The defending Stanley Cup champions will begin the second round on home ice, as the Chicago Blackhawks host the Minnesota Wild at United Center in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Donta Hightower Jersey . Watch the Blackhawks vs. Wild live tonight on TSN2 at 9:30pm et/6:30pm pt. This series is rematch of a 2013 postseason matchup, as the Wild were the Blackhawks first victim in their march to the Cup last year. Chicago knocked Minnesota out of the first round in five games, losing only Game 3 on the road and holding a 17-7 edge in scoring. That was the first playoff meeting between these clubs, but the Wild can lean on the fact they went 3-1-1 versus the Blackhawks this season, splitting two games in Chicago. Game 2 of this series also will be staged in the Windy City on Sunday afternoon. For a little while, the Blackhawks quest to repeat as NHL champions appeared as if it was going to come to an end with a first-round exit. Then the Blackhawks reminded everyone just whey they are coming off their second Stanley Cup in four years. It looked as if Chicagos inability to claim home-ice advantage in its quarterfinals matchup with the St. Louis Blues would be the difference, as the Blackhawks lost a pair of overtime decisions to begin the set. That included a triple-overtime setback in Game 1 at Scottrade Center and the fact that the Hawks followed up with another 4-3 overtime setback in Game 2 could have left the club with slumped shoulders going back to the Windy City. Instead of rolling over, the Blackhawks got a 34-save shutout from Corey Crawford to win Game 3 before Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews potted back-to- back overtime-winning goals in Games 4 and 5. Toews then started a four-goal barrage in the third period of Game 6s series-clinching 5-1 win. Toews showed why he wears the captains "C" on his jersey as all three of his goals in the series were game-winners and he matched defenseman and Norris Trophy nominee Duncan Keith for the club lead with seven points. Toews was one of six multi-goal scorers for the Blackhawks in the series, with Kane also potting three goals. Keith and fellow defenseman Brent Seabrook added two goals and Seabrook finished with six points despite missing three games due to suspension for a hit to the head in Game 2. As expected, the duo of Keith and Seabrook logged a ton of minutes. Keith was on the ice for nearly 30 minutes a game, while Seabrook averaged 27 minutes and 41 seconds of ice time. Hell need to maintain his discipline in Round 2. Chicago also had the best penalty kill percentage coming out of the first round, limiting St. Louis to two goals on 29 chances. Crawford, meanwhile, settled down after a rough start to keep the Blackhawks chances of becoming the first repeat champions since the 1997-98 Detroit Red Wings alive. Rocked for eight goals in the two losses, Crawford followed up his third career postseason shutout by yielding just six goals on 98 shots over the final three games. He ended the series with a 2.03 goals against average and .926 save percentage. The Wild survived Round 1 despite playing from behind seemingly the whole time during their quarterfinals matchup with the Central Division champion Colorado Avalanche. A road team did not win a game in the series until Minnesotas 5-4 victory in Game 7. In that contest, the Wild overcame four one-goal deficits, getting a game-tying goal with 2:27 left in regulation before Nino Niederreiters tally 5:02 into overtime. Niederreiters second goal of the game capped the latest comeback of the series for the Wild. They trailed 2-0 in the series after losing the first two on the road and then were behind 3-2 ahead of a Game 6 victory. Rookie netminder Darcy Kuemper was seen as the savior at the early portion of the series, relieving Ilya Bryzgalov in Game 2 and going perfect with 14 saves. He then allowed just one goal in total in back-to-back home victories, including a defensive 22-save gem in Game 3. Like the rest of Minnesotas roster, Kuemper showed an ability to bounce back, following up a Game 5 defeat with a 21-save effort in the next game to extend the series. However, Kuemper was forced to exit Game 7 after 51 minutes of action due to an unknown injury and Bryzgalov had to make just one save in 13 minutes and 15 seconds of relief before Niederreiters goal. The injury will leave Bryzgalov as the starter for at least Game 1 of this series and he posted just a 4.25 goals against average and .826 save percentage in his three games that totaled 112:41 of ice time. John Curry, a 30-year-old journeyman, will suit up as Bryzgalovs backup. Curry has seen action in six career NHL games and none in the playoffs. Head coach Mike Yeo said that Kuemper is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury following Fridays morning skate. Minnesota has made it to the playoffs in both seasons since signing forward Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter to monster contracts and both were solid in Round 1. Parise had three goals and seven assists, tying him with three other players -- two of those on the Avalanche -- for the postseason lead in points. Mikko Koivu was second on the club with six points off a goal and five helpers. Suter, meanwhile, averaged 29:47 of ice time and had a goal with three assists to lead Wild defensemen in points. Thirteen different skaters scored a goal for the Wild against the Avalanche, with Charlie Coyle matching Parise for the team lead with three. Youngsters Niederreiter and Mikael Granlund added two each along with veteran Kyle Brodziak, while blueliners Jared Spurgeon and Marco Scandella also scored twice. Kuemper won his only start versus Chicago this season, stopping 33-of-34 shots faced at home in January, while Bryzgalov took a shootout loss in Chicago. Bryzgalov is 8-6-5 with a 2.51 GAA lifetime