An NHL team never wins the Stanley Cup without facing adversity at some point during the post-season. When a group of players have their backs up against the wall, that’s when we truly learn what a roster, from superstar to supporting character, is capable of.
WCF Game 6
Down after surrendering the opening goal in game six last night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles against the Kings, the Chicago Blackhawks could have folded. When Drew Doughty and Alec Martinez scored goals two minutes apart in the third to put Chicago down again and just 12:22 away from elimination, nobody would have blamed the Hawks if they couldn’t come back. After all, the Kings are champions too, and more than a formidable foe.
That being said, is anybody in the hockey world surprised that they managed to pull out a 4-3 victory? For a team like the Blackhawks, winners of two Stanley Cup championships in the last four years, we know what they’re made of.
Of course it helps having an elite game-breaking talent in the form of Patrick Kane. The 25-year-old winger has an uncanny knack for rising to the occasion, and he did so last night in spades, picking up two goals, including the game-winner with 3:45 to go, and added an assist in one of his best performances of the playoffs.
After struggling through the first three games against the Kings without a point, Kane has been simply phenomenal with eight points in the last three. Just like in the second round where he scored the series-winning goal against the Minnesota Wild (not to mention his Stanley Cup winning goal in overtime in 2010), Kane once again proved to be one of the most clutch players in the entire league.
The 2013 Conn Smythe trophy winner now has four game-winners to tie Blackhawks captain and teammate Jonathan Toews for most in this post-season, and may be on his way to another Smythe.
Though never a particularly prolific scorer during the regular season (he has hit the 30-goal and 80-point plateaus just once in his career), Kane is a dependable offensive player, yet he always manages to elevate his game in the post-season.
Which isn’t to say that he’s chopped liver in the regular season, but while many offensive players struggle to keep their scoring touch during the grind which is the Stanley Cup playoffs, Kane actually has a higher career points per game average in the playoffs (0.97) than in the regular season (0.96). Need more evidence? In games four to seven of a series, Kane has 52 points in 45 career games, a 1.20 points per game average. The kid gets it done when it matters most.
On the other side of the ledger, the stars for the Kings were conspicuously quiet last night. Defenseman Drew Doughty, another Conn Smythe candidate, did have an excellent game with two points, including the go-ahead goal in the third period. However, forwards Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter and Marion Gaborik, who sit one-two-three in playoff scoring, managed just one assist between them and skated to a minus four with eight shots on goal.
Which brings us to goaltender Jonathan Quick, the 2012 Conn Smythe winner. In a series full of superstars, award-winners, and elite-level talents on both sides, Quick has noticeably struggled and last night was no exception as his frustration boiled over at the end of the second period.
Does that look like a goaltender playing with focus and confidence or one that is frustrated with his own performance?
All playoffs long Quick has been streaky. He looked simply awful in three straight losses to the Sharks in round one, but turned his game around and allowed only two goals in the final three games to close out that series. It was a similar story against Anaheim in round two, where he struggled through three straight losses before coming back with strong performances over the final two games to eliminate the Ducks.
Against the Blackhawks however, Quick hasn’t been able to find that killer instinct. He allowed nine goals on 70 shots in game five and six, both games in which Quick could have been the difference in eliminating Chicago and sending the Kings back to the Stanley Cup finals. As a result, he’s seen his stats balloon to a mediocre 2.82 goals against average and a pedestrian .906 save percentage with just one shutout this post-season.
For comparison’s sake, just two years ago when he won the Smythe, Quick had a 1.41 goals against average and a .946 save percentage with three shutouts. Simply put: he’s playing some of his most inconsistent hockey of the past few years, and at the worst possible time.
So here we are, game seven back in Chicago on Sunday with the winner advancing to the Stanley Cup Final, and this time it’s the Kings who will have to show their resolve against the surging Blackhawks. Los Angeles has survived two game sevens already this post-season, including a thrilling reverse sweep against San Jose, and are 6-0 in elimination games this year. Can they step up the way that Chicago’s leaders have, or will the skill and pedigree of the defending champs take control yet again? Both teams have the ability to win game seven, which makes this series endlessly entertaining and fascinating.
One thing is certain in this rematch of last year’s Western Conference final: given how these two elite teams have gone back and forth at each other, game seven at the United Center two days from now might be one of the most exciting games that hockey fans have witnessed in years. Don’t miss it.
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