Not really, but that’s exactly how I felt after Sunday night’s game.

The situation has been clear for the ‘Hawks since dropping the first three games of the series: win and you get a chance to continue on to the second round. Lose, and you’re sent home for good.

The ‘Hawks choose the former, but it wasn’t easy.

Time after time the ‘Hawks found themselves behind and in the need of just one more goal. In fact, the ‘Hawks never had the lead, only adding to the stress level.

Ben Smith scored the overtime goal, his third of the series. Smith, a rookie, has opened eyes around the league with his determined playing style. He has certainly earned a free dinner from his teammates.

But despite all the excitement over game six, there is still a game seven to be played.

Vancouver goaltender Corey Schneider was replaced by Roberto Luongo in the third period after he hurt himself doing the splits while trying to stop a Michael Frolik penalty shot. Frolik scored, tying the game at three.

The Vancouver coaches have a dilemma on hand. Early reports on Schneider’s status indicate that he will be healthy enough to start in game seven on Tuesday.

So who do the Canucks start in game seven then? Do they stick with Schneider or do they return to Luongo?

I can’t tell you the answer to that, but what I can tell you is that the Canucks are scared sh**less.

They’ve blown a 3-0 series lead. What’s worse is you can make an argument that they played better than the ‘Hawks in game six, yet somehow fell short. In fact, Vancouver controlled the puck for the majority of the 15 minutes of overtime and were consistently threatening.

The big question is “Can the ‘Hawks finish with a win?” Only seven teams have forced a game seven after being down 3-0, and of that group three have won the series. Let’s hope the Blackhawks can become number four.

Game seven is on Tuesday at 9pm CT.

Here are two videos that most Blackhawk fans will enjoy. The first one is a new commercial for the ‘History Will Be Made’ commercials the NHL is airing for this year’s playoffs.

The second video is last year’s Marian Hossa overtime goal in Game 5 against the Nashville. If you remember that goal was made into the ‘What If?’ commercials the NHL aired last playoff season.

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A shut-out win in Edmonton was followed by a 7-2 loss in Calgary, and that was followed by a 7-1 win in Vancouver.

Where’s the consistency?

Frankly, there isn’t any.

(Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)

The Hawks, one day, play with such skill and talent, only to play the exact opposite a few days later. It’s not just frustrating to the fans, but  for the players as well. Chicago’s record stands at 11-10-2, and as of Tuesday night, they’re 7th in the Western Conference with the possibility they could fall more when other teams catch up with the Hawks when it comes to games played.

It’s been obvious that the lack of consistency has been the Hawks’ downfall this season; however, with that inconsistency comes an uncertainty of what exactly the problem and solution is in Chicago.

The early season setbacks could be credited to lack of chemistry and injuries to Marian Hossa and Brian Campbell, but what are the problems right now?

Hossa and Campbell have been back for a substantial amount of time, enough to not affect the overall team play. Lines are, or should be figured out by now, and set to maximize production while keeping chemistry among the players.

So what is still bothering the Hawks?

It’s nothing new. I believe the problem – or weakness – of the Hawks, is their defense.

It has lost its potency and it’s evident in the plus/minus of many top players of the team.

Patrick Sharp currently has a -11 plus/minus rating; Patrick Kane has a -5; Niklas Hjalmarsson has a -5; Tomas Kopecky has a -11; and, astonishingly, Duncan Keith has a -6.

Those are some bad ratings for such good players, and are a result of an above average defense playing very below average as well as under their ability. If the Hawks are going to regain some consistency, it’s going to start with the defense.

Until then, expect more of a roller coaster ride this season.

The New York Rangers had different plans.

With 35 hits and 33 shot blocks, the Rangers bullied themselves into a 3-2 victory over the Blackhawks. Those stats are a coach’s dream, and the Blackhawks had reason to suspect such a tough matchup, but they came just a little unprepared for such a physical battle.

It could be said that Blackhawks needed that extra physical force on the team. Too bad that player is currently injured with an upper body injury.

