If it hadn’t been for Jason Zucker’s overtime goal in Game 3 of last season's Western Conference quarterfinals, the Chicago Blackhawks may have swept the Minnesota Wild.
It was Zucker’s only goal in the postseason and it came from a sharp angle, but it found its way past Corey Crawford and into the Chicago goal.
Fittingly, it came from a pass off of a desperate, diving Matt Cullen. The veteran center was sprawled out on the ice behind the net when he made the pass, nudging it off of Chicago defenseman Johnny Oduya’s stick and eventually finding Zucker’s tape.
The young forward glided back toward the boards with outstretched arms and was surrounded by his teammates, who joyfully packed in around him knowing that one of the team’s top prospects had just cut Chicago’s series lead to 2-1.
Two games later, Minnesota was eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
As Zucker and the Wild try to build off of last year’s success and go deeper into the postseason this year, the 21-year-old forward knows he will have to do it with a new set of teammates.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Tom Schreier
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