There Can Be Only One!

So Highlander has a cool concept and a sweet name, but otherwise it's a pretty terrible movie. What can you expect from a film that casts the eminently Scottish Sean Connery as a Spaniard and the Swiss-raised Christopher Lambert as a Scotsman? Still, the tagline is about the best in all of movies and fitting for what sits ahead for the Hawks.

It's easy to get caught up in the hype with the Hawks this season as a team of destiny. The franchise has followed a pretty movie-like storyline. They quietly accrued assets, breaking through on the ice just as the evil old man died and the reigns were passed to someone who wanted nothing more than to appease the fans. A comeback year in 07-08 ended just short of a playoff bid, but the buzz was there. A breakout season in 08-09 ended in a bitter Western Conference Finals defeat to the Wings, but the belief now seemed justified.

And then this year, the Hawks spend all season as one of the premier teams in the league, a team inferior to none and capable of anything. The playoffs somehow get easier as the team gets closer to the Cup. First they outlast the feisty Preds, then they battle but ultimately show clear dominance over the Canucks, and finally they utterly destroy the Sharks, but do so in a way that still showcases just how good the Sharks are (and thus how much of an accomplishment that sweep was).

Yes, everything seems to have been scripted for this team. Hell, we even have the perfect cast of characters, from an owner with a name straight out of one of the great movies ever made, to an "odd couple" of young superstars. The supporting cast couldn't be better - a mustachioed coach, a heart-and-soul blueliner who forfeits seven teeth but returns to help finish the series, a big friendly giant with a flair for the dramatic.

And now, to close it all out, the Hawks will face a team with a nice bit of history, a nice crew of quality players - just enough to make for a good foil as they take the final steps to hoisting the Cup.


But here's the thing - the Flyers have a bit of a team of destiny thing going themselves, and only one of us can live out the happy ending. Like the Hawks, it's been a long while since the Flyers won a Cup (1975, the second of the Broad Street Bullies' back-to-back titles). Like Chicago, Philly is fairly championship starved, with only a single baseball title in recent memory and not a whole lot as you go further back.

And like our current Hawks squad, this Flyers team has a nice bit of recent history going. The Lindros era, began with so much hoopla and hope, ended without a Cup in 2000, when he was stripped of his captaincy after publicly criticizing the team doctors for not diagnosing one of his many concussions. The Flyers were able to retool on the fly and lost a heart-breaking conference finals to the Lightning in 2004.

That team featured a hell of a lot of guys you'd recognize - including ex-Hawks Amonte, Roenick, Zhamnov, Jeff Hackett, and Eric Weinrich, as well as a pair of future Hawks who's time here was cut short due to injury - Michal Handzus and Kim Johnsson (remember him!). The lock-out would follow and the Flyers would come out of it looking very different.

After a respectable but disappointing 05-06 (101 points, lost in the first round), the Flyers tanked in 06-07, netting a whopping 56 points. But that allowed the team to refocus itself on a number of youngsters who helped their minor league club win the AHL. In 07-08 the Flyers barely made the playoffs, but got hot and reached the Conference Finals before the upstart Penguins knocked them off in 5 games.

The table was set and 08-09 was to be a great year... and in a lot of ways it was, as the team potted 99 points and scored a ton of goals. But they had the bad luck of facing the Penguins in the first round and again were knocked out by their in-state rivals.

This year they seemed to have taken another step back, barely qualifying for the playoffs with an overtime winner in their last game. Their reward - the Devils, as always a defensive powerhouse that now featured two of the game's top scorers in Kovalchuk and Parise.

The Flyers trounced them 4-1 in the only non-dramatic series in the whole first round. That series had nothing on what the Flyers just did to the Canadiens. Taking out Game 3, the Flyers just advanced to the Cup Finals by out-scoring Montreal 16-2 in their four victories. Read that again. 16-2. Against a team that had just knocked off both the Caps and the Penguins.

In between those? The Flyers just happened to manage one of the most memorable comebacks of all time, returning from a 3-0 deficit in a series and a 3-0 deficit in Game 7 to edge the Bruins.

And they've done it with an under-rated horde of talent. Like high-flying youngsters? Captain #18 Mike Richards was a part of Team Canada, is a back-to-back 30-goal scorer, and lead the team in points both in the regular and post-season. #17 Jeff Carter had 46 goals last year, 33 this year, and despite being limited to only 6 post-season games, still has netted four goals. They're both only 25. #28 Claude Giroux is only 22, but he has managed 74 points in his 126 NHL games.

Like proven vets? #48 Danny Briere has long been a guaranteed 25-35 goals every season, this year being no different, and until recently had been a point-per-game producer. #12 Simon Gagne potted 40 goals twice in a row a few seasons back and was able to score 17 (and assisted on 23 others) in only 58 games this year. #19 Scott Hartnell slumped to only 14 goals this year, but he's generally been good for 20-30 and a similar amount of helpers.

That's a pretty dangerous group right there, fully capable of scoring in bunches and keeping a team on its heels. But it's not all offense for these Flyers - the fact that two different goalies have been able to play so far above themselves in the Philly net this post-season speaks to how solid the defense is.

#20 Chris Pronger and #44 Kimmo Timonen are long-proven, highly reliable, impact vets. Especially Pronger, a guy who's done nothing but carry teams to the Finals since leaving the black hole of mediocrity that is the St. Louis Blues. In the past five years he's taken three different teams there - first losing a heart-breaker with the Oilers, then winning with the Ducks, before finally getting back again this year. None of those teams were clear Cup contenders before he got there.

Pronger and Timonen log heavy minutes, factor into the offense, and are the backbone of this squad. They each skate with a youngsters, both 25, who also log heavy minutes (about 25 a night) in #25 Matt Carle and #5 Braydon Coburn. All four have played like plus NHL defensemen these playoffs.

Of course, as any good Hawks fan knows, defense also requires strong work from the forwards, and while I can't speak to specifically who can do what, the great play of the Philly netminders speaks to a forward group that gets how to play in their own end.


Looking at this squad, I definitely have a healthy respect. First and most obviously, you don't reach the Cup Finals without having a hell of a lot of something. You've just beaten three straight playoff hockey teams in seven games series - that automatically means you're a highly capable squad and that you're on your game. Second, this club can definitely score and will do so from more than just one line. Third, this club has some legit blueliners who will answer the bell and forwards who help the defensive cause.

On top of all that, they've got a goalie who is red hot. After taking over for Brian Boucher in the midst of that stunning 3-0 turnaround (Boucher won Game 4 and played the first 25 minutes of Game 5), Michael Leighton has absolutely romped for all but two brief stretches.

The first was the three goal hole he put his team into in Game 7 against Bruins. But like his teammates, Leighton wouldn't quit and stoned the Bruins the rest of the way. This after he shut them out for the final 35 minutes in Game 5, pivotal not only because it made the series competitive again, but because those 35 minutes were the first Leighton had played in two months.

Leighton's other letdown was Game 3 against the Habs, when he got lit up for 5 goals. Taking that out, Leighton allowed only two goals in their wins, both in Game 5, and before that threw shut-outs in Games 1, 2, and the crucial Game 4. Throw in the fact that the previously red hot Boucher is back from an injury in case Leighton does falter, and the Flyers can have some confidence of a strong presence in the net this series.

In all, this is a team I fully expect to win two games from the Hawks. I know, I know, you're thinking that after romping the Sharks and facing an unheralded team from the helter skelter Eastern Conference, it just feels like the Hawks should cruise straight on to the Cup, right? Tickets for Game 5? Why bother?

Why, indeed. Maybe because the Preds pail in comparison to the Flyers in most respects, and yet Nashville was able to take two from the Hawks. The Canucks don't have an ounce of the playoff moxie the Flyers do, and still Vancouver took a pair from us. And let's not forget the sweep of the Sharks featured four straight games that were in doubt until the final minute. Six goals over four games - that's what the Hawks snuck by on.