I am talking about Marian Hossa. People knew his injury last week would have a tremendous impact on the Blackhawks in their defense and offense game. Hossa, before the injury, had seven goals, four assists, and a plus/minus rating of positive four. He was on track to finally get that 40+ goals a season the Blackhawks had hoped he’d do with them.

Once again it was cut short by injury.

The Blackhawks are not known as a physical team. That’s not their strong suit. But Hossa does bring that toughness and intensity every time he steps on the ice. No one brings that man down, and it’s incredibly hard to separate him from the puck. Oh, did I mention he can score?

That’s what makes Marian Hossa such a force in the NHL. He is one of the elite players in the NHL that does not get bullied by anyone.

That’s what the Blackhawks were missing Monday night.

An extra offensive push would’ve been great, and maybe even could’ve won them the game. The Blackhawks had plenty of chances to do so, but were always cut short due to the physicality of the Rangers.

Good news came to Chicago when word came out that Brian Campbell was returning, only to be followed by Dave Bolland going on the IR with an upper body injury, and will not be able to play until Saturday at the earliest.

Depth is key in the NHL, and it’s becoming clear the Blackhawks don’t have the kind of depth they had last season. The constant injuries to key players also isn’t helping.

If the Blackhawks want to stay competitive in this league the injuries are going to have to slow down. It’s unfortunate and almost always impossible to control, but that’s what’s going to have to happen for this Blackhawk team to win games.

In last week’s weekly roundup, I wrote that I had hoped the Blackhawks would win at least three of their four games in the upcoming week. They must have heard me, or, more likely, the Blackhawks’ offense came alive.

Chicago scored 15 goals last week, earning a total of six points out a possible eight. That’s a pretty good week, but what most impresses me is the rebirth of the offense.

After losing all those players in the offseason, there were questions about how effective this offense was going to be. In the first week of the regular season, the offense looked a little off, and I credited it to lack of team chemistry. That chemistry seemed to have developed as the week went on.

We are beginning to see better passes, except for early on in Saturday’s game; but apart from that, the players are driving together becoming more and more, rather than individually, an aspect that heavily contributed to their success last season.

We are starting to see the early hints at fantastic seasons for both Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp. Both have been lighting up the lamp. Hossa is tied with Sharp in goals scored at five, but Hossa leads the team in points with nine. Their presence on the ice has been unmistakably positive. They seem to know where to be to get that edge on the goalie. Their great play will hopefully carry around to the others.

Offensively the Blackhawks are moving in the right direction; however the defense seems to be having trouble catching up:

It hasn’t been a terrible season for the defense, but there just seems to be that one thing missing. That ‘one thing’ could be Brian Campbell, but 3-4 more weeks is a long time to wait, and the Blackhawks can’t afford to be playing this mediocre defensively for that long.

The decision to sign defensman Nick Leddy to Rockford was the right choice. While Leddy wasn’t doing terribly, he is playing on very limited experience, as well as playing on the defensive side to which he was accustomed. I’m sure the Blackhawks are excited about this kid, but I also believe they knew he needed more time to develop. Personally, I am fine with that, especially since Nick Boynton is performing pretty well.

The goaltending also continues to perform well, especially with the defense they are getting. I sense that Turco and Crawford are getting some bad rap, but it’s not because of them. They’re actually playing very well and stopping some very tough shots. I believe it’s the poor defensive play that is making them look bad. Once the defense improves, more people will begin to realize how big a part these guys are to the success of the team.

Looking ahead, the Blackhawks have some very tough games against the St. Louis Blues, whom they play twice, along with the Vancouver Canucks. Both are dangerous teams. It’ll definitely be a tough but necessary test for the defense.

I’d be happy with a 2-2 record this week, but if the Balckhawks could get a 3-1 record, it’d be phenomenal.

After giving up two goals, one being the eventual game winner, to the Flyers last Saturday, the Hawks found themselves up 3-0 against the Washington Capitals going into the third period only to give up three goals, taking the game into OT.

It didn’t get any better for the Hawks.

A little over three minutes into OT, Nicklas Backstrom lit up the red light with his 28th of the season, propelling the Capitals over the Hawks.

