For the second time this postseason, the Chicago Wolves' campaign was on the line. After tying the series with a win at home in Game 4, the Wolves' defense collapsed around them in Game 5. Colorado scored a lopsided 7-3 victory, pushing Chicago to the brink as the teams returned to the Eagles' barn for at least one more game.
After relieving Cayden Primeau in Game 5, Amir Miftakhov made his first start of the postseason. The Eagles got to him quickly. After killing an early Chicago power play, Colorado struck on its first chance. Jack Ahcan did the honors, putting the Eagles up just over six minutes in. Valtteri Puustinen added another in the final minute of the frame, deepening Chicago's deficit to two goals after 20.
The Wolves started to claw their way back early in the second period. Juuso Valimaki got Chicago on the board on the power play. Ryan Suzuki found him in the far dot, and Valimaki snapped it home to cut Colorado's lead in half. Despite a stronger period overall, the Wolves couldn't get another before the end of the frame, putting them 20 minutes away from elimination.
The play of the night came off the stick of Joel Nystrom. After neither team mounted much offense for long stretches of the third period, Nystrom pulled off a beautiful spin move and found the slightest amount of daylight between Trent Miner and the post on his backhand to tie the game at two. With 7:03 remaining in regulation, the Wolves had plenty of time to get another.
That's exactly what they did. Keeping with the theme of defensemen scoring, Ronan Seeley picked the perfect time to score his first goal of the postseason. Noel Gunler provided the eclipsing screen on Miner, allowing Seeley's shot to sneak over his shoulder for the Wolves' first lead of the night. As time ran out, the Wolves held on, sending the Western Conference Finals to a winner-take-all Game 7.
On a night when offense was a little tougher to come by for their leading scorers, the defense took charge in the offensive zone. 16 of the Wolves' 26 shots came from their seven defensemen. Most importantly, this includes all three of their goals. Justin Robidas still finished with a forward-high three shots, while Ryan Suzuki, Noah Philp, and Evan Vierling found the scoresheet with an assist each.
In an unenviable spot with the team's season on the line, Amir Miftakhov rose to the moment and provided one of his best starts with the Wolves. Miftakhov's 36 stops were the second-most of his season, and it came at the perfect time. He outdueled one of the league's best this postseason, keeping the Wolves' season alive for at least one more day.
As if there couldn't be any more drama, Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals will complete a series-ending back-to-back on Monday night. It's a tough spot for both teams to deal with, especially after the emotional finish of this game. Hopefully, the Wolves can ride this momentum to a Game 7 win. The winner of Monday's contest will meet the Toronto Marlies in the Calder Cup Final.
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