VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP)—With Chicago on a power play and the puck on Patrick Kane’s(notes) stick, David Bolland found a soft spot behind the Canucks defense and trusted the puck was coming. The hardest part was waiting for it.
Series at a Glance
vs.
-
Game 1: at VAN
CHI 3, VAN 5 - Final
Recap | Box Score -
Game 2: at VAN
CHI 6, VAN 3 - Final
Recap | Box Score -
Game 3: at CHI
VAN 3, CHI 1 - Final
Recap | Box Score -
Game 4: at CHI
VAN 1, CHI 2 - Final OT
Recap | Box Score -
Game 5: at VAN
CHI 4, VAN 2 - Final
Recap | Box Score -
Game 6: at CHI
VAN 5, CHI 7 - Final
Recap | Box Score
When the puck finally arrived, Bolland patiently gathered it and then snapped a shot past the stick of a diving Roberto Luongo(notes) and into an empty net. The goal with 5:05 left gave the Chicago Blackhawks the lead they turned into a 4-2 victory over Vancouver on Saturday night in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinal series.
“Kane just stepped off the boards and saw me open and threw a little saucer, and I knew it was going to get to me. Roberto couldn’t get over that quick,” Bolland said. “I didn’t want to mishandle it. I just wanted to make sure.”
Martin Havlat(notes) added an empty-net goal with 62 seconds left, and Chicago took a 3-2 edge over the Canucks in the series. The Blackhawks can advance to the conference finals on Monday at home.
After Canucks forward Ryan Johnson(notes) failed on a great chance to clear the zone, and with defenseman Willie Mitchell(notes) missing his stick, Kane walked off the right boards and looked off Luongo before finding Bolland open on the backdoor.
“Kane is a tremendous passer, a tremendous player and he’s going to get you the puck,” said Bolland, who has four goals in the second-round series.
The Blackhawks trailed 2-1 midway through the second period, but rallied to win for the third time in the series. Chicago hasn’t been to the conference finals since 1995, following a second-round sweep of the Canucks.
If the Canucks stay alive, they would host Game 7 on Thursday.
“We don’t want to come back,” Bolland said. “We want to finish it at home.”
Defenseman Brian Campbell(notes) set up a pair of goals by Dustin Byfuglien(notes), including the tying tally during a power play with 1:38 left in the second period, for the Blackhawks.
Chicago was less than three minutes from being down 3-1 in the series before rallying late and winning Game 4 in overtime at home.
“I don’t know what it is, it’s crazy,” Kane said of the comebacks. “We have a young team and it’s almost like we don’t know any better but to come back.”
Mats Sundin(notes) had a goal and an assist, and Ryan Kesler(notes) also scored for Vancouver, which has lost two straight at home, matching its total there for the last three months of the regular season.
“We’re going to regroup,” said Luongo, who finished with 26 saves. “We’re going to come Monday and we’re going to play the hardest game we’ve played all year, make sure we play our best game on the ice, and bring us back here.”
Nikolai Khabibulin(notes) made 19 saves for Chicago, getting a break when Kyle Wellwood(notes) hit the post midway through the third period, but also getting a blocker on Kesler’s short-handed 2-on-1 chance with seven minutes left.
After Chicago won what Canucks coach Alain Vigneault called a “chess match” in Game 4 on Thursday, the teams played a faster-paced, highly physical game Saturday with plenty of big hits and scrums after the whistle.
The Canucks got top defenseman Sami Salo(notes) back after he missed two games with an undisclosed lower-body injury, but Chicago opened the scoring for the first time in the series with 4:33 left in the first period. Byfuglien beat Mattias Ohlund(notes) to a rebound of Campbell’s point shot through traffic and off Luongo’s pad.
“We had guys all over the puck and kept it in when we need to and we found a way to sneak some by 1/8 Luongo 3/8 ,” Byfuglien said.
The Blackhawks controlled much of the play in the opening period, pinning the Canucks in their own end for long stretches, but Kesler tied it on a lucky power-play bounce with 2:06 left. Sundin gave the Canucks the lead midway through the second, but Byfuglien tied it again after Vancouver was whistled for an extra penalty during a post-whistle scrum.
“A lot of people are going to write us off, but we believe in this locker room that we can win,” Luongo said. “We should have won both games in Chicago, so we know we can go in there and win a game.”
Notes
Canucks D Shane O’Brien(notes) and Chicago D Matt Walker(notes) both received misconducts late in the second period, but it was an extra roughing penalty to O’Brien that gave the Blackhawks the penalty that led to the tying goal.