But you know what? I don't see these Flyers taking any more than the two wins I now will expect from every team in every single NHL playoff series. Sure, the Flyers have a bunch of scorers. So too did the Canucks and Sharks. Those teams had front lines as good as any in hockey and secondary scoring that was top flight. Yet they still couldn't consistently solve the Hawks.

As I wrote in my last post, what I saw of the Hawks in those first couple of Sharks games was amazing. They turned into a lockdown defensive team, with all five skaters thinking defense first and doing everything they could in every facet of the game to keep a high-powered offense out of the back of the net for four straight games. With that approach, that ability, I don't see how the Flyers are going to break through enough times over a seven games series.

That's especially true because I've got a lot of faith in the Hawks O. Sure the Flyers have some nice defensemen and a hot goalie, but two things jump out to me. First, the Flyers allowed as many goals in the regular season as the Preds and more than both the Sharks and the Canucks. Since the Hawks got their heads out of their butts after Game 3 in Nashville, they've averaged around four goals a game. What reliable evidence is there that the Flyers are really going to be able to do any better defensively than the Hawks previous playoff opponents?

It sure isn't their defensive depth - if the Flyers are expecting their four defensemen to skate for 25+ minutes each against the three high-powered, uber-athletic lines the Hawks throw out there, we are going to see a lot of late-game breakdowns and a series that may start close but gets away from them after Game 3 or 4. Especially because the Flyers like to play a fast-paced game themselves, how are these four going to have the legs, especially when two of them are 35?

That leads into my second reason for faith in the Hawks - the Flyers haven't faced anything that resembles a good offense. Boston? Second worst in the league. Not second worst of the playoff teams, 2nd worst O in the whole league during the 82-game regular season. Habs? Eighth worst. And they were exhausted after two brutal 7-game series against the Caps and Penguins. New Jersey? Even with Parise and Kovalchuck for the final month, still 12th worst.

Those were defense-first teams that scored just enough to get by. In the Hawks, the Flyers are facing a team every bit as good defensively as Philly's previous opponents (if not better), but with an offense that is light years beyond what Philly has seen so far. Not only will the pure talent and execution level of the Hawks O be brutal for the Flyers to hang with, but it'll also be a hell of a transition to go from the hapless Bruins and exhausted Habs to one of the most dynamic offenses in the entire league.


The one wild card? Mental approach. As I've said before every series and has been proven true - if the Hawks outwork their opponent, they will win a 7-game series. It is the same this time around, and I actually think the Hawks have more room for error than they did against the Sharks, possibly more than they did against the Canucks.

However, things have suddenly changed. I noticed when I was at Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals that there weren't all kinds of fans carrying homemade Stanley Cups, as is so common in most other stadiums throughout the playoffs. Some of it is that Chicago hockey fans are WAY out of practice - we haven't regularly been going to the playoffs since the mid 90s.

But some of it is the simple lack of awareness of what was really happening. Hawks fans were taking each game as it was. Sure we overlooked the Preds a bit, but come Vancouver and San Jose, everything was about the game at hand. The Cup was the ultimate goal, but it didn't seem that much closer as an end point than it had during the regular season. The stakes were raised, but it still just felt like we had to win that night so that someday, down the road, we'd be able to lift that Cup.

Well, not that has seemed to change. Reality has set in and it's clear to us all that we're playing for the big prize. The thing many of us didn't think we'd ever get to, but had slowly started believing in with the start of the Rocky Wirtz era. And now we've had a whole week to get all hot and bothered over it all.

Here's the thing - if the Cup has suddenly become a very real possibility to us fans, it's probably become so to the players. These guys are human and for most of them, except Hossa, this is their first shot at truly winning a Cup. Sure, Kopecky and Ladd have before, but they weren't key pieces, as they'd be now. So the big question is how will these kids respond to their first upclose brush with the Cup?


If the Hawks are able to put it all out of their minds, not only the distraction but the false sense of their inevitability, then they will win this series. I have zero doubt of that. But if the hoopla proves to be too much, the Flyers, just like the Preds and the Canucks, will make them pay. Fail to show up a couple of times, catch a bad break, run into a stellar goalie performance... getting to four losses can come quick if you're giving games away.

However, I don't see that happening. I've got faith in the mental make-up of this team. Maybe one misstep this series, but not two. While they would dig themselves a hole by giving away a game, the Hawks are superior enough to overcome. And that's assuming the Flyers play their best hockey start to finish. With a journeyman goalie, a thin defensive corp, and an offense no better than what the Hawks have already shut down, I'm not counting on the Flyers bringing anything near the pressure the Sharks did for four straight.


So, to me, we're this close. The Hawks will not be denied IF they bring it every game. And what then? Well, I think this incredibly well done new commercial by the NHL pretty much sums up how we'll all feel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlHgRl2iHaA

Halfway Home

In an effort to remain consistent, I do have to point out that the Hawks still have really only won the two games I expect every NHL team to win in any series. The Sharks are still very much in this, fully capable of taking the next two and erasing all that the Hawks have accomplished at this point. On top of that, the Sharks would have grabbed the home ice, momentum, and confidence edge that now all sit in the Hawks' corner.

However, there's no denying that in addition to the home ice, momentum, and confidence edge they earned, the Hawks also have two very impressive advantages:

1) If the Hawks win tonight, it's all but over. Rarely in a hockey series do you get a kill shot before you've won three games.

2) If the Hawks take one of the next two, it's kinda almost all but over. Rarely in a hockey series can you afford to give a game away and still be in a prime position.

My hope - that the Hawks are completely and totally focused on #1 and don't even consider #2. I want them out for blood tonight - playing with a tenacity, a desperation, of a team who knows this game could decide the whole series.

The Hawks made the mistake of bringing a #2 mindset into a couple of games against both the Preds and Canucks, making both of those series closer than they should have. Instead, I want the Hawks remembering how hard they had to fight, how incredible they had to play in so many facets of the game, and even how lucky they had to be with some bounces, to win either of those games against San Jose. I want them to realize that they're gonna have to do at least that much, if not more, if they hope to win again.


That covers the mental approach - what about the strategic approach? Honestly - I want to see the same thing we've seen the first two games. And it's something we haven't seen from this team all year. In fact, I'm surprised that with all the coverage the Hawks are getting, no one is talking about it.

All season long, including in the playoffs, the Hawks have been a high-flying offensive powerhouse that has quietly had a good defense. That defense was mainly built upon puck-possession - you can't shoot what you aren't holding. The story was their shot differential - in another world from where everyone else in the league was. Even when facing the top teams, the Hawks still were coming out way ahead in shots. Even as they struggled in March, the shots still were largely in their favor. Even as the level of play shot up in the playoffs, it was still there.

Until they faced the Sharks. All of the sudden, somehow this Hawks team morphed into a defensive dynamo, built upon committing all five skaters to supporting the goalie in keeping the opponent's offense in check. Shots were to be blocked or effected. Rebounds were to be pushed to the side and then cleared. Skaters in front of the net were to be tied up, loose pucks to be pursued with a vengeance. Offense was secondary - take your chances as they came, make the most of them.

It wasn't really clear in Game 1 - the Hawks did rifle off 40 shots, not exactly a defense-first total. But think about that game for a minute. How many times did you breath a sigh of relief because you saw a puck squirt harmlessly to the boards after a barrage of activity around the Hawks net? How many times did you look up at the clock and hope the period would end so the Hawks could regroup? How many times did you want the Hawks to just dump the puck or get a whistle to end a long possession in their own end?

Now think about the other way - did you really curse the Hawks that many times for missing a prime chance? Did we have that many big offensive flurries that ended with nothing? How many great plays by Hawks skaters were really just narrowly stopped?

