It's a thin line between being clutch and being a goat. The Blackhawks are learning how to handle that delicate balance.Another dreadfully slow start had Chicago staring at a 3-1 series deficit to the Canucks, until they decided to stop playing with fire and start turning that heat on Vancouver. As a result, the NHL saw another late goal change the landscape of a game this postseason, with the Blackhawks getting the better of this one and leveling the series at two games apiece.
But it didn't look like it was heading that way. The Canucks held a 1-0 lead on a rare goal from Darcy Hordichuk, and looked set to win the game with, as Brian Engblom put it, 1995 New Jersey Devils style hockey. They took the lead, clogged the back end of the ice between center ice and Roberto Luongo, and counted on their uber-goaltender to pick up whatever pieces got through.
One problem: it's not 1995 anymore. That style of hockey doesn't win anymore. Though it seemed to suit the Canucks just fine for 57 minutes, it only takes one shot, a few meager seconds, to deflate it. When you're playing a team as fast, energetic and unintimidated by the "big moments" as these Blackhawks are, it's dangerous to bet on your opponent not cashing in on those meager seconds eventually. That strategy bit Vancouver in Game 4.
With Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews struggling, it was the trio of Martin Havlat, Andrew Ladd and Dave Bolland that stepped up, first evening the score in regulation's final minutes, then beating Luongo with a tip in front of the net less than three minutes into overtime. To spare you the math, the Canucks spent 57 minutes bearing down on Chicago, and in about five minutes of game time the Blackhawks unraveled all of Vancouver's work, possibly shifting the momentum in this series in the process.
Still, the Blackhawks need to learn to make things easier on themselves. Yet again in this series they failed to score in the game's first half, a recurring trend in each of the team's four battles. Thursday's win might have everyone in Chicago feeling good, but it's important to remember how close the Blackhawks were to staring elimination in the face.
Chippy? Yes. Resilient? You bet. Still fallible? Of course. Just because the Blackhawks have proven they can do it late doesn't mean they will continue to do so. Through hard work, fortitude, and a little bit of luck they've tied this series. Vancouver let them hang around Thursday night, now it's on Chicago to prove with 60-minute efforts that they really belong.
