CHICAGO — Duncan Keith had three assists and saved a goal in the third period, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 on Wednesday night to force a Game 7 in the Western Conference finals.

Brandon Saad, Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane scored in the second to help the Blackhawks hand the Ducks their first regulation loss of the playoffs. Andrew Shaw had two goals in the third, and Corey Crawford made 30 saves.

The Blackhawks improved to 31-0 when leading after two periods and erased some of the sting from Monday night’s 5-4 overtime loss. Game 7 is Saturday night in Anaheim.

Patrick Maroon and Clayton Stoner scored for the Ducks, and Frederik Andersen made 18 saves.

Anaheim caught a break when Jakob Silfverberg brushed up against Crawford’s glove on Stoner’s first goal of the playoffs at 1:57 of the third, trimming Chicago’s lead to 3-2. There was no call on the play and Crawford threw up his hands in exasperation.

But Crawford put the play behind him, hanging tough while the Ducks made a frantic push to tie. He got help when Keith swept a shot away from the goal line about 31/2 minutes into the period.

Advertisement

Shaw got the Blackhawks some breathing room when he beat Andersen high with a nifty backhander with 3:32 left. Shaw then added an empty-netter in the final minute.

SHARKS: The team will hire Peter DeBoer as its new head coach, according to a person familiar with the search.

DeBoer has coached seven seasons in the NHL with Florida and New Jersey. He was fired by the Devils in December.

SABRES: Former Penguins coach Dan Bylsma interviewed for team’s coaching vacancy Wednesday, according to a source.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.