In fact, Huberdeau was offside, by the heel of his skate.

It’s clear that Huberdeau was in before the puck was, despite the puck rolling right along with his skate. Even so, it was a disallowed goal that gave the Islanders momentum, who came back down the ice to make it 2-1 before the Panthers eventually got it back.

Spectacular goaltending has become a staple of this first round series between the Blues and Blackhawks. In a game that saw 82 shots combined between the two teams, the Blues stayed the course and benefited from a lethal special teams for a 3-2 victory.

The Blackhawks went 1-for-4 on the power play while the Blues went a hot 2-for-3.

In the first save before a furious sequence for the Blues, who are down 2-1 in the second period to the Blackhawks, Crawford stretched out in the splits to snag a one-timed shot from the slot.

The same mantra of discipline applies to the Red Wings, who are trending in the wrong direction and can’t afford any mistakes. To avoid a 3-0 deficit, the Red Wings need to find a way to contain Tyler Johnson. The small but skilled Tampa Bay center had six goals against Detroit in last year’s playoffs, and he already has six points in two games in this series. The other thing to watch is how long Jimmy Howard’s leash is after giving up five goals in Game 2.

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You may be surprised to learn the first round series between the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues heads into Game 3 on Sunday tied at 1-1. Just kidding. We all know this is going seven games. Puck drop in Chicago is at 3 p.m. ET.

Duncan Keith made an instant impact upon his return from a six-game suspension, registering two points and bolstering the Blackhawks’ blue-line in Game 2. Chicago benefited from luck in some ways in the win; if Vladimir Tarasenko’s go-ahead goal in the second period isn’t overturned, the Blues might’ve gone into full Ken Hitchcock “shutdown mode” defensively. Instead, Chicago sustained the momentum. Keeping it through the next two home games is crucial.