“We’ve got the most skill in the league, on any team,” Toews said. “There’s no reason, up 3-0, we can’t go out and finish the team off.”

Alexander Ovechkin was kicked out of the game after a hit he put on Hawks’ defensemen, Brian Campbell. It’s not sure if Ovechkin will receive any more kind of discipline. It was a dangerous hit that has put Campbell on the injury list. He will miss the Hawks’ three game road trip.

“I don’t think it was a real good check. He just kind of fell and it was a dangerous moment. It was not a hard hit. I just wanted to push him,” Ovechkin said.

“The league will do what they do,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville. “Soupy [Campbell] is going to be out for a bit here. It was a dangerous hit.”

The recent defense collapses has Hawks’ fans uneasy on their chances this post-season. It’s something that has to be fixed or the Hawks will not make it past the first round.

It’s time to stop blaming the goaltenders for everything and start to look at the players in front of them. The Hawks are a good enough team in that they should never let a team, even they are the leagues most scoring team, score four unanswered goals in less than 25 minutes.

Hopefully this just a minor slip up and won’t become an ongoing trend during this last stretch of the season.

*Game notes: Blackhawks’ Marian Hossa was a scratch for the game against the Capitals and is labeled as having an upper body injury.

What’s more important is I am seeing some really strong potential for a Stanley Cup championship this year now that it seems like the Hawks no longer have a goaltender problem.

Before the season started I had always stated the main problem the Hawks had this year was Huet and whether he could perform consistently. So far Huet has exceeded my expectations.

Huet was signed to a huge contract 4 year contract last season. Huet didn’t perform up to the fans expectations, and the Hawks’ management were yelled at for a bad signing, a signing that forced fan-loved goaltender Nikolai Khabibulan to be released.

But Huet shook off that year and has now won back many fans with what is shaping up to be an all-star year. Huet is 15-7-2 with a very impressing 2.09 GAA, 4th in the NHL.

Huet playing well couldn’t have come at a better time for the Hawks. This is the year for the Hawks, and if they don’t capitalize on it they might not have a better chance for years to come. It’s no secret that the Hawks are in a salary cap problem that will leave them no choice to release some talented players, such as Kris Versteeg or Patrick Sharp.

Instead of subcumming to such high expectations, the Hawks are embracing it. A run at the Cup, though it’s still very early, looks very likely for the Hawks. With both goaltenders playing their best hockey there is nothing stopping this team besides themselves. The Hawks’ offense is still sharing the wealth.  The Hawks became the last team to have a player reach 10 goals this season. Patrick Kane was that man.

The Hawks not only thrive offensively but also defensively. The Hawks boast the lowest GAA average of all NHL teams, allowing only 3 goals per game. Their power play unit is 3rd ranked, killing 85.4% of power plays.

Sure the numbers look good, but it all comes down to whether you win games. Luckily the numbers don’t lie for the Hawks. Those impressive numbers lead to a 21-8-4 record, propelling the Hawks to 2nd place in the Western Conference, 2 points behind the Kings. To me the most impressive stat is the Hawks have played the least amount of games in the whole Western Conference. They might be 2 points behind the Kings, but the Kings have played 4 more games than the Hawks.

Yes it’s looking really good for the Hawks this year, a year in which they must perform their best. This team has fans talking about them finally ending the 40+ year Stanley Cup drought. The Hawks have all the right pieces, and now they seem to have fixed their goaltending problem opening up an endless list of possibilities this year.

Catch the Hawks Friday as they battle an original six team, Boston Bruins in Chicago at 7:30pm cst.

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* – Cristobal Huet photo credit: Chicago Now

A better question is when will Coach Quennville give him more playing time?

Niemi deserves to get more time in the net, if not being the Hawks’ starter. He has a league leading 1.50 GAA and a stellar 6-1-1 record. It’s not easy to just come off the bench, not playing for a whole week, and just stone the opposing team, but Niemi has done that this season.

His efforts need to be rewarded with more playing time.

