GAME DAY: SCP '09, FRIDAY MAY 22, WEST CONFERENCE FINAL--DETROIT AT CHICAGO, 800PM ET/7PM CHICAGO

Detroit at Chicago

GAME THREE, STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS WEST SEMIFINALS
RED WINGS LEAD SERIES 2-0

8:00 PM ET, May 22, 2009
United Center, Chicago, Illinois

CBC/RIS/RDS/Versus

Red Wings-Blackhawks Preview

Esposito, Mikita say Hawks need to play like they did in Game 2

Hawks legends say team just has to continue to battle as they did Tuesday night in Detroit

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES May 22, 2009/CAROL SLEZAK cslezak@suntimes.com

Tony Esposito played in 99 postseason games during his Hall of Fame career, but the pressure he felt then was nothing compared with watching the Blackhawks and Red Wings go at it this week. Tuesday's overtime loss was particularly tough.

''I got very worked up during the game,'' the former Hawks goaltender said. ''I didn't sleep too well that night. In the first game of the series, it didn't bother me because the Blackhawks didn't play well. When they don't play well, it doesn't get to you. But when they play that well and come up with nothing, it really gets to you. I was disappointed because I thought they deserved a better fate than that.''

Stan Mikita, who played in 155 playoff games during his Hall of Fame career, also had some anxious moments while watching Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference finals. The best-of-seven series resumes tonight at the United Center.

''I get nervous,'' the former Hawks center said. ''But I try to look at the whole picture, not just what happened on one play.''

Esposito and Mikita have been a constant presence at Hawks home games this postseason, and tonight will be no exception. Like the players, the coaching staff and the team's expanding fan base, they expect the Hawks to play better at home. But there are no guarantees.

''They're a good young hockey team, and they learned a lot in the two losses about how Detroit plays under pressure,'' Mikita said. ''You could see an improvement between Game 1 and 2, and if they do the same thing in Game 3, they'll be OK.''

Turnovers clearly hurt the Hawks in the first two games, and much has been made of Brian Campbell's ill-fated pass attempt during overtime in Game 2 that led to the Wings' winning goal. Maybe too much has been made of that play.

''Campbell plays aggressively, and you need a player like that,'' Esposito said. ''I've seen that same thing happen to Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey, great offensive defensemen like Campbell.''

Mikita liked what Campbell said after the game, that if he had to do it over again, he would do the same thing.

''That's the right attitude,'' Mikita said. ''All great athletes make mistakes. Dick Butkus didn't hit everyone. He missed some. Tiger Woods makes a mistake once in a while.''

In Esposito's view, the game never should've gone to overtime because the Hawks outplayed the Wings throughout regulation.

''They had tremendous chances early,'' he said. ''[Wings goalie Chris Osgood] came up big. I thought we could have opened it up, but that didn't happen. The Wings were lucky to win that game, and I bet they knew that. I bet they went into the locker room after regulation and said, 'Guys, we're lucky to be here.' This series should be 1-1.''

Whether by virtue of luck, talent or a combination of both, the Wings have a 2-0 lead in the series. But they've yet to play the Hawks in Chicago. Games at the United Center tonight and Sunday could change the tone of this series.

''When I watch, I look at what happens and wonder why,'' Mikita said. ''The way the puck bounces at a certain time. The way it hits off the boards. A good pass now may not turn out the same way later.

''Things can change so quickly. [Game 3] is almost a must-win situation, but you can't think ahead. [The Hawks] know how to play hockey. They can go out there and beat anybody. When you have that confidence, and can look at the guy across from you and say, 'You're not going to beat me,' chances are they're not going to beat you.''

If Mikita and Esposito could change anything, it would be the Hawks' poor Game 1. But there's no turning back.

''In Game 3, they just have to play like they did in Game 2, and everything will be fine,'' Esposito said. ''They need to show that aggressiveness again. You can't look at having to win four out of the next five games [to advance to the Stanley Cup finals]. You just look at [Game 3]. And then when you win, you worry about the next one.''

