The Chicago Blackhawks are on the brink of going down 3-1 in the Stanley Cup playoffs after losing Game 3 to the Boston Bruins on the road with a 2-0 shutout from Tuukka Rask and now the number one team in the West must rebound.
The Blackhawks could not find a way to score on Monday night and now they are down 2-1 and could be down even further if they don't turn things around with a win on Wednesday. As of now, the team has lost home ice advantage, but they still have another chance to get it back if they lose Game 4, but that would be a tough thing to ask. The Bruins are putting themselves in a good position, as if they win on Wednesday they would be up 3-1 and would have to win one of the three remaining games to win the Cup for the second time in three seasons.
The Blackhawks are trying to do it twice in four games and to do so they need to rebound with a win on Wednesday, as the Bruins are playing so well that is may be difficult to mount a comeback. Both teams have dealt with tough deficits all postseason so far, as the Blackhawks were down 3-1 in their series against the Red Wings before coming back and winning three straight to take the series and advance.
The Blackhawks forced a Game 7 and took it to overtime and won on a goal from Brent Seabrook and they will need to play well in crunch time again, as they haven't scored a goal since the first period of Game 2 after Patrick Sharp scored. The game went into overtime and the team lost after a goal from Daniel Paille and he scored the first in Game 3 before Patrice Bergeron added another and now they have to find a way to break the streak against Rask after missing out for so many periods.
The Blackhawks have a deep team, but so do the Bruins and it will come down to who can perform best in crunch time. The Blackhawks need stars like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to step up and they will be hoping for a boost from forward Marian Hossa, who is expected to return to the lineup in Game 4. The Hawks opened the season with a record wining streak and they will need to get their act together to pull the series even on Wednesday night.