Saad lifts Blackhawks, evens series

Associated Press

CHICAGO

Brandon Saad drove the net and had the puck poked away by Andrei Vasilevskiy.

When he somehow found it again, Saad gave it a desperate backhand whack that just happened to send it right between Vasilevskiy’s moving pads.

Saad refused much credit for his tiebreaking goal in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. He knows that a few fortunate bounces have been the only differences in four games between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Tampa Bay Lightning, who seem determined to take this championship series down to a fantastic finish.

Saad scored with 13:38 to play, and captain Jonathan Toews got his first goal of the series as the Blackhawks beat the Lightning and their rookie goalie 2-1 Wednesday night, knotting the Final at two games apiece.

The 22-year-old Saad’s latest clutch goal was the offensive highlight of a gritty, defense-dominated night at the United Center. Corey Crawford and the 20-year-old Vasilevskiy, the Lightning’s surprise starter, both had stellar moments before Saad beat his fellow youngster for the winner.

“I was really pretty lucky,” said Saad, a former Mahoning Valley Phantom. “I just saw space going to the net. Tried to drive and create some chaos. Just try to get some wood on it and get to the net, and it found a way in.”

Chaos reigned again in the final minute for Crawford, who capped his 24 saves with a frantic last stand. Lightning captain Steven Stamkos had two golden chances to force overtime, but the Blackhawks survived.

Game 5 is Saturday night in Tampa.

The series is now a best-of-three, with Chicago needing at least one more win at Amalie Arena to secure its third Stanley Cup banner in six seasons. Tampa Bay has home-ice advantage, but a fraction of the Blackhawks’ big-game credentials. Despite their differences in experience, these teams are incredibly close: This is the first Final since 1968 in which each of the first four games was decided by one goal.

Faced with the prospect of a 3-1 series deficit, the Blackhawks responded with championship grit. Saad scored his eighth goal of the postseason — and his second in two games — with the same determination that has characterized the forward’s short, prolific career.

“No matter what the situation is, whether we’re down in a series or a hockey game, we tend to play our best when our backs are against the wall,” Chicago’s Patrick Kane said. “Not saying we had our best effort tonight, but we still found a way to win.”

Alex Killorn scored in the second period for the Lightning, whose four-game road winning streak ended.

They got solid work and 17 saves from Vasilevskiy in place of Ben Bishop, the 53-game winner scratched with an undisclosed lower-body injury after hobbling through Game 3. Vasilevskiy played well, but couldn’t quite match Crawford, the 2013 Stanley Cup winner who regularly follows up poor stretches with big games for the Blackhawks.