It’s not that Cristobal Huet has been bad, because he has improved his game significantly since last year, it’s just that Niemi has the same, if not better, abilities as Huet. I am not asking for Huet to be benched and Niemi start. I am just asking for a more balanced approach to the playing time of each goalie. I know Quennville likes to shake things up, especially in the lines, and I am positive he is smart enough to realize the potential Niemi has.

If a player is playing as well as Niemi why waste his talent and keep him on the bench for most games? It’s nonsensical to waste such talent.

As for the rest of the team the Hawks finally lifted an offensive drought in which they only scored 10 goals the last 7 games with a 4-0 win over the Lighting.

If you didn’t see Marian Hossa’s goal you can check it out here. Let me just say that it’s amazing and jaw dropping.

Don’t miss the next Hawks game Wednesday against division rival St. Louis at the UC at 7:30 cst.

*Note: Patrick Kane left the game with 6:59 left in the 1st period. Kane hit his head on the ice after being checked. He didn’t return and is day-to-day.

It’s the big day for Hawk fans. If you are a Blackhawk fan you have to be happy.

The Hawks look like they have both Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane signed for many years to come, Hossa is starting tonight, the team has a 7-game winning streak, and the Hawks are siting pretty high in the conference standings.

Hossa will be playing right forward, making Kane switch over to the left wing, on the Toews line.

Kane should be able to get used to playing on the left wing fairly easy. He played left wing his rookie season and also a little bit last year.

Hossa will also be on the Kane and Versteeg powerplay line.

Hossa underwent shoulder surgery after the Hawks signed him to a 12 year $62.8 million contract July 1st.

Since then it has been a gradual comeback for the Slovakian veteran. Just over the past month he has been skating with the team, getting ready for this day.

Now the day has come.

Today the Hawks play the San Jose Sharks, currently holding the #1 spot in the Western Conference, in San Jose at 9:30pm cst.

If you are a Hawks fan you know exactly what I mean. This is the time of the year when the Circus comes into Chicago, forcing both the Bulls and Blackhawks to go on a 2-week road trip.

The Hawks go into their 2-week road trip confident after winning four straight games. They sit at the 3rd spot in their conference and 1st in their division.

For the most part the Hawks have avoided losing their top players for very long. Kris Versteeg didn’t play Sunday, but he is expected to practice Tuesday. Marian Hossa is practicing with the team, but isn’t due back til late November. Dave Bolland has recently undergone surgery and will miss 12-16 weeks. Finally, Adam Burish  is still expected to miss 6 months.

The Hawks have really nothing to worry about heading into this long road trip. They are playing their best hockey, scoring like maniacs, and their goaltender is making unbelievable saves. All those factors make this a road trip were I can see the Hawks winning 4, maybe 5, games out of the 6.

During the road trip the Hawks will play the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, and the L.A. Kings in that order.

As the schedule shows the Hawks have some tough games, but they also have some easy match ups. Calgary, San Jose, and L.A. all post tough a tough challenge to the Hawks. Edmonton, Vancouver, and Anaheim are all struggling this year, and could be easy opponents for the much more balanced Hawks.

The Hawks play Thursday night in Calgary at 8:30pm cst. Get ready for some Hawks hockey!!

Hossa said the recovery was coming along well, and that he doesn’t have a different timetable other than what the doctors have said. Hossa is scheduled to miss two months of the regular season.

Hossa said it was his choice to have surgery because the pain was just getting to be too much. He also added that having surgery seemed like the “smart” thing to do, and that he is “happy with that decision.”

So far the recovery looks like it is going pretty well, and that Hossa should be back in the time they said he would be.

Losing Hossa to surgery could have a huge effect to the Hawks this year. They will need their young forwards to produce, and to keep them in the race early on.

The Hawks are currently in their pre-season. Opening game occurs this Friday October 2 at 11:00am cst in Switzerland. The Hawks will be facing off against the Florida Panthers that Friday and Saturday.

For more Blackhawk updates, including game analyses, injury updates, and more, keep checking here at Midwest Sports Fans.

