A quick look at what games will be on what channels in tonight’s Stanley Cup playoff action …
Blackhawks at Wild, 8:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN
The Blackhawks held serve with two wins at the United Center, but the Wild can balance that out by taking both games in Minnesota, beginning with Game 3.
The Blackhawks actually had a better road record (24-16-1) than Minnesota’s home mark (22-13-6) during the regular season, but crowds in “The State of Hockey” can be boisterous. The Wild need more from Devan Dubnyk, which hasn’t been a common phrase since the Vezina nominee has put together a near-spotless run with his still-fairly-new team. Chicago’s star players have been taking over this series so far, but Minnesota gets the last change at home, so perhaps they’ll be able to get the matchups they need to shrink Chicago’s series lead to 2-1 on Tuesday.
Ducks at Flames, 9:30 p.m. ET on USA
The Ducks won both of their contests at home in Anaheim, too, so tonight basically puts two series at forks in the road: they can either be on the verge of possible sweeps or at least short series or brand-new ballgames depending upon how the underdogs respond to adversity.
Arguably even more than the Wild, the Flames seem to be at their best when their backs are pressed hardest against the wall. Calgary has served as a great home-ice advantage for this plucky bunch, so the Ducks would be wise not to walk into The Red Mile with too much swagger.