Simply - how often have you felt that the Sharks are bringing the pressure, making you so nervous that a puck was about to find the back of the Hawks net, versus how often you felt a bit relaxed, confident in how the Hawks had taken control of the game?

Now you look at Game 2, when the Hawks had four power plays and only 22 shots. When the Sharks had only one but got off 27. Compare that to what you generally expect from the Hawks - a 7-10 shot advantage in their favor.

The simple fact is that in this series, the Sharks have been the aggressor. They've taken the game to the Hawks offensively, put huge amounts of pressure on them in their own end. How worn out the edge of your seat is attests to that.

But, the Hawks have still been the superior team. Despite not at all playing the game they expect to, despite having the pressure tilted in their direction, the Hawks have still out-played the Sharks. In Game 1, they showed they could bounce back from an early deficit and come out ahead in a super tight game. In Game 2, they showed they could weather the Sharks storm and counter with lethal effectiveness, scoring whenever they needed to keep control of the game.

And they've done it by somehow overnight becoming a team that gets the big initial stop from their goalie, clears every rebound, works tirelessly along the boards, has a stick or body somehow effecting every shot or pass, busts ass to every loose puck.

You expect that type of play from a decent team that buys into a defensive system built upon hard work and grit in order to elevate beyond the sum of their parts. You don't expect it from an uber-talented squad with some of the top playmakers and goalscorers in the game, with offensive skill on nearly every line and pairing. A team who until now has played good defense more often by putting themselves in a position to not have to defend by dominating the puck.

I can't be more impressed or encouraged by what this team has done so far this post-season. No professional title has ever been won without a team overcoming some significant adversity. Even the 1985 Bears, the greatest pro team of all time, had to be able to bounce back from a disheartening late season loss to the Dolphins on national TV. How you respond to that adversity often tells you if a championship-contending club can actually go all the way.

The Hawks proved in the first round that they knew how to lean on their superior talent to beat a hard-charging, play above themselves team like the Preds. In the second round, the Hawks proved they could keep their heads while getting into their opponents', allowing them to control a team that wasn't too far inferior.

And now in this round, the Hawks have shown true championship character by finding something that I'm not sure we would have guessed existed, a game they hadn't been called on to play before. When the Sharks got them on their heels and kept them there, the Hawks turned into the kind of team that could dig in, not get pushed back an inch, and then muster counter-attacks which they didn't squander.

I knew the Hawks had the talent to play this way - I've long talked about how quietly impressive their defensive depth is. But I wasn't sure they had the character to do so. It's not easy to go from being the always superior club who thrives on its puck possession to being a defense-first dynamo that just won't give in. But the Hawks have done just that when facing one of the better teams in the NHL.

And you know what - if they keep it up, this series is over. If they do it again, if they continue to frustrate the Sharks offense, the wind will go out of their sails. This San Jose club is stocked with forwards who've never been able to break through in the playoffs. Forwards filled with doubt about their ability to score the needed goals. Even if the Hawks offense can't do much tonight, if they can keep the Sharks off the board, eventually the Sharks will break down.

Either they'll stop bringing the pressure, which will just open up the floodgates for one of the most potent offenses in hockey. Or they'll go the other way, start trying to do to much, and allow the Hawks lethal counterattack to pick them apart.

So my plea to the fans who will be in attendance tonight - don't fret if the Hawks aren't scoring. And don't fret if it's close, even if we're down. A close game favors the Hawks - the Sharks are the ones feeling all the pressure. Every second the Hawks keep the game in question is a second the Sharks have to play knowing that one wrong move could end their season. The longer that goes on, the more draining it will be, mentally and physically.

Just hang around - that's all the Hawks have to do. Preferably they'd come right out and end this with some early scoring, but as long as they don't let the Sharks get up more than a goal, maybe two, I like our chances. As long as they can keep frustrating the Sharks offensive efforts, I like our chances. And as long as the crowd is into it, giving something for the Hawks to feed off of for that late rush or final lockdown, I like our chances.

Three's Company

So I never got to check in after that beautiful victory over the Canucks, nor to preview this Sharks series, so now I'm just rolling those thoughts into my Game 1 post and giving you all a lot to sift through. Enjoy:


-After giving up 13 shots in the first period of Game 6 against Vancouver, it was huge to get those two quick goals to start Period 2, but it clearly wasn't enough to feel comfortable. Although the Hawks outplayed the Canucks in the second, 2-0 was not a safe lead. When Keith went ahead and got a penalty with a minute left in the period, the obvious fear was that the Canucks could steal all the momentum on their home ice by scoring, either before or right after the break.

So while I'm fretting away about that, my wife says that she hasn't seen a short-handed goal in a while and she wants one now. Ever the optimist, I start thinking that she is right, that the Hawks are the league's top shorty team and they haven't yet potted one against the Canucks. So they are kinda due. And how sweet would it be to get one now, at such a crucial juncture? And how much sweeter would it be that my wife called it?

Then about 20 seconds in, freakin Bolland steals the puck and has a beauty chance. At the same time two thoughts are going through my mind - it's funny that such a chance presents itself, but odds are Bolland doesn't do much with it, but also what if he does score this here, how freakin awesome would that be?

And holy balls that's exactly what happened! Bolland, getting hooked the whole way, somehow puts a shot past Luongo, who up until then had been playing fairly well. Game Over. Sure, a 3-0 lead going into the third isn't insurmountable, but the way the game had been flowing, you just had the confidence that this was it. And my wife saw it coming the whole way.


-I'm not sure where it came from, but JQ was rolling some very funny combinations out in Game 6, including giving some good minutes to Hendry (12 total), who had been all but buried for the last few games (averaging around 7). Eager and Burish also seemed to be logging decent ice time, while the defensive pairings were constantly mixed up.

Some of it probably had to do with being the road team, trying to match lines on the fly and thus ending up with half changes here and there. But some of it was JQ calling on his depth. Hendry, who I had recently realized was ill-prepared to be a NHL blueliner at this point, answered the bell. He sure wasn't great, but he wasn't as shaky as he had been.

The hope is that some experience and confidence is all he needs. I'm not even worried about him contributing to this playoff run, but it would be nice if he develop into a respectable (and cheap) 3rd pairing guy next season. In the meantime, all those minutes Q gave him in Game 6 seemed to help him in Game 1 with the Sharks, when he looked a bit more confident. Still a bit shaky, but definitely progressing, which is what you want and need.

I was especially pleased about Eager and Burish getting some time. They thrived in their role, flying all over the ice, beating Vancouver to open pucks, digging hard along the boards, and hitting whatever moved. They really epitomized the energy line idea and even created a few chances for themselves. As has been said over and over - the Hawks gain a huge advantage when their fourth line plays as it can. No other team can match that kind of depth.

What I dug about JQ giving Burish and Eager time in Game 6 is that it allowed him to confidently go to them again in Game 1 against the Sharks. And once again, these guys responded. I absolutely love how they get out there and play with reckless abandon. Especially because the Sharks are rolling only three lines (they dress 7 defensemen and use the extra guys mainly just on special teams), this becomes a double bonus for the Hawks.

Not only are they getting the benefits of the high energy play Burish and Eager contribute in their limited minutes, but they also get a bit of rest for their top three lines without any great detriment. Because they've got such a plus defender centering the line in Madden, because Burish and Eager actually have good speed, and because they actually have respectable skill, this 4th line really can hold its own in spot play and be a nice advantage. Keep an eye on that for the rest of this series.


-My immediate reaction to Game 1's W is all over the place. One thought - as I've said over and over, I fully expect every series to go 6 games. So just as I didn't freak out when we lost Game 1 to the Canucks and shouldn't have been too bothered when we lost Game 1 against the Preds, I can't get overly excited about this win. Because I knew the Hawks would take two games in this series. Just as I know the Sharks will come back and take a pair themselves.

