Sharp scores in OT for Blackhawks

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. Detroit won 3-2 in the first extra period Tuesday night.

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.

Early in the second, Chicago's Duncan Keith fired a long shot from behind the left circle and the puck deflected off Pahlsson and went through Chris Osgood's legs to make it 3-0.

Chicago's Brent Seabrook sent a slap shot from the high slot on the power play in the opening period and Sharp deflected it in. The score came halfway through a four-minute penalty on Detroit's Dan Cleary for high sticking.

Sixty-five seconds later, the Blackhawks made it 2-0 when Ladd jammed in his own rebound, with the puck just trickling over the goal line.

As Havlat looked down to find the puck near the boards, Kronwall crashed into him and drove him to the ice at 13:08 of the first. Havlat, who led the Blackhawks during the regular season with 77 points, appeared dazed as he stayed down for several minutes before being helped off the ice by a teammate and a trainer.

Notes: The Blackhawks are 3-1 in overtime this postseason. ... Kirk Maltby returned to Detroit's lineup after missing three games as a healthy scratch. ... Waving to the crowd from a box were former Blackhawks star Bobby Hull and ex-Bulls great Michael Jordan, who was wearing a No. 23 Blackhawks jersey.