The Detroit Red Wings blew a chance to close out the Chicago Blackhawks, but they'll look to regroup for a Game 5 win on Memorial Day at 8 pm ET.
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Via ESPN:
It started with a clean win of the draw. Jonathan Toews not only beat Pavel Datsyuk on the faceoff, he ripped the puck back to Duncan Keith at the point of the Blackhawks power play.
And it was on. The most important power play of the Blackhawks' season was off and running, and when it was finished, Game 5 of this Western Conference semifinal would be transformed.
Chicago beat Detroit 4-1 to keep its season alive -- and cut the Red Wings' series lead to 3-2 -- and the Blackhawks wouldn't have done it without the resuscitation of a power play that, until Saturday night, was providing more momentum for the opposition than for the Blackhawks.
Like in the first period, when they ended a strong opening period with a lifeless power play.
"I don't think we had a shot," Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook said. "We were [ticked] off after the first one."
The frustration seeped into the Blackhawks dressing room during the first intermission. They had an early one-goal lead on the Red Wings, but it didn't feel like it. When the Red Wings killed that late holding penalty on Carlo Colaiacovo, a few boos emerged from the rafters of the United Center. It looked like more of the same for a power play that had suddenly become the NHL's worst in the postseason with the elimination of the New York Rangers earlier in the day. At least for the moment.
While losing three consecutive games to the Red Wings, the Blackhawks power play had gone zero for nine, and the struggles went back further than that. A bit lost in Chicago's incredible regular-season run was that a power play that can roll out high-powered offensive weapons Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa and Keith was pedestrian too often. They finished the regular season at 16.7 percent, good for 19th in the league.
