Blackhawks 3, Wild 0
Blackhawks 3, Wild 0: Patrick Sharp scored twice and Corey Crawford made 25 saves for his second career playoff shutout as visiting Chicago took a commanding 3-1 lead in its Western Conference first-round series.
Crawford stopped seven shots in the first period, six in the second and 12 in the third for the top-seeded Blackhawks, who will try to end the series when they host Game 5 on Thursday. Bryan Bickell added his third tally of the postseason with 7:14 remaining in the contest.
Josh Harding, who has started every game of the series for eighth-seeded Minnesota with Niklas Backstrom injured, stopped five of six shots but left at the end of the first period following a collision with Chicago captain Jonathan Toews. Rookie Darcy Kuemper allowed two goals on 18 shots in relief.
Sharp, who also scored two goals in Game 2, tipped in a shot by Michal Handzus while standing on the doorstep at 8:48 of the first period after Marian Hossa intercepted a pass by Minnesota captain Mikko Koivu. Toews toppled over Harding on a rush with just under five minutes remaining in the session, driving the netminder’s groin into the post.
Kuemper entered the game to start the second period and allowed a goal on the first shot he faced as Sharp intercepted an errant pass at Minnesota’s blue line and unleashed a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle. Bickell’s shot from a sharp angle deflected off a Wild defender and over Kuemper to seal the win.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Crawford’s first postseason blanking was on April 21, 2011, when he stopped all 36 shots against the Vancouver Canucks. … Kuemper totaled 288 minutes over six games during the regular season. Harding struggled with complications treating his multiple sclerosis that kept him out for most of the season. … Wild D Ryan Suter was nominated for the Norris Trophy on Tuesday. Suter led all skaters with 30:23 of ice time, contributing two hits and two blocked shots.