Does it matter that Tuukka Rask was in net during Boston’s epic 2010 collapse? (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

By Sarah Kwak

It’s a well-worn cliché of playoff hockey: The fourth win is always the toughest. And on Thursday night, Boston played into the old adage again, letting the Rangers keep a modicum of hope in their Eastern Conference semifinal series, which now stands at 3-1. Friday, Pittsburgh, holding a 3-1 series lead over Ottawa, got its first chance to advance to its first East final since 2009. But given the Penguins’ recent history of elimination games on home ice — they are 1-6 since Dan Bylsma took over in ’09 — Friday’s game presented an element of challenge.

Elimination games often do. Just ask the Bruins, the Canucks, the Sharks. During the last three years, they have each allowed an opponent to climb back from a 0-3 series deficit to push a Game 7. The 2010 Flyers famously pulled off the full comeback against Boston, which haunted the Bruins until they won the Cup a year later. Since 2010, the NHL has seen only three more occurrences of series sweeps than it’s seen 0-3 comebacks. So really, are elimination games actually more difficult?

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Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard made 28 saves in the Red Wings’ shutout win in Game 4. (Steven King/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

When Jonathan Toews watches the tape of Chicago’s 2-0 Game 4 loss in Detroit, he should pay close attention to the play of his nemesis Henrik Zetterberg and of Zetterberg’s Red Wings teammate, Pavel Datsyuk.

He’ll see the two stars were subjected to a series of hooks, jabs, slashes and all manner of uncalled cheap shots, just as Toews was. He might also notice that, despite that duress, they rarely lost their cool.

And really, that was the difference tonight and in the previous two games that have seen the Wings wrestle control of this series from the Stanley Cup favorites. While Toews and the Hawks allowed their frustration to get the best of them over and over again, the Red Wings simply gritted their teeth, put their heads down and kept their focus.

That’s how the Wings have earned a 3-1 series lead that’s surprising only to those who haven’t watched them in action. Yesterday, Pierre McGuire offered some insight on the series to SI.com’s Stu Hackel, which you can read here. And it’s why the Stanley Cup favorites are on the ropes and facing elimination in Game 5 on Saturday.

Here are some thoughts and observations from tonight’s action:

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Andrew Shaw (right) and the Blackhawks revealed that the Red Wings have gotten into their heads. (Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

There was a script going around before this series that had the top-ranked Chicago Blackhawks rolling over the underdog Detroit Red Wings.

Apparently Mike Babcock’s crew decided that script needed a few revisions.

In Game 3 on Monday night in Detroit, the Wings asserted their physical dominance early, then got second-period goals from Gustav Nyquist and Drew Miller 31 seconds apart followed by a third-period dagger from Pavel Datsyuk for a 3-1 win that gave them an unexpected 2-1 lead in the series.

Depth was supposed to provide a clear advantage for the Blackhawks, but again it was Detroit’s unheralded third and fourth lines that made things happen with their work along the boards and in front of the net. “We’ve got guys whose job is to hit and provide energy,” Miller said. “That’s kind of how we play. We want to hit, and it’s playoff time, so we ramp it up.”

The pounding took a toll on the Hawks, whose frustration was made apparent when they took five consecutive penalties in a nasty third period. “We were scratching, clawing, and we were tough to play against,” said Jonathan Toews, Chicago’s captain. “We’ll come back even harder in the next one. It almost takes something like this, or maybe someone to slap you in the face so to speak, to really understand what adversity is and how tough the playoffs can be.”

Clearly, it’s going a lot tougher than they expected.

Some thoughts and observations from tonight’s contest:

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Henrik Zetterberg (left) was instrumental in stopping the Blackhawks’ captain Jonathan Toews. (Robin Alam/Icon SMI)

By Brian Cazeneuve

After being outclassed by Chicago in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, the Detroit Red Wings took the ice at the United Center on Saturday knowing they needed to turn in an improved performance. They did just that in beating the Blackhawks 4-1 to send the series to Detroit knotted at one game each.

Here are some thoughts and observations on Game 2:

• Patrick Kane may be a scoring machine, but the Chicago forward’s goal in the first period at 14:05 was only his first marker in this postseason. Kane has had a tough time, denting the twine just twice in the playoffs since his overtime Cup-winner in Game 6 against the Flyers in 2010 —  a span of 14 games without a postseason goal. In his previous 19 games, he’s produced 15 assists, but just that one tally.

• The Wings continue to get solid efforts from younger, less proven players. Give Gustav Nyquist credit for taking a big hit from Chicago’s Bryan Bickell and getting the puck back to the point to defenseman Jakub Kindl on Detroit’s first goal. Kindl walked the blueline from right to left with great poise and threw a long shot at the net. Damien Brunner then deflected the it past Corey Crawford for his fourth goal of the playoffs.

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If you really think about it, there is only one sure thing in this year’s NHL awards field. (Minas Panagiotakis/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

Think about the levers that Washington Capitals coach Adam Oates had to pull to convince struggling superstar Alex Ovechkin to play the game his way, or how Mike Babcock guided the Detroit Red Wings into the post-Nick Lidstrom era with a rookie-laden lineup. That is a pair of remarkable coaching efforts right there, yet neither was good enough to make the cut for the Jack Adams Award, which is given to the coach who has contributed most to his team’s success. That tells you all you need to know about the quality of this year’s field.