Second City Hockey
Nucks Misconduct
69 Comments
1 - 25 of 69
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
I remember when everyone was talking about what a "steal" Burrows was and how surprizing it was that he once played in the ECHL. Seems a little less surprizing every game of this series doesn't it? Where is the heart? Where is the self-respect? When a guy who has endured more injuries than anyone (well, except Salo, but he can hurt himself buttering toast for f-cks sake) and weighs all of 170 pounds (yes, talking about Rypien) is the only guy hitting, well, we are done. Still, we've seen some remarkable turnarounds with this team...but time is running out! Ohlund is taking a beating back there, gotta give him credit. Bieksa would have retaliated, O'Brien would have also lost it. Mitchell would play even worse (if that's possible), Salo would be out until 2011 but old Mattias has hung it there hasn't he? It's like he is willing to do whatever it takes (knowing it's probably his last chance in Vancouver) while the other guys seem spaced out and unwilling to do the little things that make ALL the difference. No disrespect to the Hawks but in many ways the Canucks have simply beaten themselves. That said, if the Ducks or Wings think this group of kids in Chicago isn't for real they are in for a HUGE wake-up call. However, I still believe it's going seven...
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Even the damn linesmans are creating offsides because they can't get out of the way of a long stretch pass. Mcleary is the worst, too old and too slow to anticipate the frickin play is coming towards him.
Report Abuse
Also I have never seen in all the years I've watched the Canucks how many times we are two feet from the blue line and we can't get the puck out of our own end, the Hawks keep it in applying more pressure . Surely you can get the little rubber disk passed two defenseman defending 85 feet of the blue line.
What is with us falling down all night long when nobody is around us. Canuck's body all over the ice last night by slipping, catching an edge, and not by body checks. Get your skates sharpened or something it's your F-cking home ice for Chr--st sakes.
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Personally, I think the stick check on Kane was legit. Good defensive play by Bernier. The call on Ladd in the scrum was kinda B.S. Send both players or send neither. Preferably neither. Ladd came out like a man possessed and set the tone, it sucks when the refs decided to ruin some his fun (and the flow of the game)
Report Abuse
Hey man, I guess Coach V and the Canuck players STILL have not figured out how to f-ing flip the puck in the f-ing air! Nice set-ups to the pointmen by Kes and Rob Johnson. Didn't you just scream F-CK! and knew, absolutely knew, a goal would follow. Rob Johnson, the one guy actually playing up to his potential finally decided to join the rest of the team in playing stupid. What is Kane? 5-9? Flip it over him!!! That guy will KILL you if you give him some space. I still think it's going seven.
brian 92103,
A shout out to you and the rest of the troops!
Chris C,
I've been predicting a 7 game series from the get-go and actually predicted Blackhawks to represent the West in my hockey pool. This coming from a huge Canucks fan.
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
the nucks can't keep with the speed and talent of the hawks, did you see the move of kane by boards and the pass to bolland? you can't teach those things.
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
the nucks can't keep with the speed and talent of the hawks, did you see the move of kane by boards and the pass to bolland? you can't teach those things.
Report Abuse
For some reason the Canucks where lathargic, not skating and not getting to the puck first.
Two bad giveaways, not getting the puck out of our zone on the penalty kill cost us two huge goals. One to tie it and the go ahead goal. Bieksa's penalty was a joke. Not on the referee's part but on the player. What the hell was he thinking going after Sharp with his stick high and sleugh footing him, late in the game and tied at two. Also our MVP Kesler taking a very selfish, undisiplined penatly behind the Hawks net when we still had a chance to come back to tie it. You certainly deserved the win and I hope it goes seven as it has been great hockey too watch. Actually wished the series didn't have to end since its been so entertaining.
Report Abuse
Now I know that may not square with your notion of canadians as being docile peace loving nice people, but some Canuck fans are actually passionate to the point of violence. Bottom line is, like most North American cities, there is an element of thuggery at work mixed in with some old fashioned frustration. To read anything more into it is to be naive and some what ignorant.
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Alcohol and watching an exciting, aggressive, confident team turn into scared and defensive team with hands-of-stone can do that. Bottom line, it was way out of line. However, with all due respect to long-time Hawks fans of course, our fan base has endured a lot. When Chicago was struggling in the late 90''s up until about 3 years ago your building was half empty. Not so in Vancouver, we sellout every single game every single year. We fired Dave Nonis and new GM Mike Gillis promised us a more exciting team. Our Mats Sundin experiment has gone about as well as the Mark Messier experiment of a decade ago and the Sedins have yet again disappeared in the post-season. This is AFTER the twins asked for 13 million between them for next year. Also Chicago fans can also be a little over the top. Wasn't there some kid who needed to go into a witness-protection type program because he tried to catch a flyball? I think I'd take a beer in the helmet over death threats. That said, totally classless and believe me the media here will have a field day over the Canucks lackluster performance and the fans immature reaction
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
nice wins too, half our starting lineup wasnt playing lmfao!!! I was at the last game of the year @ the United Center. Nice 3-0 win for sure too bad it was against our 4th liners lol!!! Wings stopped playing regular season after Sharks clinched presidents trophy. Get wise b4 you look dumb ;) If anyone in this lame town of Chicago knew anything about hockey (since 61' IS a long time ago) they would not want to go up against the STANLEY CUP CHAMPS!!! just remeber the Winter Classic.. That is more of a proper representation of what our series would be like.
Report Abuse
1 - 25 of 69