Hawks: We can't afford a slow start in Vancouver

After falling behind early in Game 1 and eventually getting skated out of their own building, the Blackhawks had some time to think about the errors of their ways.

So what did they do in Game 2?

They came out and promptly fell behind 2-0 in the first five minutes before a late-game rally saved the day and tied the series at 1-1 heading into Wednesday night's Game 3 in Vancouver.

"We had a day-and-a-half to regroup after Game 1 and think about what we wanted to do better and it looked like whatever we were doing didn't work," Patrick Sharp said. "I think we got a little too fired up. Maybe we were overworking a little bit."

Emotions, nerves or whatever explains the poor starts, the players know it can't continue if they hope to emerge victorious from what is now a best-of-five Western Conference semifinal series.

"Definitely wasn't the start we wanted; it felt like the last game quite a bit in the first period," Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said. "We were trying to get out of it but everything seemed to bounce against us. It was a rough start."

But an impressive finish, one that featured a three-goal rally in the third period with Kris Versteeg potting the game-winner with 1:30 remaining.

"We need to come out with better starts. This is two games now," Versteeg said. "I thought in Game 1 we started better actually than Game 2, but we didn't carry through.

"This is going to be a tough series; we've got to come out for a full 60 (minutes). We've got to be ready. We're going back to a hard building."

The good news for the Hawks is their come-from-behind win Monday not only gave them renewed confidence, it also seemed to shake Vancouver's a bit.

"Chicago has a lot of skill and they just don't quit," said Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo. "They keep coming at you and we're going to have to make adjustments when we go home."

"It was disappointing after taking the lead," added Vancouver forward Daniel Sedin. "You have to give Chicago credit, they kept the puck deep and did a lot of good forechecking. They came back."

The Hawks really had no choice, otherwise they would be heading to Vancouver down 2-0 in the series with a prospect for a comeback slim at best.

"It wouldn't be a good feeling (in here) if we couldn't have pulled that one off after a 5-1 loss in Game 1," Toews said. "That loss goes out the window now and doesn't really matter to us anymore.

"We know we're capable of coming back now, it doesn't matter who we're playing against. Preferably we don't want to come out of the first or second period down a goal or two, but it's great to have that confidence and know we can pressure a team and get on their nerves a little bit."

Doing it at the United Center is one thing. Trying to rally from behind on the road against a skilled team like Vancouver is quite another.

"I think we've worked ourselves back to playing the way we have to play in order to be successful," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "Momentum is a huge thing in the playoffs. You certainly want to keep it as long as you can."

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<li><a href="/story/?id=378279">Antics by Burish, Eager keep Blackhawks loose <span class="date">[5/4/10]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=378290">Murray: Hawks had the will to win, but it gets tougher on road <span class="date">[5/4/10]</span></a></li>

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