Hawks hold on to dispatch pesky Preds

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Blackhawks are going from facing a team they hated playing against to one they pretty much hate.

For the second straight spring the Hawks are going to the Western Conference semifinals thanks to Monday night's 5-3 victory over the gritty Nashville Predators.

And awaiting the Hawks again in the same round as last year are the Vancouver Canucks, one of their biggest rivals, in a series that will open later this week - possibly Friday - at the United Center.

The Hawks and the Canucks split their four-game regular season series that featured some nasty moments between two teams that do not trade valentines.

"You don't have to say much about it; there is a history with them," said Jonathan Toews, whose power-play goal in the first period Monday turned out to be the game-winner. "We don't like each other too much. I think everyone knows that.

"These are the types games that you live for and look forward to. It's going to be a great temp and great pace right from the get-go."

It's going to be a pace quite different from the six games against the Predators, who made it tough on the Hawks from the start of Game 1 until John Madden capped the Game 6 clincher with an empty-net goal with 7.8 seconds to play.

"We had to work for every inch that we got, and they definitely made us a better team by playing a patient game," Toews said.

"From the first shift of Game 1 right to the end there with the empty net, it was one of the toughest series we've seen as a team," said Patrick Sharp, who had a goal and 2 assists. "Give Nashville a lot of credit."

It was a series perhaps decided in Game 5, when Patrick Kane scored short-handed with 13.6 left in regulation to tie and Marian Hossa won it early in overtime.

The Hawks got another huge break in Game 6 when Brent Seabrook's attempted dump-in from near the red line hit Kane's skate and went into the net that Predators goalie Pekka Rinne had vacated thinking he would play the puck around the boards.

"We got a couple significant breaks in the series, tonight and in the last game, and we took advantage of it," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "You've got to give Nashville a lot of kudos for how they compete and how they make you play.

"There's not a lot of time and space, and you've got to take what they give you and try to work your way through it. It was challenging and it went right down to the end."

Antti Niemi answered a lot of questions by winning four games (two by shutout) and getting the Hawks through to the next round in his first playoff tests.

"Antti had a big series," Quenneville said.

There were 7 goals scored in an incredibly wide-open first period that saw the Hawks' offense make up for some sloppy defensive play.

The Predators rallied from deficits of 1-0 and 3-1, tying the game with 55 seconds left in the period on a goal by Jason Arnott.

But a late Nashville penalty resulted in Toews' power-play goal at 19:29 that held up until Madden's empty-netter.

"I don't think anybody predicted that start, 4-3 after one, but that was a huge power-play goal by Jonathan to end the period," Sharp said. "I think we regrouped after that and realized what we needed to do to pull out the win."

The second period was scoreless, but the Hawks missed a great chance to take control. Nashville took 4 straight penalties, including a double minor, but the Hawks couldn't convert despite being on the power play for exactly half the period.

The Predators got their chance in the third with three straight power plays, but the Hawks didn't allow a shot on the second and third power plays and actually had the better scoring changes.

Nashville finished the series 1-for-26 on the power play, with the Hawks' penalty-killers turning in a superb six games.

"Special teams were a key," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "We played a very good Chicago team. They're one of the (Stanley) Cup favorites and they're a real deep club."

<p class="factboxheadblack">Tim Sassone's game tracker</p>

<p class="News">Blackhawks 5, Predators 3</p>

<p class="News"><b>Three stars</b></p>

<p class="News">1. Jonathan Toews, Hawks: Game-winning goal and an assist and was a monster on the puck allnight.</p>

<p class="News">2. Patrick Sharp, Hawks: A goal and 2 assists to cap a big series.</p>

<p class="News">3. Duncan Keith, Hawks: A big night on defense with a goal and assist.</p>

<p class="News"><b>Moving on</b></p>

<p class="News">The Hawks are going to the Western Conference semifinals for the second year in a row and will face the Vancouver Canucks.</p>

<p class="News"><b>The quote</b></p>

<p class="News">"Defininitely, I'm happy I'm not suspended and I could play. I'm just glad the league decided that way. They know me as a player. I've been in the league 12 years and never had that type of accident." Blackhawks winger Marian Hossa</p>

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<h1>More Coverage</h1>

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<h2>Photo Galleries</h2>

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<li><a href="/story/?id=376356">Images of Blackhawks vs. Predators, Game 6 </a></li>

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<h2>Stories</h2>

<ul class="links">

<li><a href="/story/?id=376352"><b>ROZNER:</b> Suddenly, it's all going Hawks' way<span class="date"> [4/27/10]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=376371">Kane's 'fluky' goal a stunner<span class="date"> [4/27/10]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=376328">Sopel's skills not going unnoticed<span class="date"> [4/27/10]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=376322">Canucks thinking Hawks <span class="date"> [4/27/10]</span></a></li>

</ul>

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