However, don't take that to mean I'm not flying high about that W. There are a lot of ups and downs in a series - teams don't play to the same level every night. Sunday, you can argue that the Sharks burned one of their better performances without getting anything for it. Their skaters played well, creating shots and great scoring chances all game long. And their goalie was strong, stopping shots and flurries from start to finish. The team worked hard, won face-offs, defended well, created plays, and got shots on net and bodies out front.

Yet, despite clicking on all those levels in one night, the Sharks lost. That's a big coup for the Hawks. I just don't see the Sharks playing like that all game, every night - some aspect of their play will disappear for stretches. The Hawks were able to take a game without having the Sharks play poorly in any significant way. When San Jose inevitably does fall off a bit, the Hawks are in even better position now to make it hurt.

And unlike the Hawks' Game 1 loss to the Preds and Canucks, the Sharks don't have a ton of room for improvement. Against the Preds, the Hawks knew they had to work that much harder and play that much tighter of a game. Mistakes would not cut it. Against the Canucks, the Hawks learned they had to show up from the opening drop and bring their A game or risk embarrassment.

What about the Sharks? Where can they improve? Certainly they made mistakes and can do better in some areas, but it won't be so obvious nor easy to get that much better in Game 2. It'll be a challenge enough to play to the same level. To get that many shots again, to stop that many shots again.

On some level, the Sharks are just hoping they repeat the same performance, catch some better breaks, and that the Hawks take a step back. That's not an easy spot to be in. And that's why I'm looking for the Hawks to pounce on this team and take two of the next three. I don't care what order they do it, but that's got to be their goal. It's the only way this win matters. You reach the final three games of the series all knotted up (or worse), and the mo has shifted back to the Sharks.

And while I know all the Hawks "needed" was one in San Jose, I'm not really buying into that. Home ice isn't that much of an advantage. For the Hawks really to return to the UC in a good place, they've got to win again tonight. Not just because of the commanding 2-0 lead, but because I think the Sharks are vulnerable right now. They played great and lost on home ice. They've struggled with the Hawks all year. They've struggled with the playoffs for years.

Sure the Sharks know how important this Game 2 is and will come out firing, and sure they'll have some confidence from how well they played on Sunday, but a significant amount of doubt has to be welling up. So if the Hawks can take it to them, the Sharks, like the Canucks before them, might become their own worst enemy. Probably not in the same dumb penalty way Vancouver did, but self-destructive all the same.

Hence, tonight is no throw-away game for the Hawks. No icing on the cake. This is a huge opportunity to really bury a dangerous team that is now vulnerable. The Hawks have failed to show up far too many times in the playoffs, making both the Nashville and Vancouver series closer than they had to be. The Hawks cannot do the same thing tonight and allow the Sharks back into it. Losses will happen, but the Hawks can't lose this one because they didn't come strong and stay strong all game long.


-Have to give a shout-out to ESPN 1000's Hawks pre-game coverage on Sunday. With the Sox and Cubs playing on The Score and WGN, ESPN 1000 was the only place to go. Fred Huebner, a guy I got to know when I worked at The Score and one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, was hosting and had ESPNChicago.com's Jesse Rogers calling in from San Jose.

Within their maybe 10 minute conversation a couple key points arose, one possibly mentioned by a caller. The first is that despite all the scoring of the Thornton line these playoffs, those guys had a negative plus-minus. That suggested that they were very vulnerable in their own end.

Another point that came up was that Buff was going to have to do something a bit different from the Vancouver series - that he couldn't just hope for cleaning up rebounds, but should also look to score in other ways. Rogers stressed how he was working on deflections, but Buff using his big shot was also brought up.

Well, lo and freakin behold, the biggest play of the game involved both the Thornton line failing in their own end and Buff finding ways aside burying rebounds to score. Well played, fellas. It was especially cool because as you watched the replays, you could see Buff camp out in that spot and call for the puck. It wasn't happenstance - Buff knew exactly what he was going for.


-Another issue that came out of listening to that pre-game show was that the Hawks have to stay out of the penalty box. You score a lot of goals and end up with an iffy plus-minus both because you're not good defensively but also because you take advantage of power play opportunities. The Sharks have a boatload of guns and they all can fill it up on the man advantage.

The easiest way for the Hawks to keep San Jose in check is not to take any more penalties than necessary. The penalty at the end of Game 1 - ya know, I wasn't too upset. Sure it gave them a huge 6-on-4 and should have cost us one of our best PKers, but the fact was that it was a penalty of a player trying his ass off to keep them from scoring in a key situation.

Similarly, if you get a high stick because you're working hard along the boards and you randomly happen to hit a guy as you swing your stick around to make a play, I'm not gonna fault ya. That's just bad luck most of the time.

However, the Hawks took a number of penalties in their own end or the neutral zone when not a lot was going on. That cannot happen. Unless you're killing yourself to create or stop a good opportunity, a penalty is unacceptable in this series. San Jose is too good. Be it the Thornton line or even Pavelski's line - these guys will make the Hawks pay over the course of a 7-game series if they can't stay out of the box.


-Speaking of the Thornton line, a lot has been made of the Sharks coach's decision to leave those guys out on a defensive zone face-off against the Toews line. I can't say that was the right or wrong decision. There is some wisdom to getting your best defenders in on a defensive zone face-off against their top scoring line. But was that play really a failure of the Sharks or just a good play by the Hawks?

In the bigger picture, I respect match-ups but think coaches can over-do it on the road. I know I was really bothered by how JQ over-used match-ups last season when we were away. The Hawks were so focused on having the right guys out there that they would pass up chances to rush the puck in favor of dumping and changing. Sure we had the right guys on the ice, but we were never in their zone and our opponents always had possession.

This year, JQ hasn't done that nearly as much. Yes, he's changing to get match-ups he likes and being more aggressive with changes on the fly when he's on the road. But it hasn't struck me as being detrimental as it did last year. I think JQ has both gotten more confidence in all of his lines to hold their own and realized that reasonable limits to matching up.


-That confidence in all four lines comes from something I've talked about for a while. Because the Hawks have so many strong two-way or defensive players, because they have so much speed and size, every one of their lines is capable of at least holding its own against any line.

Sure, the Bolland line is best-suited to be out there against the other team's top players, given their defensive focus, plus speed, and respectable size/grit. But as Toews showed in the Olympics, he can be as good of a shut-down forward as anyone in the NHL. Buff brings the size but also has a solid defensive awareness, while Kane's speed and surprising tenacity at least keep him from hurting you.

Similarly, Sharp, Hossa, and Brouwer/Kopecky are a lesser version of the same thing. Hossa hasn't been scoring like we'd all like, but lord has he played well in every other facet. He's amazing on penalty kills and can definitely D up anyone. Sharp's speed and defensive mindset also are a plus for this line, while Brouwer and Kopecky again bring that size and grit that's necessary.

As I mentioned above, the 4th line, with a former Selke Winner (top defensive forward), a former plus penalty killer in Burish (last year he logged a ton of PK minutes on a very strong unit), and a solid skating, big body in Eager also can do good work in their own end. Throw in that every group can dominate puck possession and none of these lines should be abused by anyone. That's a hell of an advantage.


-Can't believe I've written this much about the past two games and not one word has been about Uncle Niemi. Holy balls has that guy come to play! Two pivotal road games against some of the best offenses in the league, getting pelted with shots and being required to keep his team in it when they aren't doing a lot of scoring? No problem for the Finnish Fortress.

The blueliners have done well in clearing rebounds and the forwards have fought hard to win possession and keep the other team from skating free. But time and time again Niemi has been called upon to make the monster save. And that's exactly what he's done for the last 120 minutes.

I predicted that Niemi was good for a shut-out each series. Half because that had been his pace in the regular season, half because his work in overtime and shoot-outs suggested that he would raise his play when the stakes were the highest.

