In the span of 24 hours, the NHL saw two Game 7’s competed in the conference finals. And in the span of those 24 hours, there were two disappointing matches. Not so much for the winners and losers but for the competition or perhaps lack of same.
Friday night saw the Tampa Bay Lightning dispatch the offensively inept New York Rangers and Saturday night the Chicago Blackhawks brushed aside the Anaheim Ducks, 5-3.
The Blackhawks built a 4-0 lead before the Ducks finally got on the board late in the second period.
Jonathan Toews scored twice in the first period to set the tone for the Hawks who rallied from a 3-2 series deficit to win on the road.
“Yeah, there was no easy games. There was nothing given to us. There was no moments in this series where there were any lulls that maybe Anaheim didn’t play their best hockey and we got away with it. We had to earn everything against that team,” Toews said. “It was an incredible test for both teams. I think everyone watched some pretty entertaining hockey with the talents, and the offense, going back and forth. Sometimes it’s the goaltending that was unbelievable.
“So, yeah, we’re excited. It’s a great feeling to have found a way to close out a series against a team like that. On top of it, give ourselves a chance to go back to the Stanley Cup Final. It’s a great feeling. It’s a great thing that we’re excited about. We’ll definitely enjoy that tonight, enjoy this win. But it won’t be long before we move on. We’ll be ready for the next task here.”
Brandon Saad and Marian Hossa scored in the second to build the lead to 4-0.
“It’s one of those things. You just feel like you are getting closer and closer and we keep continuing to improve, but we can’t seem to get to the point that we want to,” Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler said. “I don’t know what that is, but it is going to take a while to digest this. It’s something I’ll be thinking about for a while.”
The Ducks were never able to put the Hawks away in a game they led in and were not capable to responding to Chicago’s intensity in games like Saturday’s decisive Game 7.
“I think you definitely feed off the confidence that it gives you,” Toews said. “You want to consider yourself that type of player at the end of the day. But it helps when you’re alongside guys that have those same intangibles.
“The guys I’m sitting with right here [Keith], [Kane], [Sharp], [Marian] Hossa, the guys that have been around for years and have had the experience down the stretch in the playoffs, we feed off each other.”
Toews and Patrick Kane were again on the newly formed top line for Chicago and they continued to click.
“Well, it was in Game 5 when we got behind in the third. We put them in a couple shifts. Looked like they really clicked. You’re thinking on the offensive side of things,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “Then Game 6 we put them together. They took off right away.
“Saader had a real good last part of the series where he was dominant in a lot of ways. Kaner with his play and patience level, play selection, as good as it is. Toews, call it everything. Really gives us a lot of options offensively and defensively. They play the right way. They had really a couple big games for us.”
The Blackhawks were subdued in their on-ice celebration after the win.
“Yeah I mean, we haven’t done anything yet,” Kane said. “It’s a great step, especially from where we were last year. We were in this position last year and we didn’t get the job done. And then we have another opportunity a year later. For that to come about, I think everyone just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity and not have the same feeling we had last year.”
Now it’s on to the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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