The Blues came into Chicago with a 2-0 series lead, and were looking to build on their success. The Blackhawks however had something to prove, and eventually proved it, backed by a 34 save shutout by Corey Crawford.
Jonathan Toews scored early on a rather soft goal by Ryan Miller. You could the confusion on his face after the puck got past him. He would rebound, and not allow another goal in the game. He stopped 24-of-25 shots in the game, and made countless spectacular saves in the game. While the one goal was a soft goal, you can't exactly lay blame on him for this loss. If that's the only goal scored, and it was until the dying seconds, you have to realize that the Blues didn't score.
If the Blues get one goal, that softy is irrelevant. They couldn't score, and that was their eventual downfall. They had countless chances, but the best was a rebound chance on the stick of Lapierre, who had a wide open net, and couldn't get the puck on goal.
While the Blues have lost tonight, don't lose hope. The Blues could have won this game, if it was for the play of Crawford. They funneled pucks on net, they dug in the corners, and they played their tails off. This is one of those games in which you have to let it go, and focus on game four.
There is one thing that can be the downfall of the Blues, and that is their inability to score on the power play. They are 1-for-14 in the series, and their only goal came on a five minute major to Brent Seabrook. The power play has looked better in the last two games, and that is because of the play of Vladimir Tarasenko. He continues to find ways to get pucks through traffic and get a shot on goal. He's been the best Blues forward of this series, and that's been quite obvious. His offensive instincts are clearly there, and his defense has been very good in this series. His play will only help the Blues moving forward.
Now we all are wondering about the health of David Backes. Backes flew with the team to Chicago, which means no concussion, which is fantastic for the Blues. However, it's unclear if he'll be able to play in game four. If he can, he'll add a big boost to the Blues line up. He's played a strong two games in this series, and obviously, as the captain, he's a huge leader for this team.
The Blues will look to get a win in Chicago on Wednesday in game four. It's a 8:30 start, so be prepared to stay up late. These games are close, so I wouldn't be shocked to see another overtime game.