Well, they weren't shut-outs per se, but they were what I was talking about. Niemi would do everything in his power to give us a chance to win. And do it in a huge situation that demanded nothing less. Well, two straight such situations, two straight monster games. Just as I figured/hoped when these playoffs first started.

Now do I expect more of the same the rest of this series? Nope. There will be another bad goal or two, there will be another game he doesn't have it. Uncle Niemi is good, but he's still got a track record of inconsistency that two games can't erase.

However, I've long thought it and remain convinced - the Hawks can most certainly win with what Niemi will provide, even given the softies and bed-crappings that are to come. They can either survive the loss of a game here or there (such as was the case in Games 1 and 5 against the Canucks) or they can simply score enough to overcome it (as they did in the last two games against the Preds).


-I'm not sure how, but even with all the shots Niemi saw in Game 1, I still feel good about how our D is playing. More impressive than Keith's great rush to set up the first goal was the way he's settled down in his own end, not tried to do too much and instead just relied on his incredible skills to get the job done. Helping his cause is Seabrook's continued progression back to the reliable blueliner he once was and flashes of the powerhouse he turned into last post-season.

Campbell isn't all the way back, offensively or defensively, but he's at least been solid in his own end and definitely helps our whole game with the way he can push the puck. I noticed him jumping into the play in the offensive zone more - that could be a great sign. When he was at his best, Campbell was rushing deep into their zone, keeping things going, and then using his amazing speed and the momentum he had to fly back into his own end without any issues.

Of course, it helps that he has possibly the Hawks most reliable defender on his side. The Hammer has been flat out awesome, always on the puck, always noticeable, rarely making mistakes and constantly making plays in his own end. He can be physical, he can be smooth, he can cover ground, he can block shots. Whatever it takes, the Hammer has done it.

One area he's done it especially well is on penalty kills, somewhere Sopel has also been amazing. The way they block shots is outstanding, but it's also in how they position themselves to stop passes, to clear the front of the net, to dig pucks off the boards. And Sopel is more than just a specialist - I've been absurdly impressed with is even-strengthed play. The way he's been able to take regular minutes has allowed JQ not to tax his Top 4 too heavily, and they've all profited from it.

I can't say it enough - Sopel has absolutely made a believer out of me. He's transitioned from "solid player" to "lost it" to "savvy vet." He's learned how to compensate for his speed and puck-handling short-comings with grit, guile, and physicality. As a 5th defender, Sopel is definitely an asset.


-Finally (I know, it didn't seem like I'd ever run out of things to say), there are the forwards. This is the area I think the Hawks have the most room to improve. These guys have played well, but they can do better. And I have faith they will - this is a talented group that is playing hard. They're gonna start seeing some more fruits to their labors.

It starts in the face-off circle. Early on especially, the Hawks were getting tooled. This is one of the main reasons the Sharks had so many shots - they were cleanly winning face-offs and controlling possession. And face-offs aren't just about the guy in the circle, it's about the rest of the team, especially the forwards, winning the battles away from the puck, so where ever it scoots out to, the Hawks are there to either take possession or disrupt the Sharks' possession.

The Hawks also have to clear the zone better. Some of this is on the blueliners, who had some risky passes up the middle and some lazy passes along the boards. But it's also on the forwards to get out and make it difficult for the point men to corral those pucks. You can't cover everywhere and the Hawks did a great job collapsing on rebounds, but they also need to be ready to help on clearing opportunities to ensure that the puck either crosses the blue line or whomever gets it up at the point is dealing with some pressure.

But most important, the Hawks need to continue to work their cycling. This involves a combination of both grit and skill, both of which the Hawks have in bunches. Early on they couldn't it going, but later they did and the game turned in their favor. The Hawks have taken the big step from good to great team this year thanks to the way they've executed their possession game, and that game is built on their cycling.

One part of the cycle/possession game they did not capitalize on that they ABSOLUTELY have to this game - their open d-men on the blueline. San Jose collapses everybody from the face-off dots on in. That made it hard for the Hawks to get any space to skate, to find passing lanes, to get clean shots off, and to capitalize on rebounds.

The answer is to take advantage of what the Sharks are giving them. If the points are open, the forwards need to find them and get them the puck. Sure, the Hawks aren't gonna score a bunch just on slap shots from way out - they don't have those types of blueliners. But they do have blueliners who can handle the puck and throw something toward the net that can turn into a rebound or deflection.

And they really have blueliners who can pass. Give Keith, Seabrook, Campbell, any of them, the puck up top and no Shark in the neighborhood, and they can move around and create opportunities for freed up forwards. The Sharks will be forced to scramble back to cover the blueliners - that'll open space back up down low, allowing the Hawks forwards to get back to work but with more room to do it in. Plus, as the Hawks throw it back to the point more and more, the Sharks D will inevitably soften up down low, again allowing more space to create in.

Who will take advantage? Who knows, but every one of these Hawks is capable of doing more than they have. Not a knock, just saying that this team is filled with guys who can score in bunches. So far, no one has yet to run off three or four games straight of heavy scoring. Toews and Buff had their hatties, Kane and Sharp have had some key goals, the secondary guys have done just enough to get us by.

But I'm looking for a multi-game explosion from someone. Maybe it's one of our stars. Hossa is most definitely due. His shot hasn't been very dangerous of late, not sure why. But he's working hard, he's very talented, and the Sharks aren't focusing on his line as much as Toews and Kane. Sharp can likewise take advantage - he's got a long history of running off big scoring stretches. Toews, Kane, and Buff have been consistently productive already - you can see them just exploding for a barrage of goals these next couple.

And that all-so-valuable secondary scoring has sort of been there for the Hawks, but not in the way I hoped. Not that they haven't done the job, just that I was hoping to see some unheralded guy break out. Happens all the time in the NHL - some nobody role player find his scoring touch at the right time and rides it to a magical post-season.

Versteeg, Ladd, Brouwer, Bolland, Kopecky - hell, even Madden, Eager, or Burish are all capable. Two goals over the next three games by the 4th line would be an invaluable outpouring. The Bolland line is doing their job just by keeping Thornton's line in check. But why can't they take advantage of their poor defensive play and run up 10 total points in the next three?


Well, there's a lot to take in from these last few games, but most of it is good. The Hawks are in a good spot, capable of putting themselves in a great spot. They've got the guns and just like against Nashville, just like against the Canucks, I firmly believe if the Hawks out-work the Sharks, they will absolutely win this series. They are the superior team and they match up well. Tonight is a chance to prove that all over again.

The Beginning Of The End... Of What?

"I watched a snail crawl along the edge of a straight razor. That's my dream; that's my nightmare. Crawling, slithering, along the edge of a straight razor... and surviving. "

Col. Kurtz from Apocalypse Now delivered the above quote, and I think it kinda defines the Hawks this post-season. They've sat precariously near doom a number of times, yet always have discovered a way to hug the precipice and keep on surviving.

They lose Game 1 to the Preds... but then won 2-nil to avoid a very ugly 2-0 hole heading back to Nashville. They lose Game 3, but avoided a 3-1 series by jumping out to a lead and riding Niemi to another shut-out. They were literally seconds away from losing Game 5 at home, sending the Preds back to Nashville for a close-out game on home ice. Even after Kane's short-handed tally, they still had to kill off the rest of Hossa's major and bury one of their own. Game 6 was no treat either - remember, it was 4-3 basically the entire 2nd and 3rd periods. One mistake and everything could have been different.

This series - more of the same. They get blown out in Game 1 and then are down 2-0 the next game before the Zamboni water is fully frozen on the ice. Four unanswered goals and some nasty play by Niemi tie up the series, but down 2-0 that early, one more mistake might have been all the Canucks needed to take a commanding lead back to Vancouver. Game 3, such a pivotal contest - the Hawks had a mere 3-2 lead into the third. If the Canucks score to tie the game in the third on home ice, the whole series momentum swings back in their favor. Instead the Hawks bury the 4th goal and ride out more strong play by Niemi.


