Stanley Cup Finals 2013: Changes Each Team Must Make in Return to Chicago

It was not pretty, but the Chicago Blackhawks earned a hard-fought 6-5 victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals Wednesday night.

Neither team looked especially good, and both coaches have plenty to work on as the series shifts back to Chicago for Game 5 on Saturday night.  

Bruins - Step Up On Defense

Zdeno Chara has played more minutes than anyone else during the Stanley Cup Final, and it showed on Wednesday night.

The veteran defenseman struggled all night, ending the game at a minus-3.

Chara looked especially bad on Michal Handzus' short-handed goal in the first period, allowing Brandon Saad to record an easy assist.

Despite his troubles, Chara was still on the ice for more than 28 minutes while Johnny Boychuk, who actually contributed a goal and finished plus-1 on the night, only saw 22 minutes of ice time.

No matter who steps up, whether it's Chara, Boychuk or someone else, Coach Claude Julien needs to be more flexible with his defensive pairings and ride the hot hand on Saturday night.

Bruins - Stop Patrick Kane

The Boston Bruins made it look so easy in the first three games of the series. Blackhawks captain Patrick Kane was a non-factor prior to Wednesday night, his lone assist coming in the first period of Game 2.

But Kane found space last night and took advantage, recording a goal and an assist to finish plus-2 for the game.

On Brent Seabrook's game-winning goal, the Bruins gave Kane too much space at the bottom of the circle, which allowed him to snap off a high-angle shot, creating enough chaos in front of the net to allow Seabrook to come open at the top of the right circle.  

If the Bruins are going to bounce back and take Game 5 in Chicago, they must keep Kane in check. Part of the problem for Boston last night was Chara's poor performance, but stopping an elite player like Kane takes a concentrated team effort.

Boston has to use its size to clog up Kane's passing lanes and force him to battle along the boards, where he is much less dangerous than when he has space to work with in the slot.

Blackhawks - Shift to Crawford's Weak Side

Rich Peverly took advantage of Corey Crawford's glove side in the first period Wednesday night, snapping a wrister past Chicago's goaltender.

The Blackhawks defense left open space on the right wing, giving Peverly a clear shot at Crawford's weak side.

Boston would continue attacking to Crawford's glove side with Patrice Bergeron and Johnny Boychuk both finding the back of the net high and to Crawford's left.

Crawford has been shaky at best, but a switch to Ray Emery is out of the question. The only option for the Blackhawks is to start cheating to the left side of the defensive zone, taking away Boston's shooting lanes and forcing them stick-side. If not, Game 5 will be another long night for Chicago's netminder.  

Blackhawks - Stay Out of the Penalty Box

Normally, players expect the referees to give them a little more leeway during the Stanley Cup Finals, but Dan O'Halloran and Wes McCauley called a very tight game on Wednesday night, assessing 11 minor penalties during the contest.

The penalties led to three power play goals, two of them coming for Boston. If not for Handzus' short-handed goal, Chicago probably does not win Game 4.

Both teams need to avoid the penalty box, but especially the Blackhawks. With the additional room on the power play, the Bruins can continue to attack Crawford's glove side.

And if Chicago's best players can stay on the ice, it forces Boston into tough situations that could lead to Bruins players sitting for two minutes, taking even more pressure of Crawford and the defense.