Better yet, just go out and play and leave the worrying to others.

''We should be proud of them,'' Mikita said. ''They should be proud of themselves for what they've accomplished so far. Let's see what happens in the next two games.''

It's a must win for the Hawks. No doubt about it.

shabbs wrote:It's a must win for the Hawks. No doubt about it.

Break out the cliches!

Must win.
Have to bring it tonight.
One game at a time (or is that only when you're down 0-3?)
Give it 110%.
Leave it all out on the ice.
Our best players must be our best players.

Chicago Blackhawk Brent Seabrook discusses costly turnovers

Shannon Ryan, Chicago Tribune, May 22, 2009

Brent Seabrook was the first to bring up the "T" word on Thursday as reporters huddled around him after the Blackhawks practice.

"With those turnovers I've been making, I think it was good [to have Wednesday off] to try to forget about it and move on," the defenseman said.

But if the Blackhawks fall behind 3-0 in the Western Conference finals series to the Red Wings on Friday night at the United Center, or if Seabrook hand delivers more goals to Red Wings winger Dan Cleary, Hawks fans will need an entire summer to forget about the plays.

After two solid, stellar series against the Flames and Canucks by Seabrook and fellow defenseman Duncan Keith, the two have been more Laurel and Hardy than Starsky and Hutch.

In the Blackhawks 5-2 Game 1 loss in Detroit, Seabrook lost the puck at the blue line and Cleary jumped on it, beating Seabrook and Keith down the ice to shoot the puck past goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin.

There was another costly slipup in the Hawks overtime loss in Game 2. After Jonathan Toews won a faceoff, Seabrook tried to make a pass but bounced the puck off Cleary, who took on Khabibulin one-on-one for the goal.

"I think there were some tough bounces but we have to prepare for that," Seabrook said. "We have to make the right play and the smart play and be focused all the time. Tazer won both those draws and they're good draws to win, and we've got to generate some offense off that and [not allow] breakaways."

The Red Wings have more of a high-powered, multiple-weapon offense than the first two rounds of opponents limited by the Seabrook and Keith, such as Calgary's Jarome Iginla and the Sedin brothers in Vancouver.

But Seabrook didn't offer any excuses.

"They're a great team," he said. "They play a solid game, where they're always moving. We're just getting ready for [Game 3]."

sryan@tribune.com

got time to mow the lawn before this one, go Hawks go, do not let the Wings win this one.

SensFan71 wrote:got time to mow the lawn before this one, go Hawks go, do not let the Wings win this one.

Speaking of which, has anyone seen my jerrycan? I got a new throttle cable, sparkplug, airfilter and even a blade sharpener, got everything fixed up, then ran out of gas about 5 minutes in. Went back to the garage to get more gas and it's gone, nowhere to be found. Now I'm going to have to do it on the weekend :^:. Must have been some brain-dead teenagers with nothing to do that took it .

Were we talking hockey?

wprager wrote:

SensFan71 wrote:got time to mow the lawn before this one, go Hawks go, do not let the Wings win this one.

Speaking of which, has anyone seen my jerrycan? I got a new throttle cable, sparkplug, airfilter and even a blade sharpener, got everything fixed up, then ran out of gas about 5 minutes in. Went back to the garage to get more gas and it's gone, nowhere to be found. Now I'm going to have to do it on the weekend :^:. Must have been some brain-dead teenagers with nothing to do that took it .

Were we talking hockey?

damn kids, do they know gas doesn't grow on trees?

hockey, huh, I was talking about grass, then hockey

Blackhawks' Patrick Kane knows he needs to produce in Game 3

Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune/May 22, 2009

Patrick Kane knows the numbers.

The Blackhawks winger has no goals or assists and is a minus-5 in the first two games of the Western Conference finals against the Detroit Red Wings.

"Sometimes the stats are a little deflating," Kane admitted. "Coming off Game 6 against Vancouver [on May 11] I was pretty high. And then you see the lowest of lows the next couple of games. I want to step up for the team. I have to produce right now if we want to get a win."

