Emma: Resilient Blackhawks Are 2 Wins From The Cup
By Chris Emma--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Stanley Cup is without a doubt the most difficult prize to attain in sports. The work, the labor and the exhaustion to hoist those 34 and a half pounds is grueling.
But the Blackhawks have this improbable way of making it look simple. Their backs being pushed against the wall is more often than not just a setback on the path to greater success. Take for example Chicago's 2-1 Game 4 win over Tampa Bay on Wednesday night that evened this Stanley Cup Final at two games apiece.
Chicago is now two wins away from its third summer with Stanley in six years. After a season of adversity, a postseason of some problems and Game 4 of inconsistent play, here are the Blackhawks once again on the cusp of the Cup.
"We found a way to get the job done," Blackhawks forward Andrew Desjardins said.
Since the summer of 2010, when the Blackhawks first broke through, this core has displayed remarkable resiliency on hockey's grand stage. A 2-1 hole to this talented Tampa Bay team was no reason for concern. Chicago is now 41-14 under Joel Quenneville after Game 3 of a playoff series.
Call it experience, call it grit, call it pure talent or anything else, but the Blackhawks are like clockwork come the postseason push.
"We know these are great opportunities -- opportunities that aren't going to come around every season," Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane said.
Simply put, the Blackhawks are so intrinsically driven to win. They've experienced what it's like to win the big prize. These players and their coach pour so much effort, energy and focus into achieving that one goal. There's a reason why they've let loose as champions -- it's so much hard work that's paid off.
There are a lot of very good hockey teams, and this is such an unpredictable, random sport. A couple bounces could've won it for either the Blackhawks or Lightning on Wednesday night. A fortunate deflection from the Los Angeles Kings in Game 7 of the 2013 Western Conference Final kept Chicago from what could've been its third Cup in five seasons.
Yet -- somehow -- the Blackhawks have this way of overcoming hockey's improbabilities more often than not to be in position for a championship. Once again, they're closing in.
Without a doubt, it comes from the Blackhawks' core. The story entering Game 4 was how Jonathan Toews, Kane, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp had yet to score in this series. To little surprise, it was Toews making his mark first and Brandon Saad tallying on an assist from Kane on what would be the game-winner.
"Our team is having a lot of success this postseason -- he's a big reason why," Toews said of Saad.
Prior to Game 4, Quenneville turned his lineup blender into overdrive. Gone were the lines that he has used throughout most of the season. He even disguised it during morning skate and pregame warmups. But it was the man playing behind those lines that won the game.
If ever a representation of these Blackhawks, it's their 2013 Cup-winning goaltender, Corey Crawford, who stopped 24 of 25 shots -- the outlier coming on a sensational feed from Valtteri Filppula to Alex Killorn leaving little chance -- and stood on his head for the contest's final minutes. Like his team, Crawford isn't perfect but seems to find a way on the biggest stage.
"We're impressed," Toews said of Crawford. "But we're definitely not surprised that Crow shows up and plays the way he did."
Frankly, there should be no surprise when the Blackhawks bounce back like this, too. It's in their nature to do this.
This Stanley Cup Final is even at two games apiece, dead-locked at nine goals per team and almost even in shots (Chicago leading 107-104), but it just feels like the Blackhawks have the inside track for the Cup.
Sure, this Tampa team is the best Chicago has faced in a Cup Final and a tough matchup of identical styles. The Blackhawks have been tested quite a bit and very well could have seen Steven Stamkos hoist the Cup first in a clean sweep. After all, hockey's an inherently random game.
But the Blackhawks have this special ability to rise to the occasion. Even in pursuit of the most onerous prize to grasp, they seem to have this extraordinary will.
Once again, the Blackhawks are on the cusp of the Cup. Just two more wins to go.
Follow Chris on Twitter @CEmma670.