Emma's Game 4 Primer: Blackhawks' Speed Must Kill
By Chris Emma--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An old hockey notion is being run over by a zamboni. Physical play -- with hitting, fighting and false messages being sent -- hasn't made much of an appearance in this Stanley Cup Final and sure isn't a requirement to win.
The Blackhawks and Lightning have proved that a championship can be won with speed and skill. These are two teams that thrive in the open ice, using stretch passes and calculated gambles to set up speed mismatches. Tampa Bay has built an identity off this, while Chicago is vying for its third Cup in six years thanks to its talent.
"It's fast," Blackhawks winger Kris Versteeg said, choosing the correct two words to summarize this series.
Monday's Game 3 at the United Center saw the Lightning earn a 3-2 win, with each of their goals coming on rushes into the offensive zone. The highlight of that game came when Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman ripped a pass nearly 170 feet to Ryan Callahan, who got past Johnny Oduya and beat Corey Crawford.
Of course, the Blackhawks have playmakers, too. But Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp have yet to score in this series. Tampa Bay knows it must maintain defensive discipline, because Chicago can play the fast game just as well.
"They have a really dangerous team and guys who can create a lot of offense," Lightning forward Valtteri Filppula said of the Blackhawks.
Chicago has yet to play its best hockey in this Cup Final -- look no further than the silent core. But the Blackhawks have a history of adjustments and figuring out a foe in a postseason series. Joel Quenneville's 40-14 mark as Blackhawks coach in Games 4 through 7 is a sign of this success.
First up for Quenneville is attempting to find ways to get the offense going against the steady Tampa Bay defense, because Hedman has played like a Norris winner. Versteeg's in for the Blackhawks' second line, along with Kane and center Brad Richards, while Bryan Bickell is out of the lineup.
The Blackhawks can hope history proves true and their offense finds itself.
"We have to be smart, play smart and try to create some space," Blackhawks forward Teuvo Teravainen said.
The series shifts to Tampa Bay on Saturday for Game 5. It will either be even at 2-2 or the Lightning will have stolen a pair at the United Center and be poised for a hoist of the Stanley Cup.
Game 4 will bring much of the same -- speed, skill and talent on display -- but the Blackhawks must find a different result.
Emma's 3 keys for Blackhawks
1.) Create havoc in the crease
Forget all the talk and half-truths. Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop isn't OK right now. He's clearly hurt -- recall that moment in which he was lying on the United Center ice Monday without movement or any time he struggled to get up. But he still somehow beat the Blackhawks in Game 3.
Chicago must continue to pepper Bishop with shots, creating movement with solid cycling in the offensive zone and beating him with screens. Six of the Blackhawks' seven goals have come with a net-front presence, and the outlier was on Brandon Saad's one-timer from Marian Hossa. The 6-foot-7 Bishop stands tall in net and won't break without a challenge. He sure hasn't to this point.
The Blackhawks' attack has been uninspiring throughout much of this Cup Final. Tampa Bay has contained the open-ice game, preventing rushes with relative ease, and Chicago hasn't found a way to score without getting pucks through bodies in front of the net. But if Bishop's essentially standing on one leg, the Blackhawks must make his job more difficult.
2.) Win the mismatch matchup
Quenneville deserves plenty of trust for this Game 4 situation. His Blackhawks have been in holes like this before and managed to find their way out of it. Winning this one starts with Quenneville.
Being the home team, Quenneville gets the last call on line changes. Simply put, Tampa Bay doesn't have what it takes to counter Chicago's depth on the third and fourth lines. A way to beat this is with double-shifting, as Quenneville has often done, putting Kane, Saad and others on the lower lines. Or, very basically, Chicago can run out its top lines when Jon Cooper puts out his bottom groups. Do you think Toews would really show fatigue on this stage?
The Blackhawks have the ponies to outrace the Lightning, but Quenneville must be wise with his advantage. Otherwise, his team will be down 3-1 and facing every disadvantage for Game 5 in Florida.
3.) Enter with poise
Frankly, it's hard to throw critiques at formulas that have made the Blackhawks successful during their remarkable run under Quenneville. One of those methods is with a great dump-and-chase game, because this team has top-end speed and the talent to turn it into a scoring chance.
But the Lightning can match that, as they have in these first three games. The Blackhawks must be more aggressive with their zone entries, finding ways around Hedman and crew. Chicago must carry the puck into the zone when needed and create more one-on-one matchups. Even in situations in which a line change is needed, simply conceding the puck with a dump isn't effective, because Tampa Bay has exploited that on multiple times with stretch passes to beat the changing defense.
A puck-possession team can't be giving away puck possession against another puck-possession team. More calculated zone entries are needed to create better scoring opportunities. With that, the Blackhawks will find their offensive form.
Follow Chris on Twitter @CEmma670.
