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Best Of Three: Hawks Find Their Game

April 24, 2014, 8:59 AM ET [621 Comments]
John Jaeckel
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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The doors of the phone booth opened and in a pillar of smoke, Patrick Kane emerged with two clutch goals last night, including the OT game winner. The Hawks tied their first round series with the St. Louis Blues at 2-2, and go back to St. Louis with a bit of momentum.

It's been a nip and tuck close series thus far, but last night, the Hawks seemed to get some of the bounces they'd been missing earlier on. Plus, the last two games, some of the role players have been stepping up.

Last night, Johnny Oduya took his turn, both with some nice defensive plays in his own zone and an absolutely gorgeous cross-ice pass on Kane's first goal.

St. Louis captain David Backes was expected by some to return to the ice last night. He didn't. And you get the sense now that the Blues and their fans are doing the math of two games sans Backes, two losses and hoping for his return to turn the tide in Game 5.

Conversely, you get the sense the Hawks are slowly finding their playoff rhythm and playoff legs, as they did in a sluggish round 1 performance versus Minnesota last year. They weren't the best team in hockey last year because it was their turn—they were simply the best team, and they still have the psychology of champions. been there, down that. And they seem to be ready to go for the kill in Game 5.

That's not to say the Blues won't rise to the occasion in front of a sold out Scottrade crowd. They will. But hockey games are typically won in the last ten minutes not the first ten. And certainly in this series, including Bryan Bickell's tying goal with 4 minutes in regulation, leading to the third OT in 4 games, this series has been all about—in the immortal words of Popeye The Sailor Man—being "strong at the finish."

I'll be back with a preview of Game 5 tomorrow. Man, I love playoff hockey.


JJ
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