So now, after yet another strong outing in Canada to take a big 3-1 lead, the Hawks return home and lay an egg. And that one loss might just be enough for Vancouver to wiggle their way back into this. Down 3-0 or 3-1, it's always that second win that's the hardest. Down 3-0, the other team let's up and you can easily steal Game 4. But when it's 3-1, teams know they have to end it now.

You know that if a team down 3-1 takes Game 5, they get the confidence of having set themselves up for a chance to reset the whole series. This is even more true if they're the road team in the series, with that reset game back on home ice. Because if it gets to Game 7, it doesn't matter how you got there - each team has an equal shot.

So, here are the Hawks, on yet another ledge. Can they again bring it when it matters most? Can they bury the Canucks on their home ice for the third time this series? Can they, yet again, bounce back from a subpar performance and beat a team they know they are superior to?


I'm of two minds, neither really on-ice related. On ice, I've got all the confidence in the world in this Hawks team. They are superior to the Canucks and have shown they are willing to outwork them. They do that for both of these next two games, I guarantee they win this series. One fluke loss when you outplay an inferior team - it happens. But to lose two times in a row when you're the better team and are working harder? No chance.

Off-ice, I've got two competing thoughts running through my head. The first is that I'm an incredible sports jinx - not just for my own teams. Not even for teams. I've jinxed my teams, my players, teams I hate, players I loathe. All it takes if a genuine belief in a forthcoming outcome and then a sincere statement of such witnessed by others.

Yes, this is of course all nonsense, but my buddy Face still hates me for jinxing the 2004 Cubs. And ironically enough, it was with Face that I made my most recent prophetic statement. We were debating what defines a "must-win" and I said any time you're looking at going down 3-0 or 3-1. To me "must-win" doesn't mean that you 100% have to win - that's just an elimination game. It means that you're putting yourself on the short side of some extremely prohibitive odds if you fail to take that game.

I don't have the numbers, but teams who are down 3-1 in the major sports rarely ever come back to take the series. Sure, it happens - just ask the Caps this year or those 2004 Cubs. And it actually happens in hockey a lot more than in basketball or even baseball, thanks to the way a goalie or some lucky bounces can so easily swing a series.

But the fact is that when you're down 3-1, you've left yourself absolutely no room for error. You've got to catch all the breaks, play every game superior to the other team, and hope that you don't get out-talented, out-lucked, or run into a hot goalie or skater.

So I emphatically made the statement that being down 2-1 made a game a must-win. This was before Game 4, so I was basically saying that the Canucks faced a must-win. And then they lost.

Did that jinx the Hawks? Did I just set them up to disprove my proclamation? Did I just inadvertently release the Paulie Jinx on my own team?

Therein comes my other way to think about it - I told you midway through the Nashville series that I had learned a valuable rule of thumb - always expect to lose two games in every NHL playoff series.

Guess what - we've lost two games. So no, I don't think I've jinxed this Hawks team. And, getting back to less superstitious crap, I don't think the Canucks have it in them to outplay the Hawks two more games. I don't think they can avoid untimely penalties for another 120 minutes. I don't think Luongo and his subpar blueliners can withstand the Hawks relentless attack for six more periods.

And I certainly don't think this Hawks team will fail to come to play two more times. I expect them to have a battle, maybe two, on their hands. But I expect the Hawks to out-work this Canucks team, just as they did for the greater parts of Games 2-4. Combined with their superior talent, I expect one of these next two games will be a Hawks W.

Sure, I'd prefer it happen tonight - who the hell needs drama? There will be more than enough drama in the remaining two series. But if the Hawks do lose in Vancouver, I expect the UC to be rocking and for the Hawks to again play their balls off and end the Canucks fragile title hopes.

And I'm also gonna repeat another expectation I had prior to this series - Niemi will throw a shut-out. Look back at all those bounceback games I listed at the start of the post. Niemi was a major factor in all of them. Games 2 and 4 of the Preds series were both shut-outs. Game 2 of this series, after those two goals, might have been the best he's played yet. Game 3, the momentum-changing game of this series - Niemi stopped 31 Vancouver shots, earning the second star for his efforts.

I said it before when discussing the way he was nasty in shoot-outs and OTs that Niemi had shown a bit of an ability to elevate his game when the stakes are highest. As inconsistent as he's been, I'm seeing that pattern play out in these play-offs as well. So maybe it's tonight, maybe it's Thursday - but I'm looking for Uncle Niemi to get us a shut-out, just as he's done every 5-6 starts all year long.

And then we can start talking about how we're gonna annihilate the Sharks.

M-V-P! M-V-P!

I've mentioned before that Buff deserves a ton of credit for the role he played in getting this team turned around down the stretch. Could the Hawks have gotten past the surprisingly fierce challenge of Nashville if they were still reeling from a rocky stretch, such as they had in March? Would the Hawks have had enough confidence and heart to rebound from Game 1's disaster and Game 2's brutal opening against Vancouver if their belief in themselves hadn't been restored in early April?

That hot finish was huge for this Hawks team. And one of the most crucial pieces to that finish was Buff, a guy who did the unthinkable and changed from a forward to a blueliner capable enough to skate Top 4 defenseman minutes almost instantly. He provided solid play in his own end, great energy in pushing the puck up ice, and of course, physicality all over the place.

Given the incredible talent and impact that so many of Buff's teammates have, it's hard to call him the MVP of that stretch run. But relative to what you thought you'd get out of him, was anyone really more valuable than Buff to that strong finish?

And it hasn't changed now that the playoffs have gotten going. Not that Buff was any great shakes in Round 1, but he did log solid minutes on the blue line and didn't hurt us. Given the play of the Preds and intensity of the situation, that's a pretty big achievement for a guy who hasn't skated back there for years.

This series, Buff has answered the call of duty from his team yet again. The desperate demand was for a physical winger who could be a major distraction in front of Luongo - both in-game and to his overall psyche - while also being the grinding support player that Toews and Kane have needed since Brouwer went MIA, but still capable of burying the chances those two playmakers are constantly creating.

Last night Buff did all that, and in spades. He was a force in front of the net, helping to rattle Luongo for the first time this series - creating a serious crack in his confidence that until now had to be high following his work in Games 1 and 2. He was a beast all over the ice - delivering timely, impactful hits, successfully working the boards, and skating hard to be in plays on both ends.

But most of all, Buff flashed the goal-scoring touch that has allowed him to get by on less than full effort for years now. Both of his goals were well-earned results of not only crashing the net hard, but using his stick and size to corral the puck and get a great shot on net.

I called for Buff to be moved off of the blueline before this series. But I won't claim that I did so because I believed in his ability to effect this series as a forward. I just didn't want such a green defender back there against such a strong offensive team, and also had misplaced confidence in Hendry.

But credit goes to JQ, who went into this series with every faith the Buff would make a difference up there. For realizing that Buff would be the best compliment to Toews and Kane. Likewise, credit to all those fans who've had more patience then I did with Buff's annoying lack of commitment on every shift, in every game.

I knew Buff had value, but given his price tag and regular lackadaisical efforts, I didn't think that value was worth it. And next year, maybe it won't be, as payroll pressures grow and new needs crop up.

But this year, Buff has proven his worth. Again, relative to what I was expecting, no one has had more value in these playoffs than Buff. His ability to fulfill blueline minutes respectably in the first series and now his immense impact in such a crucial game has made Buff's continued presence on this club a real asset, even if he was to get hurt today and never see the ice again.

Because you can't underestimate the importance of last night's W. So far the Hawks had been blown out once and avoided a very precarious 0-2 hole heading back to Vancouver thanks only to some great goal-keeping and late heroics. If Vancouver takes Game 3, they can write off Game 2 as a fluke and look ahead to Game 4 as a chance to basically finish off the Hawks.

