THISCLOSE

"You hear that, Mr. Anderson? That is the sound of inevitability... it is the sound of your death. Goodbye, Mr. Anderson..."

Alright, so you don't exactly want to identify your team with the bad guy from the Matrix, especially using a quote that immediately precedes him getting run over by a train. But it's a pretty bad ass line all the same, and it sums up how I see these next two games.

I would have felt better about delivering that line after a Game 3 or Game 4 victory, but given the way we won Game 5, I'm just about that confident in the Hawks taking this series. I'd prefer to win it Wednesday, because who needs anymore drama. But I have every faith we'll win it one way or another. The Hawks are just the superior club and they've shown they can live up to that, especially when it's needed most.

The Flyers had all the momentum, all the confidence, and their best chance to win the series. If they came out gangbusters, if they got this young Hawks team on the ropes, the doubt would have smothered the rink. The fans would have gone silent. And all the pressure of being the prohibitive favorites, of having a 2-0 lead, of this giant bandwagon of Chicago hockey fans looking to break a near half-century Cup drought, it all would have combined to put the Hawks in a real bad place if things went wrong from the get go.

The Flyers knew this was a huge opportunity. They also knew that it wasn't gonna be easy to win in Chicago. They had every reason to be up for this game, every reason to keep playing the same great hockey they had since the third period of Game 2. Know what? I think they did play well. I don't think the Flyers failed to show up. And I don't think they made any major mistakes, such as what the Hawks kept doing in Game 4.

Nope, the Flyers just ran into a freakin buzz saw. They saw what we fans have seen throughout the season, but not nearly enough of late. They saw the full force of the best team in the NHL when it plays completely up to its abilities.

I knew something was up when Toews, winged by new linemates Hossa and Kopecky, came up the ice on his first shift and threw a bit of razzle dazzle at the Flyers blueliners. The kind of fancy maneuvering that led to those two highlight reel goals when he first came up. The kind of play I had honestly forgotten he could make.

Maybe it was because he's been paired with Kane and therefore assumed a more grindy, support role. Maybe it was because he knew he hadn't lived up to what the Hawks needed of him this series. Maybe it's because he didn't want to be the Captain of a heavy favorite who blew a 2-0 lead.

Whatever it was, that rush up ice to start the game told me all I needed to know. It didn't matter that it didn't even lead to a chance. All that mattered is I saw a spark in Toews, in the Hawks, that I hadn't seen in a while. They were going to attack. And they were going to attack with their full arsenal.

It's a testament to this Hawks team that they had reeled off six straight Ws against the Sharks and Flyers - easily the other two best teams in the NHL - without playing their best hockey. But seeing how they played in the first period, that became abundantly clear. As good as the Hawks had played to win all those tight games, they still had another gear.

And wow was it fun to watch them shift into it. I was a little nervous at first - we were utterly dominating the Flyers, winning every battle, making every shift look like a power play, creating chance after chance and never seeing an ounce of pressure back the other way. But we didn't have anything to show for it - would this just be another stretch of hot play to be eventually countered by a similar stretch in the Flyers' favor?

Nope. 12 minutes in, Seabrook jumped into the play perfectly, takes a beauty feed from Versteeg, and buries a power play goal. Three minutes later, Bolland adds another. Three minutes later, Versteeg gets his. A total clinic. Not just the Hawks' best period of hockey in these playoffs, but arguably the best period of hockey the Hawks have delivered all year. They were that dominant. Every single player, every single shift. It was an impressive 20 minutes.

But it's more than just that nasty first period that has me so confident. Just as important was how we responded in the second and third. The Flyers score? We'd score. Every time. Game ends, that three goal still lead stands. Sure, it wasn't a dramaless blow out, but it also was never less than a 2-goal game, and any time the Hawks needed a goal, they delivered.

Simply put - in the biggest game all year, facing the best team playing their best hockey, the Hawks showed themselves to be, in every way, the superior team, from start to finish. And they'll do it again, one more time.


Much has been made of it, but I've got to echo the calls about how brilliant JQ's line shake-ups were. The best testament to a good decision is when it seems so obvious after the fact. Toews and Hossa together - of course pairing our best two all-around players, two guys who thrive together on the PK already, would bring out the best in both. And throwing Kopecky up there with them - the guy works his tail off and with as much talent as Toews and Hossa have, all you need out of their third is energy.

Moving Kane back with Sharp? Kane needs someone to profit from his great play and no one, not Toews, not Hossa, makes the most of Kane-produced opportunities like Sharp. Ladd? The size, the defensive tenacity, and just enough skating and puck skill to hang with Kane and Sharp.

Dropping Buff all the way down to the Bolland-Versteeg pair? Versteeg is an under-rated playmaker, Bolland a great facilitator - they just need someone who's gonna create some space for them to work in and bury the chances they produce. Who better than Big Buff, inspired by the opportunities afforded to him by not being shadowed every shift by Pronger?

And let's not forget putting Brouwer down with Eager and Madden. Madden is a long-proven plus defensive center, Eager an outstanding energy-type who's shown he can create a bit of offense with his speed and surprising skill. Throw in a talent like Brouwer, capable of handling the puck and scoring, while also playing strong D, and you've got a fourth line that can skate with anyone.

Man were those lines fun to watch. And boy can I not wait to see them go to town again on Wednesday. Sure, Philly will make their adjustments. Sure, just being at home will be an advantage. And as we've seen before, the Flyers know how to win when their backs are against the wall. I'm not just talking about the 3-0 Bruins deficits, but also the two must-wins they took against the Hawks already.

But I do believe JQ is on to something with these groups. And I do think the Hawks now realize what I've said before every series - if the Hawks out-work their opponent, they will be victorious in a 7-game series. Period.

So that's what I'm looking for in Game 6 - the Hawks to come out with the same intensity, the same go-get-em they showed in Game 5. To bring the same type of puck-dominating offensive onslaught they showed in period one. And the same ability to answer every Flyers' push with one of their own.

To beat the Sharks, the Hawks had to play within themselves, lock down on D, and take advantage of every counter-attack opportunity they had. But against these Flyers, that has not been the case. The Hawks still need to keep their heads defensively, to win board battles and loose pucks in their zone, and to lock down skaters in front of their own net. But what's more important is bringing sustained offensive pressure built upon puck possession, winning board battles and loose pucks in the neutral and offensive zones, and constant movement.

Because when the Hawks are in control of the puck and in their cycle game, the Flyers just cannot hang. That's what the first period was all about - the Hawks just moved that puck from one place to another in the offensive zone with ease and control, and with each movement the Flyers defensive efforts became more disorganized, forfeited more space, and just wore down.

Not only does this create the offensive chances the Hawks need, but it also keeps the Flyers from bringing their own fearsome attack to bear. And the Hawks now have four lines capable of making that happen. Four lines capable of the long stretches of possession that cut the heart out of a team. Even a team with as big of a heart as the Flyers clearly have.

So sit back, relax and strap it down, because the Hawks proved they know what it takes in Game 5, and they aren't likely to forget it before Game 6.


ps: Had a fun bit of attention cast my way by the Trib in this article. That also led to being on WGN 720's Morning Show for a quick Q&A with their host about superstitions.

This has not been an easy superstition to stick with, given how cute Lil is in her Hawks gear: