Brandsegg-Nygård lifts Griffins past Wolves in overtime, avoid sweep

Grand Rapids was staring at the edge of a sweep, then Michael Brandsegg-Nygård changed the whole feel of the Central Division finals with one rush through the middle of the ice. His goal 9:22 into overtime gave the Griffins a 4-3 victory over Chicago in Game 3 on Tuesday night at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., and kept the top seed from sliding into a 3-0 hole.

The rookie forward’s finish was more than a winning shot. It was the kind of playoff moment that can reset a series. Sheldon Dries won a defensive-zone faceoff back to Erik Gustafsson, Gustafsson sent a long outlet pass, and Brandsegg-Nygård collected it near center ice before splitting two defenders and backhanding the puck past Cayden Primeau. It was his fourth goal of the postseason and his third game-winner, a strong marker of how often Grand Rapids has trusted him in decisive moments.

The Griffins needed every bit of it after building an early lead and then watching Chicago answer again. Carter Mazur and John Leonard scored in the first 4:30 to put Grand Rapids up 2-0, the second straight game the Griffins jumped out fast. Chicago responded with goals from Domenick Fensore, Justin Robidas and Felix Unger Sörum, clawing in front 3-2 before Tyler Angle, back in the lineup after being scratched in Game 2, tied it in the second period.

Grand Rapids tilted the third period heavily in its favor, outshooting Chicago 17-3 and finishing with a 46-20 edge overall, but Primeau kept the Wolves alive with 42 saves. Michal Postava, making his seventh consecutive playoff start, stopped 17 shots and turned aside three more in overtime as the Griffins finally broke through on their lone chance that mattered most.

The result cut Chicago’s series lead to 2-1 and shifted real pressure into Game 4 on Thursday night in Rosemont. Chicago had spent the first three games proving it could recover from early holes, but this one forced the Wolves to absorb a different kind of momentum swing. Grand Rapids, the Central Division’s top seed, avoided the kind of defeat that can drain a postseason almost instantly and instead turned a near-disaster into proof that the series was still unsettled.

The matchup now looks far less comfortable for Chicago than it did before overtime. Grand Rapids has already shown it can attack early, dictate stretches of play and survive when the game tightens. Game 4 will tell whether Brandsegg-Nygård’s defining goal was only a rescue, or the moment the Griffins truly took control of the series.