The St. Louis Blues will try to put the defending Stanley Cup champions on the ropes when they visit the Chicago Blackhawks for Game 3 of the Western Conference quarterfinals on Monday. The team will be without David Backes however, after the Blues captain left Game 2 early in the third period after a hit from Blackhawks defenceman Brent Seabrook. Patrik Berglund will take Backes spot in the lineup. St. Louis has jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series thanks to a pair of victories on home ice. Both games have gone beyond regulation, with the Blues beating Chicago 4-3 in triple overtime on Thursday before taking Saturdays OT battle by the same score. The Blackhawks won their second Stanley Cup title in four years in 2013, but the reigning champs need to turn things around on home ice in Games 3 and 4 or they could face an early exit from this springs postseason. Chicago did lose in the opening round in consecutive seasons after winning the Cup in 2010. Chicago had an excellent opportunity to tie the series on Saturday, as the Blackhawks overcame an early 2-0 deficit in Game 2 to grab a 3-2 edge in the third period. However, Vladimir Tarasenkos power-play goal tied the game with just 6.4 seconds remaining in regulation and Barret Jackman scored 5:50 into OT to hand St. Louis a 2-0 lead in the series. The Blues now have a commanding hold on the best-of-seven series heading into Mondays Game 3, though Blues goaltender Ryan Miller said he knows its been a lot closer than that. "The way these games have gone, you have to respect the fact that Chicago was a shot away in both of these games, too," said Miller. "Thats the weird part about hockey." Chicago snapped a lengthy shutout streak by Miller to get back in Saturdays game. But after three Chicago Blackhawks defensemen scored three straight goals against Miller, one of them took a series-changing penalty that the Blues exploited for the comeback victory. Brent Seabrooks charging major due to a check against Blues center David Backes led to Tarasenkos tying goal in the closing seconds of the third period. Millers shutout streak of 119 minutes and 27 seconds since allowing three goals on seven shots in the first period of Game 1 was snapped when Duncan Keith scored with 2:35 left in the second period to get the Blackhawks on the board. Seabrook and Michal Rozsival then beat Miller 1:45 apart in the third period to give the Blackhawks the 3-2 lead, but Chicago was later done in by Seabrooks game misconduct with 4:51 left in regulation. Skating near full speed, Seabrook checked Backes in the face with his right shoulder, sending him head-first into the corner boards and sparking a scrum between the teams as Backes tried to get back on his feet. The St. Louis captain left the game after the hit and did not return. The fallout from the hit continues into Mondays game, as Backes status for Game 3 is up in the air. Seabrook, meanwhile, was suspended three games for the illegal check and defenseman Nick Leddy expects to enter Chicagos lineup in his absence. Initially it appeared Chicago may survive Seabrooks penalty and win Game 2. The Blackhawks killed off an initial 46-second 5-on-3 and were seconds from escaping with the win before Tarasenko beat Corey Crawford to the near side with a long shot from above the right circle. "Youre right there -- six seconds away," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "The other game was tough losing it with a buck and change (left) but today was brutal." The Blues converted only one of their nine power-play opportunities in the game, but they made that one goal count. After the break, Jackmans winner from the left boards squirted in between Crawfords legs with Max Lapierre creating a screen in front. Chris Porter and Kevin Shattenkirk scored first-period goals to give the Blues the early lead. Miller ended with 25 saves. "The way these games have gone, you have to respect the fact that Chicago was a shot away in both of these games, too," said Miller. "Thats the weird part about hockey." Crawford stopped 27 shots in the loss for the Blackhawks, who have received five of their six goals in the series from defensemen. Chicago hopes to regroup at the United Center, where it posted an impressive 27-7-7 record this season. That included a 2-0-1 record against the Blues during the five-game season series. The Blackhawks, of course, are no stranger to mounting postseason comebacks. Chicago trailed Boston 2-1 in the Cup Finals a year ago before winning three straight to take the series and also overcame a 3-1 deficit to eliminate Detroit in the 2013 Western Conference semifinals. Game 4 of this series is scheduled for Wednesday at the United Center. In addition to Backes, the Blues also could be without forwards Patrik Berglund (sprained shoulder) and Brenden Morrow (bruised foot) on Monday. Berglund has yet to play in this series and expects to be out again in Game 3, while Morrow sat out Game 2 and is questionable for this evenings test. Mike Singletary Bears Jersey . It was well worth the wait. Manning and the Denver Broncos waited eight long months, then another 33 minutes to get the season started because of a lightning storm. Walter Payton Jersey .C. -- LeBron James called comments on an audio recording of a man identified as Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling "appalling" and said hes not sure if he would suit up for the remainder of the NBA playoffs if he played for the Clippers. http://www.bearsfootballpro.com/Authentic_Dan-Hampton_Bears_Jersey/ . -- Creighton apparently has Villanovas number. Mike Ditka Womens Jersey . At this point, even he isnt sure when it is going to stop. The right-hander dropped his fourth straight decision in Los Angeles 6-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night, leaving his status very much in doubt as the Dodgers prepare for the stretch drive. David Montgomery Bears Jersey . - After spending the morning in the hospital, Logan Couture gave the San Jose Sharks the spark they needed.Brazil wary of Chile threat (TSN 1050, TSN 690, TSN 1200, TEAM 1410) South American rivals Brazil and Chile open up the