A familiar, chronic bugaboo that marked the Blackhawks’ demise in the 2014 playoffs is eerily a factor again in their first round series against the Blues — the Hawks can’t hold a lead.
The Hawks have led four times in the first four games of the series and have lost that lead three times — including a 2-1 lead with a ton of momentum in Game 3 after Duncan Keith’s goal in the second period. Vladimir Tarasenko scored a power play goal 4:22 later after Andrew Ladd was penalized for interference. The failure to take advantage of opportunity to build bigger leads throughout this series has come back to haunt them.
It’s reminiscent of the last time they were trying to defend a Stanley Cup championship and appeared to run out of gas — mentally more than physically — as the playoffs progressed. The Hawks lost the lead 18 times in 19 games in that postseason, including nine times in the Western Conference final against the Kings. That’s when they lost 2-0 leads in Game 2 and Game 7 at the United Center.
Snakebit TVR?
Rookie defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk is having a tough series statistically. He has no points and is a minus-5 in the four games. Van Riemsdyk has been on the ice for seven of the Blues’ 10 goals and only one of the Hawks’ eight goals.
“He’s been fine,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “He’s progressed as we’ve gone along in the year and he’s progressed [in the playoffs]. He’s got a lot of upside. His intelligence and his positioning and his puck awareness and placement. He sees the ice pretty well. He’s been fine.”
Teuvo’s disappearing act
It’s not a big deal that 21-year-old Teuvo Teravainen has yet to break out in two NHL seasons. But the talented and versatile Finn seems to be regressing in this year’s postseason.
Teravainen, who scored four goals — including a game-winner — and 10 points, with a plus-2 rating in last year’s playoffs, has yet to score in this year’s postseason. His ice time has dwindled — an average of 10:40 in the first two games. And he’s struggling at the faceoff circle — 7-18 (28 percent) in four playoff games after going 0-5 in Game 4.
Withering Hossa?
Marian Hossa has been a bellweather for the Hawks since he signed with them in 2009 — the Hawks are 16-0 in the playoffs when Hossa scores a goal (and 1-4 when he doesn’t play). Unfortunately for the Hawks, Hossa has lost his scoring touch. He scored a career-low 13 goals this season, with a career-low shooting percentage of 6.8 percent. Hossa has not scored in the first four games of the series, despite 16 shots on goal.
“I think Hossa’s been very good,” coach Joel Quenneville said before Game 4 when asked if Hossa was becoming a drag on the top line and if he had any options with Hossa. “That line [with Jonathan Toews and Andrew Ladd] has been very good. Production has been a little down. But I feel eventually they’re going to get their turn and they’re going to start going in. Quality, quantity, whether it’s Hose or Laddy or Jonny, you keep working at it, eventually you get one, you get a bunch. They’re not giving up a ton either, so we don’t mind the way they play. But we’ll still look at our options there, too.”
Quenneville went to one of those options in Game 4, playing Hossa with fourth-liners Marcus Kruger and Andrew Desjardins for a spell, with Andrew Shaw moving up to the top line.
Never Die Easy
The Blackhawks are 11-4 in elimination games under Quenneville, including 5-2 on the road. Three of the four losses have come in overtime. They have lost the first elimination game of a series once — a 2-1 overtime loss to the Red Wings in 2009 at Joe Louis Arena.
The Blues are 1-0 in clinchers in four seasons under Ken Hitchcock. They beat the Sharks 3-1 at home to win that first-round series, 4-1.
