Torres' head shot awoke the beast

The talk in many places around the NHL is that Raffi Torres' unpunished head shot against Brent Seabrook in Game 3 has turned the first-round playoff series against the Canucks around for the Blackhawks.

While that might not be completely accurate, it has been a motivating factor in the Hawks winning the last two games and rallying from an 3-0 hole.

“That's what everyone wants to say, but we just like to say it was added motivation on top of the fact we were down 3-0 to probably our biggest rival in the league right now,” Jonathan Toews said Friday. “Every single guy in that locker room was reminded at that point that, hey, we're letting this team get away with too much and we have to hold them accountable a little bit.

“For a second maybe we forget about the hatred between these two teams and that definitely sparked it again. We're not going to deny that it lit a fire under our butts again, and here we are fighting and clawing our way back into this series.”

The Hawks likely won't know until Sunday if they will have Seabrook back in the lineup for Game 6. Coach Joel Quenneville said Seabrook might skate Saturday.

With or without Seabrook, the Hawks believe they have things rolling in the right direction to at least force a Game 7.

“Now we're all on the same page,” Toews said. “We're finding ways to expose them and get opportunities. We've got confidence now compared to those first three games and we've got to keep building off it.”

Does Toews think the Hawks have gotten into the heads of the Canucks?

“You say what you want,” Toews said. “We're going to keep playing our game. The way they take it us up to them.”

To be continued:

John Scott couldn't resist getting in another dig at Kevin Bieksa after Game 5 when asked what he said to the Canucks' defenseman during one scrum.

“I just was reminding him he's not a good hockey player,” Scott said. “Somebody has to tell him he's not a good hockey player.”

No punishment:

There was no word from the NHL Friday on possible supplementary discipline for Dan Hamhuis' blatant head shot against Dave Bolland in Game 5.

In only Bolland's second game after missing five weeks with a concussion, Hamhuis shoved the Hawks' center's head into the glass.

“Bolly wasn't happy at all, and coming off his injury he's got reasons,” Joel Quenneville said.

At least one Hawk believed Hamhuis intentionally targeted Bolland's head.