When Kane is piling up points -- like May 11 when he had his first career hat trick -- the Hawks are a formidable offensive team. With his team trailing 2-0 in this best-of-seven series, Kane knows he's counted on to produce in Game 3 Friday night at the United Center.

Kane, 20, was held without a shot in Game 1 but had three in the second contest. He was more of a threat as the Hawks took the Wings to overtime before falling 3-2 Tuesday night.

"I was creating more and got some more shots on net," Kane said. "I know I can do it now, and I have to put a better game together [in Game 3]. As the series goes on you want to play better every game and get some more confidence.

"Once you adjust and you realize how you have to play out there it obviously bodes a lot better for myself. Hopefully I keep growing as the series goes on and keep adjusting to what they're doing."

Teammates believe it's just a matter of time until Kane produces.

"Every time he's had a couple of games without a point ... he's come out with a huge game," said linemate Troy Brouwer.

Kane knows he must improve to create scoring chances.

"Just get to the puck going with more speed," Kane said. "That always seems to get me in the game. You could see [Tuesday night] I was kind of coming in behind the play and picking up the puck. You can't try to force too much; just play a simple game."

ckuc@tribune.com

yap, yap, yap, due or die for the hawkies tonight :p

Huh, why didn't the smilies come through? Quick test #1:

Smilies in "Quick Reply" :^:

wprager wrote:Huh, why didn't the smilies come through? Quick test #1:

Smilies in "Quick Reply" :^:

Quick test #2:

Smilies in "Quoted Reply" :^:

And they both worked .

Why didn't they work that first time?

Aha! I got it. When you insert the smilies they are inserted with a space on either side. The "Times Editing Style Guide" that's imprinted on my brain tells me to remove that space before the sentence-ending period. And that's what killed the smilie. No space, no smilie.

Look, first two smilies, side-by-side, with a space between them:

:^: :^: .

And now, the same two smilies but with the space before the period removed:
:^: :^:.

The first of the pair is fine, but the second one is replaced with its character-code or whatever it's called.

Funny thing is, the smilies are all there as I'm typing this, but they "disappear" in the "Preview".

Mystery solved.

Three keys to Hawks-Wings Game 3

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES/May 22, 2009, ADAM L. JAHNS ajahns@suntimes.com

1. Feed off the frenzy

The energy at the United Center during the postseason has been staggering. The roars during the national anthem have been deafening. The chants have been in unison, and the goal celebrations have been wild. All that should triple now that the Red Wings are in town. The Blackhawks need to feed off that energy as they've done all postseason. The Hawks are 5-1 at home during the playoffs, and they outscored Calgary and Vancouver 21-14 on home ice. One Hawk who has enjoyed more success at home is winger Martin Havlat, who has nine points in six games at the UC.

2. No more blue-line blunders

Three goals by Detroit can be directly attributed to mistakes by three Hawks defensemen. In Game 1, Brent Seabrook whiffed on a pass, and Dan Cleary scored on a breakaway. Duncan Keith later was pickpocketed by Johan Franzen en route to another score. The biggest was Brian Campbell's turnover in overtime of Game 2 that led to Mikael Samuelsson's game-winner. The tough part is that it came right after a Hawks scoring chance. Seabrook, Keith and Campbell aren't alone in the mistake department, but they're the Hawks' best defensemen. Detroit is a formidable enough opponent without their help.

3. Stay in front of Osgood

Game 2 was a better game because the Hawks put more pressure on the Wings. They had more shots on goal, more power-play chances and forced the Wings to block more shots than in Game 1. Still, the Hawks had only two goals to show for it because goalie Chris Osgood has been better than good in the playoffs. The veteran has a .925 save percentage and 2.04 goals-against average this postseason. To break through, the Hawks need a parking lot of players in front of Osgood, not just traffic. It's no surprise that three of the Hawks' four goals against Detroit came when someone was positioned in front of or near Osgood.

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