Stanley Cup Game 4 Recap (Series: 2-2)
First off, what a game! A 6-5 overtime OT win for Chicago was the highest scoring game of this year’s postseason and has seen the total number of goals in the series very nearly doubled. More importantly though the Blackhawks’ broke out of Boston’s tight shackles and the series is now enticingly balanced at 2-2 heading back to the Windy City. The Bruins spent most of the night fighting back and after drawing level so many times a win for them would have been heartbreaking for the Hawks, now Zdeno Chara and his teammates will have to find a way to win another game at United Center before the Finals are out.
Brent Seabrook’s slapshot ended the contest, adding a second OT winner in the playoffs to his Game 7 sealer versus Detroit. Patricks Kane and Sharp along with Jonathan Toews all made the boxscore, the latter’s presence in front of the net significant on the final tally too. Joel Quenneville’s tinkering with his forward lines also paid off, reuniting his young stars certainly seemed to help them. A shorthanded effort kicked everything off though midway through the first, and what a beauty it was too. Brandon Saad stripped the puck and broke with speed, tapping across for Michal Handzus to finish. Plenty of talk had been devoted to how Chicago would ignite their transitional system and I counted four of the goals coming soon after quick entries into the offensive zone, five if you include the shorty.
Boston’s resolve to keep coming back was admirable though from the small sample size available taking the Hawks’ on in an open game won’t end well for them. Patrice Bergeron’s hot streak continued with a pair of goals either side of the 2nd intermission making it 4-4, on the downside the Selke runner up was a minus on the night along with a number of their other major players.
Despite the escalating scoreline neither saw fit to withdraw his goaltender from the front line, both Corey Crawford and Tuukka Rask will be frustrated with themselves on a couple but they have earned the right to be involved in the key moments. Rask had simply been stopping everything he was seeing however he had a good luck at Seabrook’s blast and it still slipped between his blocker and pad. You’d have to back them to regain control of proceedings in Game 5 for a more low scoring affair. Will the absence of real desperation slow the Blackhawks up again?