Emma: Blackhawks Must Find Their Best Hockey
By Chris Emma--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- This Stanley Cup Final seemed destined early on in the season. The Blackhawks have been the Western Conference favorites since 2010, and the Lightning are poised for success in years to come out of the East.
Chicago and Tampa Bay often appeared on the fast -- very fast -- track to reach this stage, and here they are, deadlocked at two games apiece in a series evenly matched to a historic point. Yet, here's the thing: The Blackhawks haven't played anywhere near their best hockey.
It's no secret inside the Blackhawks' dressing room: They must be better to win their third Cup in six years.
"At the end of the day, it's 2-2 now," Blackhawks defenseman Kimmo Timonen said. "The only thing which matters is a win. We have to realize we have to get better for (Game 5 on) Saturday."
Game 4 brought the Blackhawks an important opportunity. They had home ice to their advantage, a day of adjustments and even Joel Quenneville's well-hidden lines that caught everybody by surprise. Oh, and the Lightning were without starting goaltender Ben Bishop, as they trotted out 20-year-old rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy to the net.
Really, the Blackhawks should have buried a half-dozen to the back of the net, one would think. Instead, Chicago played offensively what was quite possibly its worst period of the entire season to open the game. It had just two shots on goal and very few quality scoring chances told the tale of an ugly first stanza.
Part of the reason for Chicago's early struggles is Quenneville's gamble to mix up the lines meant the groups had no practice together. The starting line of Brandon Saad, Andrew Shaw and Patrick Kane was last grouped together during the 2013 Cup Final. The Blackhawks' puck movement was terribly out of sync, namely in the neutral ice where they struggled to even advance past the blue line. Had Tampa Bay gotten a few breaks, Quenneville would be wearing this decision for a long offseason.
In the end, Jonathan Toews put a juicy rebound past Vasilevskiy and Saad gave a backhand shovel through the five hole for the game-winner, then Chicago's defense and Corey Crawford held for the series-tying win. It wasn't pretty, but that's not what counts.
"We're in the winning business," Quenneville said. "I don't think you should ever be satisfied with the way things go. I think you want to find ways where you can better yourselves, better the situation."
Quenneville and his Blackhawks must give a critical look into why their play hasn't been up to par. One might argue fatigue has finally kicked in, with too many triple-overtime games and deep series to keep the legs fresh. Duncan Keith finally looked tired in Game 4 after so many 30-minute battles, and Brent Seabrook was way off his form.
On offense, the Blackhawks haven't seemed too comfortable cycling the puck in the zone, largely because the Lightning continue to get big defensive bodies in front of the crease. Chicago got shots toward Vasilevskiy, but the Tampa defense blocked 17 of them. Still, there was too much hesitation to pinball a shot through bodies in front.
To Tampa Bay's credit, it has taken away the open-ice game from Chicago, often pinching on defense and creating discomfort for the Blackhawks' attempts at clean zone entries. The high-flying Hawks haven't gotten liftoff just yet, but that's where Quenneville goes to work in the adjustment game.
However, that's just part of the problem. One stands out above them all, and leave it to the Blackhawks' last line of defense, their netminder, to give the most important piece of evidence.
"I mean, sometimes you have to give credit to the other team, too," Crawford said when asked about the Blackhawks' sluggish play. "They're a good team. They're fast. They're skilled."
It's true. Tampa Bay is a very good hockey team, with its tremendous skill serving as the identity and its defense proving to be vastly overrated.
While it seemed as if Game 4 would be the Blackhawks' breakout game (they entered 40-14 after a Game 3), they showed more signs of rust. In my humble hockey opinion, Quenneville made the right move with the adjusted lines but would've benefited using a practice -- even in the public eyes -- to give these groups some seasoning. It was a gamble that doesn't matter after a Chicago win.
Still, the Blackhawks' attack has been largely unimaginative. They need more movement, forcing defenders like Victor Hedman out of position from the net. There haven't been enough one-timers, even on a one-legged Bishop and inexperienced Vasilevskiy.
There's not much more the Blackhawks can do on defense aside from hope Keith doesn't finally tire out and that rookie Trevor van Riemsdyk plays like a 10-year veteran.
But these Blackhawks have experience on their side, having won this Stanley Cup twice under Quenneville. That serves as comfort as they work for two wins to hoist Lord Stanley's prize.
"We have to keep our confidence, which we have done, know that we got to stick to our game," Crawford said. "Not everything's going to go your way all the time. You have to be able to adjust and just keep playing hard."
If the Blackhawks find their form and play their best hockey, they should hoist the Cup on Monday night at the United Center, because while Tampa Bay is good, Chicago can be better. For now, buckle up for the finish of this thrilling Cup Final.