Stanley Cup Playoffs Three Stars: Bickell leads Blackhawks; Fleury blanks Rangers
No. 1 Star: Bryan Bickell, Chicago Blackhawks
Bickell took advantage of his increased ice time and once again has stepped up in the postseason for Chicago. As the Blackhawks took a 2-0 series lead on the Minnesota Wild, Bickell scored a goal and assisted on two others in a 4-1 victory Sunday afternoon. His goal came via this snipe:
No. 2 Star: Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins netminder recorded his first playoff shutout since Game 1 vs. the New York Islanders a year ago with a 22-save effort in a 3-0 win over the New York Rangers. The series is now tied 1-1. Kris Letang's attempted pass to Chris Kunitz went in off Dan Girardi's stick to open the scoring for Pittsburgh:
No. 3 Star: Marian Hossa, Chicago Blackhawks
Hossa had a hand in three of Chicago's four goals and now has six points in two games.
Honorable Mention: Saad's empty-netter was his second of the night. He was goalless before Game 2 ... Corey Crawford made 18 saves and has allowed two goals or less in each of his last four starts ... The Blackhawks have now won six in a row ... Henrik Lundqvist was outstanding in a losing effort for New York, making 32 saves, including 15 in the second period ... Kris Letang (1 goal, 2 assists) and Evgeni Malkin (1 goal, 1 assist) were the offensive leaders for Pittsburgh.
Did You Know? Fleury now has 50 career playoff wins and is the team's all-time post-season shutout leader with 7. [@penguins]
Dishonorable Mention: New York has failed to score on their last 29 power play opportunities ... Nothing was going right for the Wild on Sunday. Ilya Bryzgalov made this nice save on Hossa, but Jonathan Toews was there to pop in the rebound:
