NHL Playoffs 2011: Blackhawks Storm Back into Series, Canucks Look to Regroup

Maybe it was the simmering rage over the Raffi Torres hit that injured Brent Seabrook.

Maybe it was it was the inspiring return of Dave Bolland to the lineup after missing 20 games due to a concussion.

Maybe it was the realization that they could be emptying their lockers in the morning if they didn't step up.

Whatever the reason, the 2010 Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks finally made an appearance in the 2011 playoffs. The Hawks laid a 7-2 beating on the Canucks to stave off elimination in front of their home fans.

The game actually started off fairly evenly. The Hawks scored early, but the Canucks quickly answered with a power play goal that muted the normally exuberant Madhouse on Madison.

But in the second period, the Sedins had what had to be their worst shift of 2011, if not their careers. 

In a span of only 17 seconds, the Sedins and Mikael Samuelsson twice blew their defensive coverage and let Brian Campbell and then Duncan Keith walk in untouched from the point to blow one-timers past Luongo.

After that, the game was pretty much done.

The suddenly inspired Hawks found their championship form and swarmed the stunned Canucks, adding another pair of goals before the end of the second period.

With the game out of hand, the playoff rivalry and hatred came to the fore as the two teams combined for 90 minutes in penalties, including five misconducts, during the third period. Bieksa also schooled Viktor Stalberg with a good old fashioned sweater over the head beating.

I think the referees seemed to make one big mistake though, sending off Raffi Torres and John Scott with misconducts off a faceoff when it seemed clear they were going to go as willing combatants when the puck dropped. Scott was clearly itching to avenge the Seabrook hit from Game 3, and Torres was willing to oblige him. 

I think the refs should have let them go, and hopefully that would have helped defused the situation going forward.

Some positives to take out of the game for the Canucks:

First, Luongo didn't look bad. Not that you can ever look good when giving up six goals on 28 shots, but the four in the second period were due to mistakes by the skaters leaving open shooters in the slot with time to pick their shots, and the last goal in the third period was a nice power play setup by Kane and Toews to set up Sharp.

"I don't think you can say it was Luongo's struggles—I think you can say it was Canucks' struggles," Vancouver defenseman Kevin Bieksa said. "I don't think you can pin tonight's loss on one guy. I don't think anyone is happy with their performance, so we shoulder that as a team."

Second, this loss, and that horrible shift, embarrassed the twins. Henrik and Daniel are proud, and this won't sit well with them. They will come back with a chip on their shoulders for Game 5.

Third, despite what Toews might think, this is a different team than last year. Yes, they got flustered by the quick goals in the second. Show me a team that wouldn't get thrown off mentally by that. 

But this is a more mature team that doesn't go into losing streaks, and at the risk of using a cliche, doesn't get too high after a win or too low after a loss. They'll be fine mentally in Game 5.

Fourth, Game 5 (and Game 7 if it gets that far) is at home. The first two games of the series were controlled by the Canucks as they dictated the matchups. That should help even more if John Scott is forced to play on defence in Game 5.

Fifth, as I noted above, the third period was filled with hits, penalties and fights as the Canucks let the Hawks know they weren't going quietly. That is something to take some solace in for Canucks fans, as we didn't see the Hawks put up any fight like that in the first three games, even after the Torres hit.

To put it all in perspective, no one picked the Canucks to sweep the Hawks. Everyone, myself included, didn't expect the Hawks to go gently to the golf courses without winning a game.

The Canucks had one bad period, really a single horrible shift, and that decided the game. 

Now they need to do what they have done all year, and put the game behind them and try to eliminate the Hawks in Game 5 in front of a Vancouver crowd.