Mikael Samuelsson scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, Roberto Luongo made 30 saves and the Canucks moved to within a victory of sweeping the defending Stanley Cup champions, beating the Blackhawks 3-2 last night in Chicago.

Vancouver, with the best record in the NHL during the regular season, leads the first-round series 3-0 and can finish it off tomorrow night at United Center.

Christian Ehrhoff and Daniel Sedin also scored for the Canucks, eliminated by the Blackhawks in the first round the previous two seasons.

Duncan Keith and Patrick Sharp had power-play goals for the Blackhawks, but it was a night of missed chances for Chicago. The Blackhawks had seven power-play opportunities overall, including a 5-on-3 in the first period when they led 1-0, but were turned away by Luongo and the Canucks’ penalty kill.

Samuelsson, who missed Game 2 with an illness, scored on a second rebound at 6:48 of the third after a first attempt by Henrik Sudin went off goalie Corey Crawford.

Predators 4, Ducks 3

In Nashville, Mike Fisher scored the go-ahead goal at 10:21 of the third period, and Nashville took advantage of Bobby Ryan sitting out the first of his two-game suspension by beating Anaheim to take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.

The NHL suspended Ryan on Saturday for stomping Predators defenseman Jonathon Blum’s foot late in the Ducks’ 5-3 victory Friday night. Ryan also will miss Game 4 on Wednesday night in Nashville.

Martin Erat had a power-play goal and an assist for Nashville.