Rozner: Blackhawks have found their confidence at right time
No, they can't simply flip a switch and win a Stanley Cup.
No, they can't just skate through a season, show up in the playoffs and win.
No, the theory doesn't hold water.
It's simplistic and, frankly, inaccurate.
The Blackhawks tried that last year. It did not work. They lost because they flipped the switch too late against Los Angeles. They had to rally from down 3-1 in the conference finals and lost on a Game 7 bounce in overtime.
Against a weak Eastern Conference foe, it cost them a huge chance to repeat - maybe even three-peat.
So we can bury that narrative forever.
If you listen to the Blackhawks - simply listen to their words - they'll tell you it's not true, that you can't just decide to play when you feel like it and win a playoff series.
They say that because they remember last year, even if three terrific games against Minnesota have so many forgetting 2014 and forgetting how poorly they played against Nashville.
Actually, it's a bit insulting.
The Hawks didn't flip a switch against Minnesota. Against a very dangerous opponent playing superb hockey, the Hawks played an extraordinary first period in Game 1 against the Wild, playing smart in their own end, patient in the neutral zone and avoiding scary turnovers in the offensive end.
They made a commitment to playing the right way. There was no switch, and it fails to give credit where it's due by suggesting it's that simple.
They got away from that in the second period and were fortunate to win Game 1 on a bad goal, but that period reminded them of how to win in the postseason.
In Game 2, they played three periods like they played the first in Game 1. A bad goal given up by Corey Crawford early in the third cut the lead to 2-1 and the Hawks were in a tough spot again, but they stayed the course and got the victory.
Games 3 and 4 were brilliant, playing the same game they displayed in four of the first six periods in the series - along with great goaltending - and the fire drill at the end of Game 4 was more a function of Minnesota's desperation than anything the Hawks did.
The series was not nearly as easy as it looks now - three of four games decided by a goal - and the Hawks know it. They are as capable of losing their confidence as any team, but now they have found it at the best possible time.
And their posture after Game 4 represented a belief in themselves and bigger goals. They were unemotional, almost detached. They spoke as they played, smart and careful and very professional.
They need eight more wins to capture another Cup and they know the next eight will be much tougher than the last eight.
They also remember last year all too well.
"It was the worst ending you could ever get," said coach Joel Quenneville. "We did some good things fighting our way back in it, but how we got down in that big hole as well is something (to remember)."
Patrick Sharp has been a voice of reason, as frustrated as anyone that the Hawks can play the way they did against Minnesota, and also the way they played against Nashville.
He also sounds bitter about the 2014 ending, which can only be a good thing for the Hawks.
"You learn from it," Sharp said. "It's disappointing. We feel like we were right there with an opportunity to go to the Final and compete for the Stanley Cup. We're fortunate to get back this year to the conference finals and we'll learn from last year."
The Hawks have a lot going for them. They have a core of high-end talent that loves to win, players who love the spotlight and frequently rise to the occasion.
But when they remember that they can't rely on their ability to dig themselves out of a hole, they play like they did this past week.
And when they do that, they are nearly unbeatable.
brozner@dailyherald.com
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