Hawks' postgame locker room controlled chaos
Controlled chaos.
That's what it felt like inside the Blackhawks locker room after their 3-2 triple-overtime victory gave them a 3-1 series lead over Nashville in their opening-round playoff series.
It took four-and-a-half hours for the outcome to be decided as Brent Seabrook's blast enabled a tired but thrilled United Center crowd to begin a raucous celebration at 1:15 a.m. Wednesday.
Game 5 is Thursday in Nashville at 8:30 p.m.
After the game, reporters and camera crews bounced from hero to hero as the Hawks' media relations staff bellowed names for all to hear.
"DARLING IN THE CORNER. ... WE'VE GOT HOSSA OVER HERE. ... SEABROOK'S COMING OUT."
Here's a quick recap, in order of this reporter's 1-3 minute interviews, as the clock ticked past 1:25 a.m. and deadline for most print editions was long, long gone.
• Scott Darling: The rookie goaltender continued his mastery between the pipes, stopping 50 shots. His save percentage in the series is an unbelievable .969 and he has not allowed a goal after the second period.
"Overtime's crazy. Every shot's do or die," Darling said. "The guys played great, kept all the chances to the outside in overtime."
• Marian Hossa: The 36-year-old winger dished out his fifth assist of the series, leaving the puck on a tee for Brandon Saad, who ripped it past Pekka Rinne with 8:57 left in regulation to tie the game at 2-2. Hossa took 4 shots on goal and logged 33:56 of ice time, more than any forward or center on either team.
"Huge," Hossa said of the win. "Especially when you're battling and it's triple overtime. It's like another game out there. … I'm sure everybody's tired; I think people in the stands were tired too. Let's enjoy this for a little bit and get ready for (Game 5)."
• Brent Seabrook: The Hawks' defenseman bagged the game-winner 60 seconds into the third OT.
"I don't know if guys were excited that I scored or excited that the game was over," Seabrook said. "It was one of those games that it was tough. I think both teams are going to feel it in the morning, but we're happy with the outcome."
Seabs may not score a lot of goals, but he sure has a flair for the dramatic. Hawks fans will remember his Game 7 shot in OT that beat Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard and eliminated Detroit in the 2013 conference semifinals.
"I score 8 or 9 goals a year and a couple in the playoffs," Seabrook said, "but even a 50-goal scorer I'm sure would be just as excited to score a big overtime goal."
• Brandon Saad: Without his goal, we're not even talking about one OT. Saad's wrist shot beat Rinne high on the blocker side, giving the 22-year-old a tally in two straight games. Saad credits Hossa for setting him up.
"You gotta respect (Hossa's) speed," Saad said. "I know he was going in with a lot of speed and drawing the D to him and he dropped it off for me. He's a great player and it was a great play."
• Antoine Vermette: He tied the game at 1-1 in the first period 87 seconds after Nashville took the lead on a Colin Wilson goal. Vermette snapped a 26-game goal-scoring drought, the longest of his 11-year career. It was his first goal in a victory since he was a Coyote and playing against the Blackhawks on Feb. 9.
He couldn't help admit that it felt great to see one go in.
"Yeah," Vermette said. "You don't want to overthink it when you're going through a stretch like that. You want to think about the process, not necessarily the end result. It's nice to get rewarded. …
"You know, if you stick with it, you work hard and bring a good attitude, eventually things are going to turn around and it's gonna go in. Glad it did tonight."
Toews finalist for Selke Award:
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is a finalist for the Selke Trophy, which is given to the NHL's best defensive forward. The other nominees are the Kings' Anze Kopitar and the Bruins' Patrice Bergeron.
Predators' injury update:
Nashville's Shea Weber and Mike Fisher remain day to day with lower-body injuries.