2011 NHL Playoffs: Getting Physical Wasn't the Answer for the Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks decided that they needed to be more physical in Game 3 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series with Vancouver.  In front of a full house at the United Center, the 'Hawks tried playing it the Canucks' way.

That decision cost them the game, and likely the series.

The Blackhawks covered most of the bases in their 3-2 defeat.  Yesterday, I brought up five keys to Chicago winning this contest.  I thought they executed four of those keys well enough to win the game.

Draw first blood.  Check.

Find the handle on the power play.  Check.

Chicago accomplished both on the same play when Duncan Keith took a feed from Jonathan Towes and slapped it home six minutes into the game.  Five seconds into the 'Hawks first power play of the night and suddenly the home team had a 1-0 advantage.

The Blackhawks failed to convert a five on three for what seemed to be the millionth time a few moments later.  Overall the 'Hawks were two for seven when up a man, but Chicago scored both goals on the power play, so credit has to be given. 

Take care of the puck in the defensive zone.  Check.

For the first 30 minutes, the Blackhawks took care of business in their own end.  Playing with a lead gave the defensemen the chance to sit back and control their zone.

The core needs to score.  Check.

Toews had a pair of assists.  In addition to setting up Keith, Toews and Patrick Kane fed Patrick Sharp for the 'Hawks second goal.

Play their game, not the Canucks game.

This is where I thought the 'Hawks misfired.

A lot was made about the Canucks physical domination of Chicago at times in this series.  I thought if the 'Hawks went about the business of controlling the tempo of the game, they would prevail in their own building.

Coach Joel Quenneville opted to play into Vancouver's hands by attempting to bolster the muscle in his lineup.  It was the difference in the contest.

Quenneville sat Ryan Johnson and brought in John Scott onto the fourth line with Jake Dowell and Fernando Pisani.  It's easy to second guess a coach the morning after, but let me stress that I didn't like this move when it was pondered by the media after Friday's loss in Vancouver.

I didn't like it when it was announced Sunday morning.

I didn't like it when I saw Scott come out for warm ups Sunday night.

Quoting from my preview entry on Sunday morning:

"Chicago needs to dictate the terms of the game Sunday.  They can't get caught up in trying to out hit the Canucks.  They're not built that way.  Playing smart and not responding after the whistle also helps Chicago control this game."

Scott being in the lineup was not going to allow this to happen.

It neutered the fourth line.  Dowell and Pisani had a better chance of smuggling an octopus past security at Joe Louis Arena than they did of mounting any offense.

It guaranteed that the other forwards would work harder because there were no illusions of Scott playing more that six minutes.  He played 5:20, including an inexplicable 1:12 on the power play unit.

Scott registered three hits, missing opponents several times in pursuit.  His last big hit was where momentum shifted to the side of the Canucks.

Scott committed interference on Maxim Lapierre midway through the second period.  Vancouver immediately converted on the resulting power play to tie the score at one.  Seconds later, a bad turnover in the defensive zone gave the Canucks a 2-1 advantage.

Chicago would tie the game later in the period and Scott never saw the ice after he came out of the box, but the damage was done.  The Canucks started gaining more control of the puck as well as the tempo of the contest.

I'm not pinning the loss on Scott.  He's a good guy, an intelligent, funny guy who could be a wildly popular bit player on a team where he fit the style of play.  The problem is that the Hawks aren't that team.

But it's not his fault.  He never should have been in the game.  The decision to concede to the type of game the Canucks wanted to play was, in my opinion, a bad move.

With Bryan Bickell out of action, Quenneville made the decision to insert the square peg that is John Scott into the lineup.  He had Johnson, as well as Jeff Taffe, who could have held up just fine for ten minutes on the fourth line.  Instead, he chose to get more physical.

I didn't think it was the right move before the game, and I didn't believe so after the final buzzer sounded.   Amid the cries from the third balcony for more hits, the following logic was lost on the Chicago Blackhawks.

They didn't need hits when it counted.  They needed goals.

Other Game 3 Remarks

The Blackhawks were in the game and even had chances to pull away in the first two periods.

The 'Hawks won 55 percent of the face offs and didn't allow the Canucks to swoop with constant odd-man rushes as happened in Rogers Arena.  They allowed just 26 shots on goal.

Once again, Chicago was able to battle with the NHL's best regular season team, but was on the short end of the scoreboard at the end of the night.

When you lose three straight games like they have, the fact that Vancouver is the better team in this series is evident.  We can claim to have held our own for stretches, but the Canucks have played their game and converted their opportunities to win.

Raffi Torres came back from a four-game suspension and made it to the 22 minute mark before flattening Brent Seabrook behind the Vancouver goal while he was waiting for the puck.  It drew a two-minute minor.  The replay shows he made contact with Seabrook's head.  Torres being a repeat offender and all, will the league have anything to say about this?

The 'Hawks showed how much they have learned about head shots by rolling Seabrook back on the ice without taking him back to the locker room.  He wobbled around for a few minutes before the medical staff came to their senses and checked him out in the quiet room.  Way to protect your new multi-million dollar investment, fellas.

On that note, all talk of Dave Bolland coming back to play game four and miraculously saving the 'Hawks collective bacon should end as of last night.  It's too late for Bolland to be a factor.  Don't risk the long-term damage to a guy you need healthy next season.