Hawks, Flames mixing it up off the ice, too

CALGARY, Alberta - It was an off-day in the Western Conference quarterfinals Tuesday, but the Blackhawks picked up a win of sorts.

Adam Burish escaped a suspension for his cross check of Calgary's Rene Bourque late in Game 3, which was good news for the Hawks heading into Game 4 of the best-of-seven series Wednesday night at the Saddledome.

Flames coach Mike Keenan felt Burish intentionally tried to injure Bourque in the altercation that came with the game already decided 4-2 in Calgary's favor.

"Those tactics that were used, there's no place in the game for those tactics," Keenan said.

Apparently there is, since the NHL decided Burish did nothing to deserve a suspension.

What Burish was doing was sending a message to Bourque, who had drawn two slashing penalties earlier in the game and who has spent the series running around taking shots at the Hawks' best players.

"I was just responding to his physical play," Burish said. "He's played with some kind of edge out there, and I wanted to bring that edge right back at him.

"That's part of the excitement of the playoffs, that's part of the atmosphere here, part of competing. Who's going to stand up and continue to come back in your face. You're going to get cross-checked. You're going to get punched. It's how you respond."

Burish had a response as well for Keenan, who complained to the media after Game 3 that Burish had cross checked Bourque in the face, which he did not.

"If Mike Keenan wants to get angry about it and say it was a cross check to his face, well, you guys got a lot of tape here and you guys can show him what happened," Burish said.

Oh, it's on now.

The series, which the Hawks still lead 2-1, has turned ugly and nasty with both teams expecting more of the same Wednesday night and in Game 5 on Saturday at the United Center.

"Obviously, there's no love lost," Flames defenseman Adrian Aucoin said.

The Hawks believe the referees have been letting the Flames take free shots at skilled players such as Jonathan Toews, Martin Havlat and Patrick Sharp after whistles.

"How many times are they going to let Toews get punched in the head?" a Hawks executive wondered.

Apparently NHL executive vice president Colin Campbell agrees because one of several memos he sent to the teams Tuesday warned the after-whistle stuff would no longer be tolerated.

"We're not going to change what we do," Toews said. "We're going to continue to go to the tough areas around the net and if they want take extra shots at us we're going to take it as a team."

The Flames don't think what defensemen Aucoin, Dion Phaneuf, Jim Vandermeer and Adam Pardy are doing after whistles is against the rules.

"We're just protecting our goalie and making it known they can't be standing around there," Vandermeer said.

"I did witness a broken stick across Bourque's face, so I'm not sure if we were the instigators in that one," Aucoin said. "There's a lot of bumping after the whistles in front of both nets, so it goes both ways."

It's obvious from what the Flames are saying that they believe the Hawks eventually will wilt under the abuse.

"They have a young group," Aucoin said. "They don't really have too many tough guys.

"You try to do anything you can within the rules. You want to throw them off. You want to scare them. I think there's a little bit of fear.

"I think there's always a little bit of fear from everyone out there, but that's the best thing about playoffs. The teams that can play through that make the next jump."

Blackhawks vs. Calgary Flames at the Pengrowth Saddledome, 9 p.m.

TV: Comcast SportsNet

Radio: WIND 560-AM

At a glance: The Hawks still lead the best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series 2-1 despite Monday's 4-2 loss in Game 3. Patrick Kane will play after sitting Monday with the flu. The Hawks' power play is 2-for-13 in the series. Rene Bourque is day to day with an undisclosed injury, according to Flames coach Mike Keenan.

Next: Calgary Flames in Game 5 at the United Center, 8 p.m. Saturday,

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