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A hockey series this good should be tied

Rozner: Blackhawks show Sharp side in OT

A series this good ought to be tied after four games.

And if there's any justice in the NHL, there will be three more just like the first four.

The Blackhawks avoided a frightening scenario by winning 5-4 in double overtime of Game 4 at the UC Saturday night, knotting the Western Conference finals with Anaheim at 2-2, as they head back to the Left Coast for Game 5 Monday night.

The Hawks knew another defeat against an opponent this strong would be devastating, but with wins now in triple-overtime and double-overtime they are in the series to stay.

“We knew we couldn't be down 3-1 going back there, so we're pretty happy,” said an exhausted Marian Hossa. “We know we're coming back home for sure (for Game 6) and we hope to be ahead when we get here.”

The game-winner was dripping with irony. Patrick Sharp, Teuvo Teravainen and Antoine Vermette were reunited for Game 4, after Teravainen and Vermette were inexplicable scratches for Game 3, and that line won the game five minutes into the fifth period.

And though Sharp is buried on the third line, for reasons that also defy logic, he was brilliant in overtime, and it was his play that led to the winning goal.

After Vermette and Teravainen played catch, Vermette threw it to Sharp behind the Anaheim net. Sharp spun off a check, put it through two Ducks' legs to find Vermette in the slot. Vermette fired on goal, collected his own rebound and scored from a tough angle, and the Hawks were back in business as 22,404 exploded in celebration.

“Good shift all around,” Sharp said. “Couple good chances and Teuvo and Antoine made good plays to get me the puck behind the goal. Those (Anaheim) guys have some big bodies, so I just tried to avoid the hit and make a play.

“(Vermette) was coming down the slot in a perfect spot and he made a great play on the rebound.”

Sharp has been one of the Hawks' better players in this series, and you keep thinking he's going to get a chance to help Patrick Kane, but so far it hasn't happened.

Meanwhile, Sharp keeps doing his job and he's a nice player to have on the ice when it matters.

“We have a lot of guys in the room who want the puck in overtime, and I'd like to think I'm one of those guys as well,” Sharp said. “I want to score that goal in overtime. I want to make that play, and I'm fortunate that our line was on the ice when we scored.”

While Sharp hasn't lost faith in himself, neither have his teammates.

“He's one of those guys, you want to get him the puck,” Hossa said. “He's done it so many times for us. He can always do something with the puck that's good for us.”

The game was tied at 1-1 going into the third period when Jonathan Toews finally got on the board and gave the Hawks a 2-1 lead less than three minutes into the period.

About five minutes later, a puck found Brent Seabrook in the slot and he didn't miss with a laser from close range, and the Hawks seemed to be in control up a pair.

But that didn't last long. A minute later, the Ducks scored 3 goals in 37 seconds, a playoff record for a Chicago opponent, and Anaheim was back in front at the 9:19 mark.

The Hawks, however, would not go quietly into the night. With Jakob Silfverberg serving a hold, Brad Richards shot from the deep slot and it deflected in off Patrick Kane at 12:39, and the game was tied again at 4-4.

With the Hawks' biggest stars involved in the scoring, you would think it might bode well going forward, but fatigue and depth will be a big part of the final three games, and to this point Anaheim has been the better team.

Asked how much the Hawks have left in the tank, Ducks winger Matt Beleskey said, “I don't think they have much more than they had tonight.

“They came out strong and played well. We didn't play that well the first half of the game and came on strong as the game went on.

“So now it's a best two-of-three and the best team will win the series. We have home-ice advantage, and if we play the right way, we like our chances.”

Now deep into the series, the two teams know each other a little too well, and Beleskey was asked if the two squads were getting sick of one another.

“I'm sick of them. That's for sure,” Beleskey said. “Of course I'm sick of them.”

He better get used to it. This series feels like it's going the distance.

• Listen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's “Hit and Run” show at WSCR 670-AM.

Vermette's goal in second OT knots series

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