With the NHL on pause and the World Championship tournament canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Second City Hockey will look back at Blackhawks playoff games since 2010 with an “On this date in Blackhawks history” series.
After a Presidents’ Trophy winning regular season, the Blackhawks started the playoffs with a victory.
Bryan Bickell scored 16:35 into overtime on a two-on-one rush, and the Blackhawks escaped with a 2-1 win against the Wild for a 1-0 series lead in the 2013 Western Conference quarterfinals.
Johnny Oduya chipped the puck off the boards on the right side up to Viktor Stalberg, who sent a pass across the slot for Bickell to scored the winner on his backhand.
Marian Hossa also scored, and Corey Crawford made 26 saves for Chicago, which killed four penalties.
The Wild lost their starting goaltender Niklas Backstrom due to a leg injury while reaching for a puck in pregame warm-ups. Josh Harding replaced him and made 35 saves after only playing five regular-season games.
Cal Clutterbuck fired a shot — Minnesota’s first of the game — from the top of the left face-off circle past Crawford’s blocker side for a 1-0 lead at 4:48 of the first period.
Hossa tied it 1-1 at 2:06 of the second period when he got behind Jonas Brodin and shot the puck through Harding’s five-hole after a backhand pass from Patrick Kane.
Harding made a big glove save on Patrick Sharp’s shot from the right circle with 3:35 remaining to keep the game tied. The Minnesota goalie made another key save 1:30 into the third period when Kane drove past Marco Scandella for a shot from point-blank range, which Harding stopped with his right pad.
Jonathan Toews appeared to give Chicago the lead midway through the third when he knocked the puck into the net during a scramble in front, but official Brad Mayer already blew the whistle.
Two minutes later, Minnesota that nearly took the lead when Justin Zucker’s wraparound attempt on a wide-open net slid across the crease.
Both teams had chances in overtime to win it before Bickell’s goal. Brandon Saad tapped a pass to Hossa, who skated toward the net but Ryan Suter got enough of his stick on the backhand shot to prevent it from going over Harding’s stick. Zucker had a shot from the left circle go off the left post then Crawford made a big blocker save on Zach Parise’s shot off a three-on-two rush.