second round of the World Cup at the Estadio Mineirao on Saturday in an intriguing contest. It is also a matchup that Brazil head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari believes will be a serious test for his side. "If I could choose another opponent, I would," Scolari said a few days ago when asked about playing Chile. "I think theyre the trickiest side we could have been drawn against. They have everything." Chile advanced to the knockout round from a difficult Group B that included the Netherlands, Spain and Australia. La Roja started its tournament with wins over Australia and Spain to book a place in the next round before sitting a few key players in the group finale against the Netherlands, which topped Chile, 2-0, to win the group. One of the players that Chile head coach Jorge Sampaoli decided to rest against the Dutch was midfielder Arturo Vidal, who underwent knee surgery prior to the start of the tournament and who is expected to come straight back into the lineup against the hosts on Saturday. Vidal, along with Alexis Sanchez and Charles Aranguiz, will provide the biggest offensive threats for Chile, which will hope to exploit a Brazil back line that tends to get forward a lot and could be susceptible to counter attacks. As expected, Brazil finished atop Group A after wins over Croatia and Cameroon and a 0-0 draw with Mexico. The Selecao netted seven goals in three group-stage matches, including four from star forward Neymar, despite not appearing to hit top gear. Now, Scolari knows his team must take its play to the next level to get past a tough Chile side. "I hope that Chile dont qualify for the last 16," the coach said back in December after the draw for the World Cup. "I would prefer to face any other side. They are intelligent and their style of play doesnt suit us. It would be better to play against a European team." Scolari didnt get his wish, but his team may be able to exploit a height advantage against Chile to get to the quarterfinals. Against Australia in the group stage, Chiles shorter defenders struggled to cope with the aerial threat of Tim Cahill, while the Dutch scored on a header from Leroy Fer in the second half of the group finale to take the lead. Brazil should be a real threat from any set-piece opportunity in the attacking third with players like Fred, David Luiz and Thiago Silva able to get on the other end of crosses. Neymar has been as good as advertised so far, while Brazils threat in the air will also pose a stiff challenge for the Chileans. A win for Chile would give the club its first berth in the quarterfinals at a World Cup since 1962, and Sanchez is confident that his side will make history. "We have respect for them [Brazil] but I think we are going to beat them," he said. "We came to this World Cup to make history. We beat the world champions and, although we had a slip-up against Holland, we are going out to try and win the Cup." Colombia squares off with Suarez-less Uruguay (TSN 1050, TSN 1200, TEAM 1410) Uruguay has attracted plenty of attention at the 2014 World Cup, and not always for the right reasons, but the team will attempt to put its distractions aside against an impressive Colombia outfit at the Maracana on Saturday in the round of 16.dddddddddddd. Uruguay forward Luis Suarez has been a lightning rod for attention in Brazil, first sitting out his teams 3-1 defeat to Costa Rica after knee surgery, and then making a triumphant return against England that saw him score twice in a 2-1 Uruguay win. But the Liverpool striker stunned the soccer world by biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini in the second half of Uruguays 1-0 win in the group-stage finale to book a place in the second round. Suarez was not punished on the field, but FIFAs Disciplinary Committee came down hard on him after reviewing the incident, banning Suarez for nine international matches and from all football-related activity for four months. The loss of Suarez will put added pressure on forward Edinson Cavani, whose only goal so far in the tournament was a penalty kick in the opening match. Veteran Diego Forlan is expected to come in for Suarez, but this team has so far looked like a much different side with Suarez in the lineup than without him. Uruguay needed a win over Italy in its final Group D match to advance, and it wasnt Suarez who provided the difference, rather it was defender Diego Godin. The Atletico Madrid man scored the goal that clinched La Liga for his side in the final game of the season in May, while he also put Atletico ahead with a goal in the Champions League final. And he popped up once again to head home the winning goal against Italy in the final 10 minutes. "We didnt make it easy for ourselves, starting the way we did, and it was a miracle that we pulled it off in the end," Godin said of his team finally securing a place in the knockout round. "Now we can start thinking about the last 16, but no further. We respect everyone but fear no one." Godin will need to be on top of his game defensively if Uruguay is to reach the quarterfinals because his team is coming up against a Colombia side that has been one of the most impressive at the tournament so far. The Colombians won all three of their group-stage matches by a combined score of 9-2, with midfielder James Rodriguez turning in an especially impressive performance. The 22-year-old Monaco man has netted three goals with three assists so far, and along with Juan Cuadrado, Teofilo Gutierrez and Jackson Martinez, Godin and Uruguay will have their hands full. Colombia has also enjoyed some incredibly vocal support from its fans, making its three group matches feel like home games according to 21-year-old midfielder Juan Quintero. "Its like were playing in Barranquilla," Quintero said of the support Colombia has received. "The fans are 100 percent behind us and that makes us feel great. Were playing for our people and we want to make them as happy as we can." A win over Uruguay on Saturday would no doubt please Colombian supporters, especially since it would mark the first time that Colombia has ever advanced to the quarterfinals at a World Cup. ' ' '