Dose: Wild, Tamed

We now have our first conference finalist of the 2015 postseason. For some, that exciting fact also brings about a frightening realization: the 2014-15 season (and playoffs) is really winding down. Those sad fans can at least take heart that only one of two possible sweeps happened on Thursday, though.

Speaking of ends, this is my last Dose until Monday. Michael Finewax will guide you in the Saturday edition while Jimmy Hascup writes up Sunday’s Dose. By the time I hop back on the recap horse, we might see much - if not all - of the second round end.

I don’t really have any profound points to make today, so let’s get cracking.

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BLACKHAWKS 4, WILD 3 (Chicago advances to WCF)

-- Oh man, Michal Rozsival's fall was pretty scary looking. Here's hoping the veteran defenseman can bounce back from this, whether that rebound happens in the Western Conference finals or even next season.

-- Even if the Ducks win the next two games against the Flames, Chicago gets at least three nights of rest over Anaheim. Obviously, a lengthy East series or two also could give the Blackhawks and Ducks/Flames ample rest, too. Whether it's Calgary or Anaheim, this is a nice advantage for the 'Hawks.

-- You know how there are recurring players who seem to be scapegoats? I find it easier to accept such treatment for Thomas Vanek. He gets big money too, yet Vanek's been invisible, not just unproductive. After a so-so regular season, Vanek failed to score a single goal in 10 games and only managed four assists. He also failed to score a single point in the final three games of this series, suffering a -4 rating (he was a -7 in the postseason).

The most distressing development is that Vanek's SOG totals make it a lot tougher to defend the former Buffalo Sabre. He only had 19 SOG in 10 games, and wasn't really firing away with 171 SOG in 80 regular season contests.

For a guy who generally trends closer to three SOG per game, seeing him fall in more or less at two per contest isn't promising. The fact that even trigger-happy snipers tend to see their production fall off once they hit 30 (Vanek is 31) is troubling enough ... what if Vanek isn't even getting as many shots on net? Not good.

-- Are we absolutely certain that Mike Yeo should stick around as the Wild head coach? Despite Minnesota's consistent run of big-name additions (Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Jason Pominville, Vanek), they've only managed two playoff series wins and have only made incremental improvements in the regular season.

On the other hand, Chicago dispatched Minnesota from three straight postseasons. Sometimes you just run into a generational speed bump, and perhaps the Blackhawks serve that frustrating role for the Wild.

Still, you do kind of need to ask if the Wild need a new voice. Heck, in three playoff series against Chicago, they only have three wins.

-- The Wild should hypnotize Erik Haula into thinking that every game is actually a postseason contest against Chicago.

-- How much money did this series cost Devan Dubnyk? He allowed 11 goals in this four-game series, and his overall playoff numbers aren't going to be useful at the bargaining table.

-- Tough to believe that Marian Hossa's first goal of the playoffs was an empty-netter. The difference between Hossa and Vanek is stark, though. Beyond Hossa's two-way superiority, the Slovak winger has close to a point per contest (eight in 10 games), and is firing plenty of SOG (34 in 10 GP). Maybe Hossa's due for a big conference finals?

CANADIENS 6, LIGHTNING 2

-- Montreal didn't just avoid a sweep, they absolutely dominated Tampa Bay. They generated a 40-24 SOG edge after dropping a 31-19 effort in defeat in Game 3. They've actually carried the shots in three straight games, with the total edge in the past three games being 100-67.

The Lightning have a 3-1 series edge, but the Habs have played well enough that the Bolts' need to at least be a little concerned. It's as if regression entered this series in Game 4.

-- Probably wise of Jon Cooper to take Ben Bishop out early. Andrei Vasilevskiy has a lot of promise, but I'd wager that Bishop's more than earned the benefit of the doubt (and thus the Game 5 start).

-- Max Pacioretty doubled his postseason points total from three to six in this game, scoring a goal and two assists in Game 4.

-- Andrei Markov's suffered through some tough moments in this series, but his goal was pretty sweet.

-- Two straight games without a SOG for Steve Stamkos, but he also has an assist in those past two contests. Kinda odd.

-- Even during a blowout game, the Lightning's big line produced. Ondrej Palat scored a goal and an assist, Nikita Kucherov scored a goal and Tyler Johnson generated a helper.

-- Alex Galchenyuk's been taking a serious beating in certain quarters, so it has to help him to get two assists. The Lightning have to worry about all these key Habs waking up.

-- Jonathan Drouin received more ice time in this one, nearly reaching 15 minutes.

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