Chicago Sun-Times

Physical Red Wings top Blackhawks to even series

Sun, 19 May 2013 02:42:31 -0500

Jonathan Toews and Henrik Zetterberg, joined at the hip-check for most of the game, were tangled yet again in front of the Red Wings goal crease midway through the second period of Saturday’s Game 2. Zetterberg wriggled his hands free and whacked Toews in the back of the neck, knocking him to the ice. Toews, shaken and stirred up, glowered as he slowly got to his feet. Before he could, Zetterberg shoved him right back to the ice. As Red Wings coach Mike Babcock so succinctly put it, “Series on.” Detroit’s 4-1 victory on Saturday afternoon did more than simply …

Winger Viktor Stalberg healthy scratch again

Sun, 19 May 2013 02:42:50 -0500

With their fastest player a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game, the Blackhawks looked a step slow in a 4-1 loss Saturday to the Detroit Red Wings in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series. Whether winger Viktor Stalberg returns to the lineup for Game 3 on Monday in Detroit remains to be seen. Coach Joel Quenneville said before the game that he was reluctant to change his lineup after an impressive victory in Game 1. So Stalberg, who was benched in that game for what he said was the staff’s unhappiness with his effort and performance, remained …

Brendan Smith’s rebound performance key to Red Wings’ victory

Sun, 19 May 2013 02:42:41 -0500

Defenseman Brendan Smith was the whipping boy for the Detroit Red Wings’ Game 1 loss — an all-too-clear example that the difference between the Blackhawks and Red Wings is on the back line, where Nick Lidstrom no longer dominates and Smith is a long way from being the next great Wings defender. Smith was vulnerable again in the first period of Game 2 at the United Center. After the Wings killed off his hooking penalty, he tripped near the blue line to spring Patrick Sharp for a rush that led to Patrick Kane’s goal to give the Hawks an early …

Joel Quenneville pushes right buttons for Blackhawks

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:12:02 -0500

A year ago, depending on whom you asked, Joel Quenneville might have been lucky to still have a job. Two straight first-round playoff exits had the 2010 Stanley Cup feeling like a fading, sepia-toned memory. Now? Quenneville has the league’s top team in the second round as clear favorites to win the Cup, and Friday was named a finalist for the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL’s best coach. Sure, it helps that he’s got a deep, talented roster laden with stars. But he had virtually the same team last year, and look how far it got him. In the …

Blackhawks, Red Wings seek another gear

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:12:12 -0500

The Blackhawks are ready for the Red Wings’ best shot. ‘‘We expect a harder game,’’ Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. ‘‘I’m sure it’s going to be more physical than the first game as you progress, and we found in the Minnesota series it was like that.’’ It’ll be interesting to see if the Hawks have learned from experience. They braced for a ‘‘push-back’’ from the Wild in Game 3 on the road but didn’t respond well in a 3-2 overtime loss. The lesson: You can’t brace for the push-back, you have to attack it. ‘‘Don’t wait for it to happen,’’ …

Stalberg unlikely to return in Game 2

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:12:22 -0500

Blackhawks winger Viktor Stalberg was still in a white jersey, still skating outside the top four lines at practice Friday, meaning he likely will be a healthy scratch again in Game 2 against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday at the United Center. “It’s frustrating, obviously,” Stalberg said. “Can’t really make it too much about yourself. It’s about winning games right now, and we won. It was a good start to the series. That’s what it’s about.” Stalberg shed a little light on his benching. While Hawks coach Joel Quenneville wouldn’t get into specifics, Stalberg said he was told to …

VIDEO: Quenneville on being called a ‘teddy bear’ by Bolland

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:38:00 -0500

Joel Quenneville had a good laugh when a reporter told him that Dave Bolland had referred to his coach as a “teddy bear.”

Photos: Blackhawks award finalists, winners

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:10:32 -0500

Several Blackhawks are up for awards or have won them. Click on the gallery to see the honored Hawks.

Blackhawks’ Toews, Red Wings’ Datsyuk are two of a kind

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:41:45 -0500

Detroit coach Mike Babock was asked about the talented two-way center and all the thing he does — in the offensive zone, in the defensive zone, at the faceoff dot, on special teams. And Babcock, an eloquent but occasionally grouchy sort, suddenly began to gush like a fanboy. “What he does on film is one thing, but that’s not what makes him what he is,” Babcock said. “How tough he is mentally, how [good he is] every day, what a great person he is — that’s what makes him the conscience of this team, the captain that he is. I …

Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane finalist for Lady Byng Trophy

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:14:49 -0500

The announcement that Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane is a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy elicited some expected snickers — and some pretty funny tweets — from the NHL’s peanut gallery. But let the record show that Kane, who is still years away from living down his reputation as a hard-partying wild child, is a more-than-deserving candidate for the on-ice award, which honors sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct. If anything, Kane’s candidacy is tacit acknowledgment that his maturation off the ice proved beneficial to his 2012-13 performance. Kane finished fifth in the NHL in scoring with 55 points, and his eight …

Quenneville says Stalberg benching not related to dispute

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:40:12 -0500

MARK LAZERUS: Joel Quenneville refuted multiple reports Wednesday that Viktor Stalberg was benched for Game 1 against the Detroit Red Wings because he complained about his lack of a role on the power play during the first-round series against the Minnesota Wild.

Blackhawks score three in third for 4-1 win over Red Wings in Game 1

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:34:56 -0500

The familiar anti-Detroit chants started hours before the game as the crowd gathered outside Gates 2 and 3 along Madison Street, continued through pregame warmups and spilled into the start of the first period — interrupted only by a sustained United Center-shaking roar through the national anthem.

Blackhawks’ supporting cast comes up huge in opener

Thu, 16 May 2013 07:00:23 -0500

Johnny Oduya was a humble, unsung hero Wednesday night. The Blackhawks never seem to run out of those. While the Hawks’ stars played like stars in the Blackhawks’ 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings at the United Center, supporting cast members ultimately made the difference as the Hawks took a 1-0 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series. Oduya took advantage of a workmanlike shift by the second line of Patrick Sharp, Michael Handzus and Patrick Sharp to break a 1-1 tie with a 30-foot wrist shot with 11:58 left in regulation. And some fourth-line hustle by Daniel Carcillo …

Disgruntled Viktor Stalberg is healthy scratch for Game 1 for Blackhawks

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:59:29 -0500

Winger Viktor Stalberg wasn’t happy with his power-play time during the Blackhawks’ first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Wild. Now he’s not playing at all against the Detroit Red Wings. Coach Joel Quenneville declined to go into specifics about why he benched the speedy third-line winger for Game 1, but a source said Stalberg was at odds with the coaching staff about his role in the series against the Wild. Stalberg got three seconds of power-play time in Game 1, 55 seconds in Game 2 and none in the next three games. He averaged 2 minutes, 11 seconds of power-play …

Blackhawks back up fans’ ‘Dee-troit ...’ chant

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:24:28 -0500

RICK MORRISSEY: If you believe things happen for a reason, then the Blackhawks’ Western Conference semifinal against the Red Wings was meant to be. If you sit on the other side and believe life is a series of coincidences, then this series is simple chance.