Blackhawks win 4-3 in overtime

CHICAGO (AP) — Patrick Sharp scored 1:52 into overtime to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 4-3 victory over Detroit on Friday night, cutting the Red Wings’ lead in the Western Conference finals to 2-1.

Game 4 is Sunday at the United Center.

After a shot by Matt Walker, Chicago’s Dustin Byfuglien scrapped for the puck in front of the net, and Samuel Pahlsson slid it across to Sharp, who drove it in for his second goal of the game.

The Red Wings rallied from a 3-0 deficit with three goals in a 4:23 span late in the second period. Detroit’s outburst quickly quieted a raucous crowd at the United Center after it looked as if Chicago was in control.

Chicago coach Joel Quenneville made a goalie change at the start of the third period, with Cristobal Huet taking over for Nikolai Khabibulin. It was not immediately known if Khabibulin was just pulled or was injured, but Corey Crawford was announced as the backup goalie on the bench when the period began.

Nicklas Lidstrom, who broke his stick on Chicago’s winning rush in overtime, had a power-play goal, and Brian Rafalski and Jonathan Ericsson also scored for Detroit, tying the game with a period left. The Red Wings played without star center Pavel Datsyuk, who had a sore foot after being hit with a puck in Game 2.

Sharp scored on the power play in the opening period and, just over a minute later, Andrew Ladd beat Chris Osgood to give the Blackhawks a quick 2-0 lead. Samuel Pahlsson’s goal less than a minute into the second period made it 3-0.

The Blackhawks also were forced to go without a key player after Martin Havlat had to leave the game in the first period after a crushing hit from Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall knocked him to the ice.

It was the second straight game in the series between the longtime rivals to be decided in overtime.

Lidstrom scored on a power play late on a shot that deflected off Pahlsson’s skate and cut Chicago’s lead to two — a score that got the Red Wings untracked.

Rafalski’s wrist shot from the right circle got by a screened Khabibulin and the Red Wings were right back in the game. Then with 59 seconds to go in the period, Tomas Holmstrom got in Khabibulin’s way and Ericsson’s shot from the top of the right circle tie it up.