Instead, in large part thanks to Buff (as well as to a number of other Hawks, whom I'll get to shortly), the Hawks have already banked the one game they needed in Vancouver, they've taken back momentum and created doubt and frustration with the Canucks, and best of all, they now have a shot to all but end this series on Friday.

So sure, Buff's impact this series has only been in one game, but that game was so significant that to this point, I'm hanging my MVP (again, relative to expectations) for the stretch run and playoffs to date on Buff, both for his commendable work on a the blueline and the way he turned this series back in the Hawks favor.


Having said all that, let's not forget the other accolades that need to be showered on this Hawks team. First off, just a teamwide stellar effort. And I stress effort - it's not even that they played well, which they did, it's that they played hard. They won the board battles, they got to the loose pucks, they crashed the net.

The NHL has a pair of Hawks commercials in that cool reverse action, what-if style that they've been using for their playoff spots. In both cases (highlighting Versteeg's and Hossa's game-winning goals), they show enough of the play that you appreciate what happened - basically all five guys on the ice did something impressive to create those scores.

Both commercials give you chills (although the caption at the end of the Versteeg one refers to Madison's House - poorly done, fellas), but both also serve as perfect reminders of what it will take to win the whole thing - all five skaters working tirelessly to contribute.

I said it before the series, I said it after Game 1, and I'll repeat it today - if the Hawks out-work the Canucks, they cannot lose this series. Period, end of story. The last two games have shown that and I don't see any way it will change. The Canucks might steal a game, even two, where the Hawks have out-worked them. But three more? Nope.

I could go down the list of guys that stood out in some way, but it's probably easier to point out the guys I was a little leery of - basically just Hendry. Everyone else seemed to find a way to help this team. I'm pumped to see Eager and Burish back making an impact (and they are - that 4th line is playing a lot like it did last year). The Bolland line has been a nice two-way force. The Sharp line is giving us a bona fide 2nd scoring front, and of course, the Toews-Kane-Buff group has been a beast. Can't leave out Madden, who JQ has been using brilliantly in limited 4th line work and key defensive situations.

Defensively, Seabrook is looking like the monster he was last post-season and The Hammer has matured at an incredible pace (remember, a year and a half ago, he was in the AHL). Campbell is getting back to where he once was (although we still haven't seen the big offensive impact - that'll come) and Keith is settling down now that he's got more help. And Sopel has yet to be exposed - just the opposite, he's handled himself well and continued to be a plus killer.

Of the skaters, only Brouwer and Hendry have been much of an issue, and Brouwer has easily been replaced in the lineup (which is in everyone's best interest - his head obviously isn't there, apparently due to some issues with his father's health). Hendry is the lone clear weakness and I'm not giving up on him yet.

Hendry's still a plus skater and shown himself respectable in the past. I think if JQ were to leave him at that 6th spot for a bunch of games in a row, he'd settle down and become serviceable. And that's all we need - the guy isn't playing special teams and doesn't have to log much for minutes. The Hawks don't want Keith, Seabrook, The Hammer, or Campbell off the ice for very much time, even if they had another capable blueline option.


Having said all that, I can't finish a post about last night's win without heaping praise on Niemi. As I mentioned previously, Niemi followed up the confidence-inspiring two shut-outs in his first four games with two straight mediocre outings to close out that series and a total garbage performance to start this one. His response in Game 2... initially, it was to serve up some juicy rebounds and bury his already reeling team in a 2-0 hole before 5 minutes had passed.

But then Niemi, as he's done all year, went from bad back to good without any notice. He stonewalled some stellar chances and allowed the Hawks to work their way back into Game 2. And then Uncle Niemi flew that same game with him to Vancouver, throwing up nasty save after nasty save as the Hawks were able to weather the expected Canuck onslaught to start Game 3. Despite allowing 16 shots - a rarity for this Hawks team - we lead 2-0 after the first.

From there, Niemi allowed an iffy goal that tightened the game at 3-2. At that point, Niemi could have folded up, taking the Hawks down with him. I mean he's a rook with consistency issues playing for a very demanding fan base on a team with sky high expectations.

Instead, he put the iffy goal behind him, made the stops he needed to, and allowed the Hawks to run away with the game. In doing so Niemi showed a pair of incredible attributes - attributes required of any Cup-winning netminder - in both heroically carrying his team in the face of an onslaught and in responding to a possible momentum-changing letdown with steady play.

Do I expect more of the same from Niemi? Yes and no. I think what we've seen out of Niemi is what he is. Some days he's great, some days he's good, some days he's OK, and every once in a while, he's flat out bad. I expect the same inconsistency the rest of the way. But I also expect that there will be enough good in there that the Hawks can win if the skaters play to the level they are capable of.

In fact, I claimed we could count on a shut-out in every series from Niemi. I still believe that - so I'm saying that the Hawks have another W in their pocket. The question is can they win one more on top? Ideally Niemi cashes in that shut-out on Friday and the Hawks have a 3-1 lead as well as a pair of home games to get the close-out win.

And why not Friday? The Canucks quit last night. Sure they'll regroup and realize that by defending the home ice in Game 4, they can reset this whole series, and thus will come out firing to start the game again. But if Niemi stones them early and the Hawks again get a few early ones past Luongo, would it surprise you to see this Vancouver team fold the tents?

As the third period got underway, I said to my wife that the one good thing about it being 3-2 instead of 3-1 is that the Hawks were forced to be more aggressive offensively. They are an uber-talented offensive team and are never more difficult to beat then when they unleash the full fury of their goal-scoring attack.

However, with a 3-1 lead in the third period on the road, it would be natural to tighten up, try to lock down your own zone, and hope you can escape. To me, that's like playing the prevent defense in football, and will be equally unsuccessful. The Canucks are just too good offensively and the Hawks and Niemi a bit too suspect defensively to expect you can withstand a 20-minute offensive barrage without giving up a pair of goals, or more.

I mean we've seen what happens in all three of these games when the Canucks turn the pressure around on the Hawks - they withstand it for a while, but eventually they break. Think about the Canucks goals in all three games - they were for the most part the result of constant pressure that the Hawks couldn't turn around, eventually leading to a scoring opportunity the Hawks couldn't stop.

But instead of that decision being laid on JQ, the 3-2 lead forced the Hawks to continue to bring it against the Canucks. The result was the 4th goal and a bit of breathing room. At that point, up two on the road and with only 12 minutes left, I still would have hoped for the pressure to continue, but would have understood on some level if the Hawks went into lockdown. Clearly the Canucks were going to be coming with offensive desperation and the Hawks would need their full focus on D to hold up against it.

Not what happened, at all. The Canucks did not bring anything. Sure, some of that is to the Hawks credit. Half because the Hawks didn't go fall back defensively, instead just applying more offensive pressure, dominating the puck, winning the battles, and making the plays.

But half because the Canucks quit. There was no desperation, no increased energy, not a flash of intense pressure to get themselves back into the game. It shouldn't have been hard - the Hawks D and Niemi are beatable, they were at home, and the Canucks have the firepower.

Instead, Vancouver just went through the motions, the Hawks kept bringing it, and eventually the game was put away with Buff's 2nd goal. Even then, a team with true heart would have seen six minutes left and at least tried to make it respectable.

Not the Canucks. They showed no effort at all, then made things worse by getting a bunch of pointless, cowardly roughing penalties. The kind they had avoided so far in the series, the kind they swore they wouldn't get suckered into after last year's loss to the Hawks, the kind that speak to an out-matched team.

