Ahhh, playoff hockey. A rarity in Chicago for many years. But we saw it all in full flower last night.
Big hits. Controversial calls. Ebbs and flows. Overtime.
If I tried to follow and develop a storyline for this morning's blog, this thing would be biblical in length. Instead, I'm going to address a few topics, one by one, and hopefully put some perspective on the game as a whole in so doing.
1) Kronwall
If I were a Wings fan, I would feel jobbed. No doubt. It was, basically, a clean hit. For Hawk fans, it is not easy to see one of your stars get knocked out and leave the game. But Brouwer did it to Phaneuf on a clean hit and Campbell did it to Demitra on a clean hit.
But, in both of those cases, neither Brouwer nor Campbell left their feet. Kronwall did. I also noticed Kronwall's lead (left) arm coming up. I don't think the elbow did hit Havlat, but the fact the arm was coming up certainly might have made the call harder for the refs vis a vis intent to injure.
The NHL should never take hitting out of the game. You live by the sword, Hawk fans, you die by the sword. Wing fans, same goes for you. This series is far from over.
2) Officiating in general.
It can be argued some of the power plays the Wings got in the second period, enabling their remarkable comeback, were make-up calls. It's not like that's never happened in the WWF world of NHL officiating. To the Wings' credit, they took advantage. It also didn't help that the Hawks were doing a lot of standing around.
3) The Man from France
It seemed like you could hear a pin drop when the puck dropped in the third. The Hawks had just allowed the Wings back into a tie in a game they were leading 3-0. Cristobal Huet in net. Corey Crawford (Corey Crawford!) sitting dressed on the Hawks' bench. It seemed to me half the building was getting ready to grab their things and get an early start on the traffic. Yet, the Hawks settled down and tightened the D. Huet was solid, saw a few shots, even a couple of tough ones and played as though he was in net as recently as last week.
For all the bashing Huet took this season, most of which I thought was inaccurate and unfair, one thing you cannot argue with is, he never reacted emotionally when he was playing like a superstar (which he did for stretches this season) or when he had bad stretches and got pulled. The guy is a cool customer. And that might have been just what the Hawks needed at that time.
Credit also to Joel Quenneville, who clearly also said the right things after the second period. The way the team responded after that, not to mention getting a crucial win, especially after losing a three-goal lead, has to be a huge confidence boost to the team going forward.
4) The Wings
As always, a dangerous foe. They fought an uphill battle last night, without Datsyuk and dealing with the loss of Kronwall for the game. And yet, they came very close to taking the game. That said, the last two games have to be telling them that they are likewise facing a dangerous foe. They will have Kronwall back for Game 4 and possibly Datsyuk. So that will definitely be a huge shot in the arm. I thought Osgood was shaky last night, and the Hawks' pressure and traffic got to him. He gave up a fair amount of rebounds. And he will probably see every bit as much traffic in Game 4.
5) Sammy Pahlsson
Nice game overall and a beautiful pass to Patrick Sharp for the game winner. Kudos to Matt Walker and Dustin Byfuglien for making that play happen as well. Walker is not the greatest skater (not even close) or an "offensive threat," but he made a nice little play to get that whole sequence going.
6) Injuries
If Havlat is back for Game 4, he's one tough hombre. The Hawks are saying he might be. We'll see. If not, I will be shocked if the Hawks insert anyone but Colin Fraser into the lineup. While the temptation might be to add speed or scoring to counteract the Wings or to offset the loss of Havlat's skill, I would argue it is not speed or scoring that is turning this into a series for the Hawks. It is grit and hard work. Fraser does the little things: wins faceoffs, kills penalties, hits, plays defense. And the Hawks still have skill in abundance. I have even bigger doubts about Khabibulin returning if, in fact, he did have a lower body injury. That said, I am fine with Huet manning the net in Game 4 and even the rest of the way. Khabibulin's been OK in this series, not spectacular anyway. And Huet looked good enough versus some decent pressure last night.
7) The Series
While last night was a big, big win for the Hawks, Game 4 looms even larger. It is pivotal. If the Wings win, they have a stranglehold on the series, going home to the Joe, leading 3-1. If the Hawks win, that's two games in a row and a three-game series that anyone can take.
Wow. This is fun. Thanks for reading.
JJ
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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