Why you might ask?

Well this off-season the Hawks had told their fans that they had interest in re-signing forward, and points leader for the team, Martin Havlat. Havlat said he would love to stay in Chicago, and that Chicago was the only place he wanted to be.

As you might know, Havlat was released.

The Hawks signed Marian Hossa before Havlat was released, but fans knew once they signed Hossa, Havlat wouldn’t be returning.

Jump forward a couple of months.

Upon his return to Chicago, Havlat scored two goals. I don’t know what you think, but I think that’s a statement. Releasing Havlat was a cruel thing to do. After all, he was your season MVP. It was just the wrong thing to do. Havlat understandably probably wanted some renvege against his former team.

If I am the Hawks, I would watch out. This guy can hurt you from all angles of play. He was a valuable player to the Hawks, and now he might bite them in the butt.

The Hawks were one of the most talked about hockey team last year, and they proved they could compete against seasoned teams. The Hawks team was made of mostly young players who battled all the way to the Western Conference Finals only to lose to rival Detroit Red Wings. While the fans and the players were disappointed they didn’t make it the big game, it did show them that they can compete against the big dogs.

This year has the same amount of hype, only notched up to a whole different level. Fans know they can play for the Cup. Now they want to see them win the Cup. If there was a year for Chicago this is it. Salary cap problems will trouble the Hawks next year, which will for sure make the management cut some very good talent. With this problem looming just over the horizon, the Hawks have their best chance this year. It is all or nothing for the Chicago hockey team.

It wasn’t all good news this off-season. The Hawks lost two great and fan-loved players, Martin Havlat and Nikolai Khabibulin. Havlat was the top points leader for the Hawks last year, and Khabibulan was the Hawks first-string goaltender. Losing both your #1 goalie and scoring could be devastating for the Hawks.

Lets not forget that 2007 #1 draft pick Patrick Kane was arrested on robbery and assault charges last August. It was the type of news the Hawks did not want. While it didn’t end up to anything that serious, it was bad press nonetheless, and bad press is never good for a team.

The Hawks signed Marian Hossa to replace Havlat, but Hossa is injured and it’s not 100% known when he will be healthy enough to return. This has all the ingredients to backfire on the Hawks. The team is now relying on the young core to keep the team’s playoff hopes alive while Hossa is gone. Fans can only hope the Hawks don’t fall too behind the #8 spot in the Conference.

The Hawks will also have to rely on yet-proven goaltender Christobal Huet. Huet has been given a huge contract, but he did not live up to it last season making Hawk fans scratch their heads and thinking “Did we make a mistake?” Khabibulan was the better goalie last year, but with Huet’s contract being so high and because of the team already close to the salary cap, the management had no other choice but to release Khabibulan. So it’s Huet’s year whether fans like it or not. There is one good thing going foir Huet, and that is he played really well in the Conference Finals against the Wings.

Was that a sign of better things to come?

Lets hope so.

The full schedule is up on the Hawk’s website. Their first regular season game is on October 2. It will be unique because the Hawks will not in the United States or Canada, but in Finland. It will be the 1st out of 2 games played in Finland.

The Hawks said that they were aware of the shoulder injury before they signed him.

“Marian’s injury did not respond sufficiently to our non-operative treatment over the last three weeks so we have collectively decided today to go ahead with the surgery,” Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said in a statement. “Marian is a franchise player, and we want what is best for him and the Blackhawks long-term. This was a mutual decision and one we feel very confident is the right one.”

Hossa is expected to miss 4 months, which will shelve him for 2 months of the regular season. I can’t help to feel a little mad. We sign this guy to a huge contract, and give up our #1 leader in points, and the guy we get to replace him can’t even play the first 2 months.

Hawks trainer says that after the surgery Hossa will be 100 percent, and that this surgery will be better for Hossa long-term. I hope that is true. I want Hossa to be around and give the Hawks some really good years, but most importantly, aide them to wining a Stanley Cup.

