CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks needed something to get their attention in the first period Saturday against the Nashville Predators in Game 6 of their first-round series, because they were headed down the path to another loss.
Coming off a Game 5 defeat in which Chicago allowed four goals in the third period, the Blackhawks came out in Game 6 no better. They permitted three more goals over the first 11:16 of the first period and quickly found themselves trailing 3-1 to the Predators. The Blackhawks’ once firm hold on the series was slipping, and they began facing the real possibility of having to return to Nashville for Game 7.
“I thought we were horrible to start the game, absolutely dreadful,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “We got beat 1-on-2, guy makes a tip and we get beat again 1-on-1 and no challenge. I wasn’t blaming the goalie. They were all clean looks.”
Quenneville knew something had to change, so he made a change. While starting goaltender Scott Darling had little chance on all three goals, Quenneville chose to replace him with Corey Crawford, who hadn’t played in more than a week.
The move awoke the Blackhawks and jump-started their 4-3 comeback win to clinch the series.
“I think we just knew we could play better,” Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane said. “That was the biggest thing. I don’t think it was one certain thing that was said whether by Joel or the guys from the team. We just collectively wanted to get better. We knew we had a lot of time to get ourselves back in the game.”
The Blackhawks were embarrassed by how they played in front of Darling on Saturday, just as they were when they felt they had let Crawford down earlier in the series. They began pressuring the Predators more and making it more difficult for them to get the puck through the neutral zone. They also limited the Predators’ rush opportunities and curtailed their speed.
After allowing the Predators three goals on 12 shots with Darling in net, the Blackhawks gave up zero goals and 13 shots over the final 48:44 with Crawford in net. The Blackhawks were a minus-6 Corsi with Darling on the ice in 5-on-5 situations and were a plus-23 for Crawford.
Crawford was grateful for whatever the reason was for that drastic adjustment in play.
“I don’t know, maybe the late change just kind of sparked something,” Crawford said. “Really, I didn’t face too many great opportunities -- maybe a 2-on-1, and I remember one shot on the power play through a screen. Other than that, our guys were pretty solid.”
Whether the Blackhawks meet the Minnesota Wild or St. Louis Blues in the second round, they realize their defense has to be better.
“To tell you the truth, we have to do a better job defensively, because we don’t help our goalies much,” Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa said. “There are certain periods of time of games where I wouldn’t call it sloppy, but we’re not very responsible in our zone. It doesn’t matter who is in the net. It’s tough for them to stop everything. I think we have to play tighter defense. If we help them, they help us, and we play a better team game.”