Is Chicago Blackhawks' offense on verge of breaking through?

Ken Hitchcock does not coach basketball.

But that didn't stop the St. Louis Blues coach from slam-dunking an analogy from that sport after he was asked how pleased he is that most of the Chicago Blackhawks' dynamic players have been shut down in the teams' first-round series.

"I'm not sure we held them down," Hitchcock said Sunday after the Blues' 3-2 Game 3 victory at the United Center. "Because, quite frankly, we looked like the Washington Generals a few times.

"We need to find a different way to maybe defend. They were going around and around and around."

That can happen when the Harlem Globetrotters of the ice - Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Toews and Andrew Ladd - are playing at home and getting the matchups that coach Joel Quenneville wants. Those four pumped 20 of the Hawks' 46 shots on goal at Brian Elliott during Game 3 … yet not one actually beat the Blues' netminder.

But based on what fans saw Sunday, it appears the Hawks are on the verge of snapping out of a funk that has seen them score just 5 goals in three games.

"Since I've come into the league, I've been concerned that they're going to break through," Hitchcock said of the Hawks' best players.

The coach said Monday the Blues identified some of the problem areas that led to a ton of high-quality chances for Kane, Panarin, Ladd and Toews. He realizes those four, as well as Marian Hossa and Artem Anisimov, still will "get their licks" but believes the Blues' defensemen will do a better job in terms of staying with Kane and Co. on a 1-on-1 basis.

"I'm not waiting for them to explode," said Alex Pietrangelo. "I'm waiting for them to go the other way."

If the Blues are able to win Game 4 at the United Center on Tuesday, they would own a commanding 3-1 series lead.

This is the point in a series, though, when the Blackhawks always seem to step up their game. They are 43-14 in Games 4-7 since Quenneville took over as coach in the 2008-09 season.

And don't think Hitchcock doesn't know it.

"Their history says they can go to this level that nobody else can play at," he said. "We're probably going to have to find that out.

"But I know that we can go better. We know we've got more in us, and it's going to have to come out."

As for Kane, who led the league with 106 points and piled up a career-high 46 goals, he has been held without a goal by the Blues for six straight games. Is he frustrated?

"No, I don't think frustration's the word," Kane said. "Obviously when it's not going in, you're not doing your job. That's obviously something we'll have to step up here the rest of the series."

Normally, the Hawks find a way to do that. They plant a seed of doubt in the opponent and eventually overwhelm them. It happened to Anaheim and Tampa Bay last season.

What exactly is their secret?

"Sometimes it just comes down to how bad you want it, and what you're willing to do to get there," Duncan Keith said. "Obviously, we've got a lot of respect for our opponent. It's been a tough series so far.

"But there's really no other way to put it than just finding a way to get the job done."

Toews has 39 goals in 120 playoff games. Kane has 48 in 119 games. Both have been shut out in this series, one that likely won't go the Hawks' way if one or both of them don't find a way to score.

Hitchcock said Sunday this series has all the feel of a Stanley Cup Final. It basically feels that way to Keith as well.

"Every series is different, but we have to treat this like it's a Final," Keith said. "It's a tough opponent and it's been a real close series. You look at all three games and I think every game could have gone either way. …

"We have to treat it like it could be the last series. (Tuesday is) our biggest game of the year and we have to play our best."