I am sure that the young players on the Hawks will do fine without Hossa, but I can’t be totally sure. The Hawks did lose their best goalie, and our MVP this off-season. Two big losses that could hurt the Hawks even more now that Hossa will be gone for the first 2 months. Hawk’s fans will have to hope that the Hawks really don’t struggle so much early on.

Still I am still optimistic about this year for the Hawks. I really want to believe that Huet will have a more consistent year in the net. Speaking of goalies, the Hawks have not announced who the back-up goalie will be. They have signed Crawford and Niemi, but have not announced who will be behind Huet. I would like to see Crawford get the spot. He was supposed to be the next thing, and I really liked what I saw when they did play him. Niemi wasn’t bad, but he seemed slow form post to post, the same problem Huet has.

As big of a hit this is for the Hawks, I am confident we have the skill to tough it out, and to get back into the playoffs this year.

After losing the Western Conference Finals to Detroit, Hawk fans are really excited for what next year could bring. Many more NHL teams and owners are taking this young Hawks team seriously now. While the Hawks have lost their season MVP, Martin Havlat, they did add a powerful scoring forward in Marian Hossa. The Hawks lost a great goaltender in Khabibulan, and leaving the team to Huet is a bit risky. Huet has shown he can be a great goaltender, but his inconsistent play has had Hawk fans questioning how good a deal it was to pick him up and at such a steep price.

The Hawks have really big expectations to fulfill this coming season, and nobody really can say for sure if this team is capable of going all the way next year. As young as the team is though, Chicago fans are at least positive that the Hawks could win a championship in the near future. While the future is bright, the players don’t need to feel like they have no room to improve. Their inexperience was exploited by the veteran Detroit team last year in the playoffs and Detroit seems to always have the Hawks’ number. Most of all, Detroit capitalized on every mistake the Hawks made, and the Hawks will have to limit their mistakes against the Red Wings moving forward.

One thing that made me mad was the hatred for the Hawks by Sports Illustrated. They never gave credit to the Hawks, even when they made it deep into the postseason. They said they would lose against the Flames and the Canucks. When the Hawks did win those two series, SI didn’t praise the wins, they just ignored them completely. Just recently Alan Muir has called the Hossa signing a bad one. Come on! They never give the Hawks credit for building a team that can win. Sorry for going on a mini rant, but that has always bothered me a lot.

With prospect camps currently ongoing, the Hawks could find another gem. Next hockey season will be a fun and interesting ride for the Hawks and their fans. As a fan, I can only wish for another playoff berth, and who knows, maybe even a Cup.

Martin Havlat was voted team MVP and was the team leader in points both in the regular season and the playoffs. It would be a big disappointment if Havlat was not re-signed. Havlat has said that he only wants to be in Chicago, and sources say he wants a long-term contract — even if it means having to take a pay cut.

UPDATE (as I write this post!): According to Daren Dreger of TSN.ca, the Blackhawks have signed a multi-year deal with forward Marian Hossa. This news can only mean that Havlat will probably not return with the Hawks. According to TSN, it is a 12-year contract worth $5.2 million a season. This is a huge signing for the Hawks. They are adding some great firepower to their team. New information keeps on coming in as I type this. $53 million will be paid the first 7 years, and a little less than $9 million the last 5 years.

The Hawks keep on trying to improve, and with a signing like this, they are on right track to do just that. I really love what Dale Tallon and the other guys are doing with this Hawks team. I am already pumped for the next season. I am sad that Havlat might be going (though that has not yet been confirmed) but at the same time the Hawks have picked up a great forward in Marian Hossa. Hossa had 40 goals last year with the Red Wings.

The Hawks made it to the Western Conference Finals last season, only to be ousted by their rival the Red Wings. With added firepower the Hawks have a chance to hold the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961. As a die-hard Hawks fan, I am really pleased how the organization is trying so hard to win. They are making great choices. I wish all Chicago teams had great organizations like the Hawks do. (Cubs).

*UDATE: The Hawks also signed Thomas Kopecky to a two year deal at $1.2 million each season.

* – Marian Hossa photo credit: 360Blog.org via Kings Kool-Aid