The NHL announced this morning that Bruce Boudreau of the Anaheim Ducks, Paul MacLean of the Ottawa Senators, and Joel Quenneville of the Chicago Blackhawks are the finalists for the Adams, as selected by the members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association. It’s pretty easy to craft an argument in support of any one of them.

MORE NOMINEES: Hart | Norris | Vezina | Calder | Lindsay | Masterton | Selke | Byng

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Marcus Kruger (right) scored the goal that put the game out of reach for the visiting Red Wings. (Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

To a man, the Chicago Blackhawks came out of their first-round series with the Minnesota Wild saying they had to take their game up a level if they hoped to continue on the path to the Stanley Cup. They proved tonight that they weren’t just flapping their gums.

After a stodgy first period, the Hawks seriously ramped up their attack on the way to a convincing 4-1 win over the Red Wings in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

Marian Hossa opened the scoring for Chicago in the first, with Johnny Oduya, Marcus Kruger and Patrick Sharp tallying in the third. Damien Brunner replied for Detroit after Hossa’s goal, but that was all the Wings could muster.

If not for the heroics of goalie Jimmy Howard, who stopped 38 of the 41 shots he faced, things would have been a lot worse for the visitors. The Hawks came at Detroit’s defenders in waves, overwhelming them with numbers or sheer tenacity and pinning them in their own zone for long, exhausting stretches. Howard made some big saves along the way — his skateblade stop on Dave Bolland’s breakaway bid was a highlight — but too often he was left on his own while his defenders stood still or were caught looking the other way while their checking assignments skated unmolested into the slot.

This was a statement game from Chicago. Now it’s up to the Red Wings to prove they can match it.

A few more observations from the series opener:

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If goalie Jimmy Howard can steal a game or two, Detroit will have chance to upset Chicago. (Robin Alam/Icon SMI)

By Brian Cazeneuve

Snapshot

This is one of the great historic rivalries in the game, and one we may not see again for a while because next season’s realignment will pull the Red Wings east and away from their traditional foe. Over the years, neither home advantage nor recent history has been a sufficient predictor of how a series between these two teams will go. Chicago comes off a short season that began with a record 24-game streak without a loss. The retooling Wings, meanwhile, had to scramble to get into the playoffs in the season’s final week. The top-seeded Hawks finished 21 points ahead of the No. 7 Wings during the regular season and, not surprisingly, Chicago had an easy five-game series in the opening round against Minnesota, while Detroit needed a full seven-game sweat to dispose of Anaheim. But don’t expect the veteran Wings to be overly impressed or intimidated by the proficient Hawks. These teams have a way of throwing out regular-season results and turning the playoffs into real drama.

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Marian Hossa scored two goals to ease the Blackhawks past the Wild in Game 5. (Bill Smith/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

The Chicago Blackhawks are a finished product, an elite-level club ready to challenge for the Stanley Cup. The Minnesota Wild are a work-in-progress, a team headed in the right direction, but still trying to figure out how to get to where the Hawks are today.

Their first round series was a mismatch on paper. It turned out to be a mismatch on the ice as well. With a chance to eliminate a lesser opponent Thursday night, the Hawks did what good teams do: They took care of business, dispatching the Wild with a convincing 5-1 win that closed out the series in five games and sent the Stanley Cup favorites to the second round.

Marian Hossa had a pair of goals for the winners. Torry Mitchell had the lone goal for the Wild, who are left to clear out their lockers and consider the value of this learning experience.

Here are some observations on the series clincher:

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Jason Zucker (16) scored from a sharp angle in overtime to pull Minnesota within one game of Chicago. (Getty Images)

By Brian Cazeneuve

It’s been a rough stretch for Minnesota Wild goaltenders. Before Game 1 in Chicago, starter Niklas Backstrom suffered a lower body injury that led coach Mike Yeo to call on backup Josh Harding, who had spent two months on injured reserve during the regular season while adjusting to medication for multiple sclerosis. Harding had only played five games, posting modest numbers (1-1-0, .863, 3.24), but he performed heroically that night, stopping 35-of-37 shots in a 2-1 loss to the Blackhawks. The Wild could have won that one if  winger Jason Zucker’s shot hadn’t hit the crossbar in overtime.

On Sunday, fortune finally smiled on Harding (and Zucker), though at first it looked like more bad breaks were in store. Harding, who had been strafed by 47 shots in Minnesota’s 5-2 loss in Game 2, took a puck to the shoulder during warmups and left his crease for a time, but he was able to start and he played well. This time, the outcome was more fortunate as Minnesota got back into the series with a 3-2 win thanks to Zucker’s clutch goal in OT.

Some thoughts and observations on the game: Read More…

Chicago goalie Corey Crawford stood firm against Zach Parise and the Wild in Game 2. (Warren Wimmer/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

The Chicago Blackhawks needed more than a win against the Minnesota Wild Friday night. They needed to prove, to themselves if no one else, that they could correct the mistakes that permeated their play in the series opener.

Chances are they’re feeling a lot better after Game 2.

The Hawks fired 77 shots toward Wild goalie Josh Harding. They pursued the puck relentlessly. They took full advantage of their speed and creativity. And they made Minnesota’s top players look like overmatched Pee Wees in a decisive 5-2 win.

Here are four key takeaways from the game:

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