The Chicago Blackhawks were down a man on Monday night when they played the Boston Bruins in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals and now they are down a game to the Bruins 2-1 in the series after Marian Hossa was a late scratch for the matchup.
According to ESPN.com, Hossa will be back in the lineup on Wednesday for Game 4 said coach Joel Quenneville after the surprising scratch in the previous game. The Blackhawks were coy about the injury and said it was an upper body issue and while they didn't go into detail, it will be imperative for the team to get the forward back for the next game, as he is leading the roster with 15 playoff points.
Ben Smith subbed for Hossa and they could have used his offensive work, as the team was shutout by goalie Tuukka Rask in the game 2-0 after being unable to score a goal. Quenneville said that the team knew that Hossa might end up being scratched and after having the game and another day off, he is likely to play again on Wednesday.
The Blackhawks had been playing very well leading into the Stanley Cup, but the Bruins have been playing just as good and now the team has the chance to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series with a win on Wednesday. Chicago knows how to make a comeback from that deficit, as that was what the series was against the Detroit Red Wings before the team was able to win three straight, but this being the Stanley Cup finals, that will likely be much harder. The way Rask is playing it will be tough for the Blackhawks to win three games in a row no matter how well they play.