So yeah, I can see Niemi all but ending this with a shut-out on Friday. It won't be easy - the Canucks will definitely play with desperation and intensity to start the game. But if Uncle Niemi can stand up like he did for the final 55 minutes of Game 2 and the start of Game 3, then I expect to see these Canucks fold after a couple of Hawks goals. Sure, they might find another spark late, when the true weight of their season ending becomes more clear, but it'll be futile.


I thus put it on Niemi to dig down for one more great stretch of play to start Game 4. I put it on the Hawks skaters to play their best in their own end. And I also put it on the skaters to win the board battles, win the loose pucks, and apply pressure offensively until Luongo breaks as he's broken so many times before.

Do that, and the Hawks can win this series in the first period.

If not, the Hawks could still take this. They've shown they can come from behind, they've shown they can win on the road. And even if they lose Game 4, I've got faith in this team. Three games to play, two on home ice - given the Hawks proven superior talent and proven ability to out-work the Canucks, a Game 4 loss doesn't shake my confidence that we take this in 6 or 7. As I've said before - you gotta assume you're gonna lose two games in every series. So the hope is we bury them for good in Game 4, but I've got faith in this squad either way.

An L is an L - No More, No Less

First off, sorry I couldn't get a mini-preview of the Canucks out on Friday. I started one, but ended up devoting most of my hockey time to a chat that the Adam Jahns, the beat writer at the Sun-Times, was cool enough to invite me to participate in. You can find the script here if you're interested:

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/2215596,blackhawks-live-chat-29.article

Now to the travesty of Saturday night. It's been a bit of a recurring theme this year - Hawks fans get all amped up, only to come crashing down at the first sign of rough seas. I've tried to get caught up in the excitement without feeling that corresponding letdown. So far, I think I've done a good job - I wasn't killing myself over the goalie situation, I wasn't in suicide mode in March, and I never accepted that the Hawks were about to see this season end disastrously early in the opening series.

Saturday night - same. Sure, it sucked to watch the Hawks get their asses absolutely handed to them. It sucked to see the Canucks get the confidence that they can beat the Hawks to go with their already clear determination to do so. It sucked to see Luongo stop all kinds of chances and be a near-pointless 5x3 goal away from the shutout.

Guess what - we knew we'd lose two games this series, and now we've lost one of them. So we're no worse off than we thought we'd be. Of course you'd prefer to win Game 1, get things started right. But the Hawks missed not one, but two chances to take control of the Nashville series early, and still were able to dispatch them without going 7. And who cares if we got blown out? Would you really feel any better if we lost dramatically late? Or if we blew a lead? Or just slogged through a mediocre 3-1 game?

We're down 1-0, it happens. I'm not fretting right now. And I'll tell you what - I won't fret if we lose tonight or if we lose on Wednesday. Down 2-0 or down 2-1 is nothing this Hawks team isn't fully capable of overcoming in this series. That's what I took away from Saturday's game - I was right to believe we were more talented and a better team than the Canucks. We can easily run off three or even four straight Ws against this team, same as we did against the Preds.

What will it take? Well, the same exact crap it took against the Preds. The opinion I had of this series going in was that it was the same as the Preds series, with just a more talented, more challenging opponent on the other side. The fundamentals were the same - we were the better team, we just had to out-work and out-execute them and over a 7-game series, we'd prevail.

Seeing Saturday's game actually just reinforced this for me. We are better than the Canucks. The Hawks took large portions of that game to them. They didn't do much beyond capitalize on the Hawks mistakes every chance they got. To me there were just three things, all big, that happened in Game 1 that can't continue to happen:


1) The Hawks got out-worked. Both first period goals were the result of the Canucks winning battles along the boards to keep the puck in the Hawks end. And those weren't exceptions - it was happening all game in both ends. The Hawks came off a series where they held their own against one of the best board-working teams in the NHL. Yet they opened up against the Canucks and forgot everything those battles with the Preds taught them. If the Hawks are going to win out, they've got to bring the same intensity in those board battles that they had against the feisty Preds.

I will again say it simply - if the Hawks outwork the Canucks, I'd be shocked if we lose this series, no matter what else takes place.


2) The Hawks couldn't bury prime scoring chances. They had all kinds of pressure and all kinds of opportunities early on to score on Luongo, but, just as in the Preds series, they could not find the back of the net. Dumb luck, getting out-worked, missing chances - it all came into play. The one thing that I didn't feel, just like I didn't feel against Nashville - that their goalie was the main reason we weren't scoring.

Luongo is better than Rinne. And Luongo played better on Saturday than Rinne ever did against us. But in neither case did I feel that their goalie was stealing a game or the series. Instead, I felt they were playing like you'd expect out of a plus goalie in the NHL. What made the results look so great was that the Hawks weren't doing what they could have to score.

But, just like the Preds series, I have faith the Hawks can and will do those things eventually. And just as happened in the Preds series, I feel the Hawks will go from making Luongo look great to making him look bad. Remember, after giving up only 4 goals in the first three games, Rinne gave up 13 in the next three. Same goalie, same teams, same settings - totally different results.

That's how the Hawks are - they can make any goalie look amazing (how many times did the Hawks provide a career night for some schmoe in net this year?), but they can also make any goalie look terrible (how many games did we run up huge scores on some big names between the pipes?).

They didn’t do a bad job creating opportunities, but just like in the Nashville series, they did a terrible job burying them. That has got to stop – the Canucks are too good for the Hawks to blow multiple prime scoring chances, especially early, and still hope to win. I can’t point to what exactly is keeping the Hawks from converting, but they’ve got to figure it out and rectify it right away.


3) Niemi was terrible. He didn't make a single big stop to keep us in the game and probably allowed a few goals that he shouldn't have. The Hawks aren't asking him to carry them, but for any team to win at this stage of the playoffs, you need your goalie to get a few big stops. Skaters will make mistakes - your goalie has to be able to bail you out here and there.

Niemi never did that on Saturday. The Canucks didn't have that much pressure on him, there was no excuse for two goals to have been scored in the first. And once he did give those up, Niemi needed to come out in the 2nd and stonewall Vancouver until his offense could get it going again.

Instead, he absolutely folded, bring into question his efficacy. Am I ready to give up on the kid? Nope - he's shown me plenty before and, more importantly, I don't think the Hawks need all that much from their goalie. I'd rather stick with the guy who's been playing relatively well and winning games for us.

But in four of his last five games, Niemi has been mediocre to bad. Nashville was no great scoring team, yet in Games 3 and 5 he let up four each, then let another three up in Game 6. The Hawks O bailed him out in Games 5 and 6, but Niemi left a bit to be desired coming out of that series. The fact that he followed up some shaky outings with another stinker definitely makes you wonder if he really has enough to carry this team to the promised land.

Again though - I'm not giving up on him. He responded to that fluke goal in Game 1 with a shut-out in Game 2. He responded to a mediocre pivotal Game 3 with a shut-out in Game 4. Will he repeat that pattern tonight? Who knows, but I'm giving Niemi the chance before I lose all faith. As long as he's not bad again tonight, I'm going with him in Game 3, also.

In part that's because I have faith in this Hawks squad. Vancouver is damn good, but we're better. We can take the game to them when we want to - we just have to get our heads right. It's frustrating we've had so many games where our heads weren't right, so many stretches where we let up and inferior teams took it to us.

Coaching, leadership, mental, physical, and emotional strength - all of it is in question based on how much the Hawks have struggled in the playoffs so far. This team is better than this - both in the talent they have and the way they can play together. It’s frustrating as could be to watch, but on the flipside, it’s nice to know that they’ve got plenty more left in the tank. It’s why I'm not giving up on this team if they're down 2-0 - they absolutely have what it takes to dig out of that hole.

However, there's no reason to let it get there. The Hawks shouldn't need yet another wake-up call to step it up. I want to see this team come out and take it to the Canucks. Do that, and no one will remember the drubbing of Game 1. All that will matter is that it's 1-1 heading back to Vancouver, a place the Hawks have proven they can win.