One day off, then back-to-back Game 7s ... thanks, Blackhawks
It's time to put to bed one of the media-driven narratives of the Western Conference finals. Anaheim is not wearing down Chicago's thin blue line or smaller forwards with its physical play.
In case you missed it, the Blackhawks played their best game of the series on Wednesday, handing the Ducks their first regulation loss of this postseason with a 5-2 win at United Center to tie the series at 3-3 and force Game 7 back in Anaheim on Saturday. The guy leading the charge was the guy who has logged more minutes than anyone in this series: Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith.
Keith set up the first three Chicago goals and led all players in ice time again in a performance that had his coach and teammates gushing.
"He's kind of a freak as far as his metabolism and conditioning level," 'Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "I think the more he plays, the more efficient; the more he gets going. Certain guys genetically, aerobically they can sustain it. He keeps doing it."
With two days off before Game 7, there should be no issues with rest or fatigue; credit the NHL for adding that extra day. Game 7's deserve two fresh teams (as fresh as they can be this time of year), competing for a berth in the Stanley Cup Final.
Play of the day: There is little in hockey that can match the excitement of a breakaway. There are few players more exciting to watch (OK, his teammate Patrick Kane is one) than Chicago wing Brandon Saad. Saad's powerful, low stride helps him outrace some of the better defenders in the game and Wednesday's first goal was a perfect example. After gathering a stretch pass from Keith, Saad pulled away from Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm and fired a puck between goalie Frederik Andersen's pads for a 1-0 lead midway through the second period.
Turning Point: Keith's save. After Anaheim defenseman Clayton Stoner pulled the Ducks within 3-2 early in the third period, Chicago's Andrew Desjardins was whistled for goalie interference. Eight seconds into the Ducks' ensuing power play, defenseman Cam Fowler sent a shot toward the net that wing Corey Perry redirected toward the far post. Just as the puck was about to cross the goal line and tie the game, Keith swept it out of harm's way.
— Stephanie Vail (@myregularface) May 28, 2015
Three stars
1. Duncan Keith, D Chicago. Keith had three assists (on the first three Chicago goals), he saved a goal with the heads-up play listed above, he finished plus-three and he logged a game-high 28:35 of ice time.
2. Andrew Shaw, RW, Chicago. One of Shaw's two goals was an empty-netter; the other was a huge marker that pushed Chicago's lead to 4-2 with less than four minutes left in regulation and Anaheim pressing hard for the tie. On the play, Shaw outmuscled Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf to lift a backhand over Andersen.
3. Patrick Kane, RW, Chicago. Kane had the game-winning goal and an assist. He finished plus-two.
RECAP
Chicago Blackhawks 5, Anaheim Ducks 2
Series: Tied 3-3
Key stat: The Eastern and Western conference finals will both go to a Game 7 for the first time since 2000. (The Rangers and Lightning play their Game 7 on Friday, also after an extra day of rest.)
Key stats II & III: Chicago is 15-0 in the playoffs when forward Marian Hossa scores a goal; Hawks goalie Corey Crawford is 10-3 in elimination games.
Best visual: This is goalie interference. Just before Stoner's shot sailed past Crawford's glove hand to pull Anaheim within 3-2, Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg skated past Crawford and bumped his glove out of position. The officials should have called goalie interference and disallowed the goal. They just missed it, as former referee Kerry Fraser notes.
Best at being worst: Anaheim's top line of Getzlaf, Perry and Patrick Maroon finished a combined minus-nine in the Ducks' first regulation loss of the postseason.
Best quote: "I think the finality of it is what stands out. One group is going to go home and one group's going to go play for the Stanley Cup. There's really not a lot you can leave on the table. There's no plane for tomorrow or any of those clichés you want to use." — Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau on Game 7.
What we learned: This series deserves a Game 7. The action has been too good. There have been 38 goals, there have been rallies from three-goal deficits, there have been three overtime games and on Wednesday, we were treated to more than eight minutes of action without a whistle from the 16:45 mark to the 8:32 mark of the third period. More of this, please.
Next game: Game 7, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET at Honda Center in Anaheim.
Final thought: Fans of every sport like to tout the virtues of their game above all others. It's an argument that can never be won. What the NHL brings that the three other major North American team sports do not, however, is pace; incomparable pace. Truth be told, that pace was lacking at times in the first two rounds of the postseason. So was the drama. But the conference finals have more than made up for it with ample offense, huge momentum swings and the delight of utterly unpredictable outcomes. Now come two Game 7's in the conference finals to whet everyone's appetite for a Stanley Cup Final that will have to go above and beyond to match the theater of these two series.