Saad helps deliver in must-win game for Hawks
Brandon Saad called it a "must-win" for the Blackhawks on Friday and then played Game 4 of the Western Conference Final like it Saturday night against the Anaheim Ducks.
After not recording a single point since scoring the 1st goal of the second round against the Minnesota Wild, Saad scored the game's 1st goal and assisted on 2 more in a crazy third period in which each team scored 3 times.
Antoine Vermette's goal in double overtime gave the Hawks a 5-4 victory for their second overtime victory of the series and tied the series 2-2, but it wouldn't have been possible without a huge night by Saad and the Hawks' top line.
Saad's goal was a thing of beauty and gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead with 47 seconds left in the first period.
After referee Chris Rooney accidentally tripped Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin during an Anaheim power play, Saad got the puck and raced up the right wing. He beat Ryan Kesler with a burst of speed, lifted Kesler's stick out of the way and ripped a wrist shot past Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen high to his blocker side.
It was Saad's 3rd goal of the playoffs, but he didn't have any assists to that point.
That changed in the first half of the third on goals by Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook. Saad was credited with a secondary assist on Toews' goal at 2:38 to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead and then fed Seabrook with a pass that got blasted into the net from the slot for a 3-1 margin.
Anaheim quickly countered with 3 goals in a 37-second span, however, which forced the Hawks to push for a game-tying goal by Patrick Kane that led to overtime.
Toews also picked up an assist on Seabrook's goal, while Marian Hossa got the primary assist on Toews' goal to give the Hawks' top line its most productive game of the series. In the first three games, the trio wasn't stacking up to the Ducks' top line of Patrick Maroon, Ryan Getzlf and Corey Perry.
Toews' line had combined for just 1 goal by Hossa and an assist by Toews, with Saad being held pointless. Getting Saad back on the scoresheet could be big for the Hawks if he can stay hot the rest of the series.
Saad set career highs in goals (23), assists (29) and points (52) this season, while playing all 82 games and logging most of his minutes with Toews and Hossa. He's developing into a strong two-way player, like Toews and Hossa, which is something most opposing teams can't counter.