No longer trailing Predators, Hawks hope to seize control

It seems as if the Blackhawks have been swimming upstream against the Nashville Predators in the playoffs.

The Hawks have trailed 1-0 and 2-1 in this NHL first-round series, but thanks to Thursday's 3-0 win in Game 4 they can seize control if they take Game 5 Saturday at the United Center.

"We've got home ice now and we've got to come out flying," Hawks defenseman Duncan Keith said.

That shouldn't be a problem in front of a revved-up UC crowd, but the key will be playing the same determined game against a stingy Nashville team that isn't going to go away quietly.

"Winning in Chicago, we won there and from a confidence standpoint it feels OK," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "Both teams are capable of winning. It's the playoffs and there are momentum swings either way.

"We're going into a hostile environment and we have to play a good game."

The Predators expect to have fourth-line winger Jordin Tootoo available even after he needed 45 stitches and plastic surgery to repair damage to his face suffered late in Game 4 when he was hit by a shot from teammate Cody Franson.

"I'm told he should be fine," Trotz said Friday. "I expect him to be ready to go."

Nashville's Patric Hornqvist, a 30-goal scorer during the regular season who has missed the last three games with an upper body injury, practiced Friday but remains questionable for Game 5.

"He's getting better," Trotz said.

Hornqvist certainly could help the Predators' power play, which is 0-for-17 in the series.

"We're hoping it's ready to burst; 0-for-17 is not going to cut it," Predators winger Steve Sullivan said. "You look at the difference in some games, it's the power play."

The Hawks have 3 power-play goals in the series, including 1 in both victories.

"Our special teams have been good, but I don't think it's anything we're satisfied with," Keith said. "We feel we have a lot of room for improvement, both penalty killing and power play. We talk about it and work on it every day. It's just a work in progress."

The Hawks finally got some traffic around Predators goalie Pekka Rinne in Game 4 resulting in goals by Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews.

"It doesn't matter how we score against this guy, we'll take anything," Toews said.

"The second opportunities is what we want and you get more of those when you create more traffic," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "We have to keep crashing the net."

Except for that goal by J.P. Dumont that bounced past him in Game 1, Hawks goalie Antti Niemi has responded to the challenge of playing in his first Stanley Cup playoff series.

Niemi has 2 shutouts in four games and led all playoff goalies with a 1.51 goals-against average and .948 save percentage prior to Friday's games.

"He's been a rock back there for us," Keith said.

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<li><a href="/story/?id=375764">Sopel, Hjalmarsson willing to sacrifice for good of team<span class="date"> [4/24/10]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=375765"><b>MURRAY:</b> Hawks need to match their effort from Game 4<span class="date"> [4/24/10]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=375722">Campbell's confidence returns after first big test<span class="date"> [4/23/10]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=375642">Hawks' Keith honored to be among Norris finalists<span class="date"> [4/23/10]</span></a></li>

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