The Chicago Blackhawks will look to extend their season when they take on the Detroit Red Wings in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.
The Blackhawks dominated the Red Wings in the opening game with a 4-1 victory. Since then the team has scored just two goals in three matches. The team's top stars have been shut down continually by Detroit's top guns.
Chicago Captain Jonathan Toews has one point in four games --three points in nine postseason games. After a dominant game one performance, Patrick Sharp has only registered one point in the last three games. Patrick Kane has three points in four games. The only player to give a solid performance in this series has been goalie Corey Crawford who has allowed nine goals in four games, but has stopped 90 percent of the shots in three of the four games. In Game 1 Crawford stopped 20 of 21 attempts; he also stopped 25 of 26 in Game 4 despite losing 2-0.
"We all take the burden for being down 3-1," defenseman Brent Seabrook said. "We all win as a group and we lose as a group. Just because one guy isn't scoring doesn't mean he's going to win the game or lose the game for us. It takes a team effort and we all have to pick our socks up here."
The Red Wings know that they will face a tough challenge in Chicago. "We know that they're a desperate team," Coach Mike Babcock said. "I'd like to think that we'll be desperate as well. You want to be as prepared as the opportunity is important and we have to play that hard."
Prediction: Chicago earns an emphatic win on home ice; 4-1 Chicago.
Start Time: 8 PM EST
TV: NBCSN, TSN, RDS
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