versus the Blackhawks. Crawford, meanwhile, went 2-2-0 with a 2.98 GAA in four games versus the Wild this season. Kane had three goals and two assists versus the Wild in 2013-14 Toews, though, was held to just a pair of assists. Parise had two goals against Chicago in the season series, while Suter had three assists and Granlund four helpers. Mike Gillislee Jersey . Off-Season Game Plan looks at the Capitals possible summer plans, with the understanding that its tough to plot a direction without a general manager or head coach around which to set those expectations. Derek Rivers Jersey . Leverkusen said on Friday it signed Schmidt on a two-year contract. He guided Red Bull Salzburg to the Austrian championship this season. http://www.patriotsauthenticshop.com/Patriots-Joe-Thuney-Draft-Jersey/ . Anaheim Ducks Reassign D Colby Robak to Norfolk Admirals (AHL). - Team Website D Eric Brewer (foot) removed from injured reserve. PHOENIX -- Miguel Montero took two mighty swings, trying to end the game on both. He failed, so for the third, he shortened up, trying to protect the plate. That ball ended up going out and, boy, did the Arizona Diamondbacks need it. Montero hit a leadoff homer in the 10th inning after Martin Prado hit a two-run single in the ninth, helping the Diamondbacks end a four-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies Wednesday night. "I was swinging hard, trying to launch one," Montero said of his first two swings. "Its a pretty funny game. It was the last pitch I was thinking about in that count and it was a short swing, I was kind of quick on it. That protect swing was pretty good." And a good thing for the Diamondbacks. Stuck in a rut, Arizona appeared to be in trouble after Colorado went up 4-0 after three innings on Carlos Gonzalezs two-run homer and pitcher Jordan Lyles leadoff shot in the third. It took some time, but the Diamondbacks worked their way back into it. After struggling early, Josh Collmenter quieted the Rockies bats over his final four innings and Trevor Cahill did the same while getting six outs. Paul Goldscmidt gave Arizonas offence a little life in the eighth inning, hitting a solo homer off Adam Ottavino. In the ninth, the Diamondbacks strung together a string of two-strike hits to load the bases against Rex Brothers, and Prado tied it at 4 with a two-run single up the middle. Addison Reed (1-2) kept the Rockies in check by stranding a runner at third in the 10th inning and Montero, after a couple of misses, ended it with his first career walkoff hit, a towering homer to right off Tommy Kahnle (2-1). Montero was mobbed as he crossed the plate and was treated to a dirt bath -- an Arizona walkoff tradition -- that was a nice release for a team that had won two of its first 13 games at Chase Field. "We needed that," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. "It was good that the guys hung in there." The Rockies certainly didnt want to end their six-game road trip this way. Colorado won four of the first give games and appeared to be in control after Lyles pitched six effective innings. But the Rockies lost the lead after Brothers struggled to put away hitters and the game when Montero hit a 1-2 fastball over the wall. Nolan Arenado extended his majors-best hitting streak to 20 games with a single in the sixth inning for Colorado, which had three hits after the third innning. Steve Grogan Jersey. "We had the game in control it looked like for most of the game, so it was a tough one to lose," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "It is always tough when you dont put games away." The Rockies beat up on Arizonas pitching the first two games of the series, with 13 runs and 23 hits, including 12 for extra bases. They kept it up early against Collmenter -- with a little help from the right-hander. Gonzalez got it going in the first inning, eking a two-run homer just over the wall in the right. Collmenter had a wild pitch to advance Jordan Pacheco to third in the second inning, but got a break when he was called out on appeal for leaving the base too early on a fly to right. Lyles led off the third with his first homer on Sept. 30, 2012, with the Astros at Milwaukee, and Collmenter followed with another wild pitch that scored Charlie Blackmon to put Colorado up 4-0. Collmenter settled in after that, retiring 10 straight batters until Arenados two-out single in the sixth inning. Collmenter allowed four runs on seven hits in seven innings. "He really started getting the ball down, locating better, getting his curveball down," Gibson said. "He was much more effective and to throw seven innings like that was really what we needed." That kept the Diamondbacks in it, but they couldnt get much going against Lyles. Prado hit a one-out triple off Lyles in the first inning, but was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a grounder by Goldschmidt. Arizona loaded the bases against Lyles in the sixth, scoring just one run, on Aaron Hills groundout. The Diamondbacks struggled in a similar situation the night before, failing to score with the bases loaded and no outs in a 5-4 loss to the Rockies. Unlike the night before, Arizona found a way to win it when Brothers couldnt put hitters away, particularly Prado, whos tying hit came with two strikes. "One pitch away from that game being in the books. No doubt about it," Brothers said. "I didnt execute. Bottom line. I didnt execute a pitch." NOTES: Arizonas starters have allowed 28 homers, most in the majors. ... Colorados Justin Morneau went 0 for 4 to end a 13-game hitting streak. ... The Diamondbacks have Thursday off before starting a three-game road series against San Diego with RHP Bronson Arroyo on the mound. ... RHP Juan Nicasio pitches for Colorado against the New York Mets on Thursday to start a six-game homestand. 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