Hawks spreading wings vs. Flyers

During a timeout with 13:49 left in the second period Sunday night, the big screen showed a picture of the Michael Jordan statue that guards the East entrance to the United Center.

The searing image of a soaring Jordan, draped in a Jonathan Toews jersey, was met with a rocking ovation.

Until the camera went to Jordan in a luxury suite, and then the crowd of 22,305 went absolute ballistic.

Blackhawks fans know the look of a champion when they see one.

And apropos all the while were the vocals of Tom Petty and his "Learning to Fly" booming throughout the building, a tune merely the theme for the Bulls' first title season, the soundtrack for their inaugural championship video.

Let's see, Michael Jordan, "Learning to Fly" and the look of a champion.

Do the math.

Hawks fans might have gotten their last look on ice at their first champion in 49 years Sunday night when the Hawks saluted the faithful and skated off to ponder their 7-4 victory over the Flyers.

With two days off to consider how poorly they played in the first period Sunday, the Flyers will have something to say in Game 6 about whether Chicago plays host to a Finals Game 7 for the first time since 1971, when the Hawks also won Games 1, 2 and 5 at home, before a heartbreaking Game 7 loss to Montreal.

And Philadelphia claims to know exactly what it has to do.

"We didn't do a very good job in the neutral zone," said Chris Pronger, boiling it down to a single concept. "Unless we get pressure and force them to make plays, anybody can make a play when you have all day to make one.

"And we just need to get a better forecheck, better through the neutral zone, and force them to make tougher decisions with the puck."

There's no doubt the Hawks had more open ice Sunday than they've had at any point in the series.

The Flyers allowed them plenty of time in their own end, too, which gives the Hawks an easy breakout and a chance to get free in the neutral zone where the Flyers can't possibly skate with them.

That freedom to move means the Hawks can get pucks deep, and getting pucks behind the Flyers' defense is how the Hawks win games in this series.

It offers them a chance to be physical in the offensive zone and create turnovers, while consistent puck possession forces the Flyers into penalties.

It's no coincidence that they put bodies on the Flyers' defense, hit Pronger hard for the first time in the series, and had them bottled up for the entire first period.

"I think it was just a byproduct of them having the puck a lot of the game," Pronger said. "They did a good job of getting to the neutral zone and getting pucks in deep."

It's something the Hawks will try to do a lot of again in Game 6, when you can expect more line juggling from Hawks coach Joel Quenneville - if necessary - and a better job of matching up by Flyers boss Peter Laviolette, who will have the last change.

Of course, last change doesn't mean spit if you don't win faceoffs, and the Hawks have had an advantage in four of the first five games, including Game 4 in Philly, which negates - for all intents and purposes - last change.

When you mix in a mobile defense hitting sticks with passes instead of throwing hand grenades, it's a recipe for a victory and a physical pounding of the opposition, all things the Hawks did better in Game 5 than they have at any point in the 2010 Finals.

"We tried to do the things we were good at all year, and we tried to take some pressure off the forwards," said defenseman Duncan Keith. "We talked about it a lot and we tried to take advantage of what we do best and put them on their heels.

"I think for the first time in the series we did a lot of things we were supposed to do - at least for one period."

And, yet, Keith sounded another warning.

"We can play a lot better, and we're going to need to play a lot better in Game 6," Keith said. "It's been the personality of this team that we kind of think we're good enough to play outside the system, and when we do that we get in trouble.

"We're going into their building and it's a team that never quits. We have a lot of work left to do here.

"We have to win one more game in this series, and it's going to be the hardest game to win we've ever had in our lives."

In Game 5, the Hawks learned to fly.

Now if they can stay airborne for one more game, they'll be able to float on the wings of champions for a very long time.

Actually, forever.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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