After going back and forth in Game 1, the Chicago Wolves emerged from a power-play goal fest with a 3-2 victory, pushing them a game up on the Colorado Eagles on Thursday night. Continuing the series in the Mile High State on Saturday, the Wolves had the opportunity to put Colorado in an even tougher spot before heading home for the next three games.
Power plays remained a big part of the series in the second game, with the Eagles breaking the ice late in the first period while up a man. Tristen Nielsen scored his second goal in as many games. He found a soft spot in the slot against the Wolves' penalty kill, wiring it over Cayden Primeau's glove for the only goal of the opening frame.
The Wolves scored the first 5-on-5 goal of the series early in the second. Joel Nystrom activated in the offensive zone, putting himself in the right place to bang a shot off the end boards past Trent Miner for his first goal of the postseason. Almost four minutes later, the Wolves' pressure forced a turnover, allowing Ivan Ryabkin to pot a rebound and giving Chicago a 2-1 lead.
Chicago was holding on for dear life as Colorado pushed to tie it. Jacob MacDonald tied it with 5:00 left, and it seemed to open the dam. The Wolves immediately took another penalty, giving the Eagles a chance to take the lead. TJ Hughes did the honors 52 seconds after the tying goal. With Primeau on the bench, Jason Polin and Ivan Ivan added empty-net goals, knotting the series with a 5-2 win.
You can't give a team like Colorado too many chances on the power play. That has certainly been the case to start the series. They've scored twice on the power play in back-to-back games. Along with the pair that they scored, Dominik Badinka was guilty of a major boarding penalty in the second period, but the Wolves killed it without allowing a goal.
Another concerning trend has been the Wolves' disappearing act in third periods. This is the fifth straight game that the Wolves have been massively outshot in the final frame. They're very fortunate that this was the first time it had hurt them. This loss is sure to sting. Chicago was five minutes away from a 2-0 series lead. Instead, they'll head home with the series tied.
With the first two games in Colorado done, the series heads to Chicago for the next three. The Eagles ensured that a fifth game would be required, so the Wolves will need to make use of all three games on home ice, beginning with Game 3 on Tuesday night. The sides will play a back-to-back with Game 4 slated for Wednesday, before, potentially, the final home game of the Wolves' season on Friday.
Add us as a preferred source on Google