Hawks' only chance is for best players to lead the way

The Blackhawks would have you believe their first-round playoff series with Vancouver is far from over, and maybe they're right.

If we've learned anything from the last few playoff years it's not to count out the Hawks as long as Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are around.

But so far in the first two games at Rogers Arena, won by the Canucks, the Hawks' best players haven't shown up to the party. Toews, Sharp, Hossa and Kane have a combined 1 assist, while Keith and Seabrook are together minus-4.

The series won't make it back to Vancouver for Game 5 if things don't change for the Hawks' top guns starting tonight in a must-win Game 3 at the United Center.

“We're doing a good job on their big guys right now,” Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa said. “We are hoping to frustrate them and play those guys hard. Their minutes out there are hard ones right now and it's not just one or two guys on our team. It's everybody finishing those guys and making it tough.”

Alex Edler's eyes had to light up in the first minute Friday when he lined up Kane, who had the puck with his head down. Edler didn't care that it was one of the NHL's glamor players, he leveled Kane with a crunching hit the Hawks were lucky wasn't worse.

The Hawks need Kane to produce like Canucks star Daniel Sedin did in Game 2 with 2 goals and assist. The Hawks need Marian Hossa to be more involved and get to the scoring areas around the net instead of being too easy to play against. And they need Toews to snap out of his scoring slump.

“You always want to do more in a series like this,” Kane said. “This is big time and it's time for us to step up now and hopefully take control of the series.

“Hopefully we get some momentum from being at home and we can do the same thing they did to us. We know we've got more in the tank here.”

Hossa hasn't exactly lit it up in the playoffs the last two seasons with just 3 goals in 24 postseason games with the Hawks.

“We know we have to be better, especially on special teams,” Hossa said. “Everything is tighter and faster, but we knew it was going to be like this and we have to fight our way through.”

The Hawks got a bonus with 2 goals from rookie Ben Smith in Friday's 4-3 loss and another from Viktor Stalberg to make it a game in the third period. It's funny that it was the kid Smith defending his more high-profile teammates after the game when asked about the lack of production from the Hawks' better players.

“They're not struggling at all,” Smith said. “Those guys are working hard all night. They're always in the offensive zone creating chances and it's going to go in for them.”

Toews has led the way all season, but tonight might be his last chance to help right the ship while the series is still there for the winning. Everyone in hockey knows how rare it is to fight back from an 0-3 hole, never mind what the Flyers did last spring against Boston.

“We have to find a way to get that intensity and urgency in our game early on,” Toews said. “I'm not going to get in any mental category where I feel it's not going my way and not going in. It's playoffs and whether you're getting bounces or not, you have to keep working.”

“We're the ones out there in crucial situations,” said Keith, who continues to play as if he is worn out from playing so much hockey the last two seasons. “It's up to us to take responsibility.

“I feel good, honestly. There's still more to give from everybody.”

Ÿ For more Hawks talk, check out Tim Sassone's Between the Circles blog at dailyherald.com.