Last night in Chicago, the Blackhawks defeated San Jose 3-2 in overtime to take a three games to none lead in their best of seven series. This is the third series this post-season where a team has won the first three games of a series. In round two San Jose won the first three games against Detroit and Boston won the first three against Philadelphia. San Jose ended up defeating Detroit in five games while Philadelphia was able to rally and win the next four games against Boston & winning the series in the process.
Being down three games to none is usually a death sentence in the playoffs as the series is usually wrapped up in Game four or Game five. Philly's comeback was the first time since 1975 that an NHL team rallied from three games down to win a series. So can San Jose do what Philly did one round earlier? If they are here is what needs to be done.
Game four: This game is usually more of a mental battle than a physical battle. When you lose the first three games a lot is not going in your favor. For some teams they can just check out mentally & mail it in while other teams try to win the entire series in one game. Neither scenario usually works out.
In Game four you have to realize that you can not win the series tonight but your opponent can. You have to win a lot of small battles. From face-offs to the 1st period you want to be able to established your game early on. At worse you want to stay within a goal at all times. You want to avoid being swept so a team should be able to get up for this game.
Game five: You have avoided getting swept so you want to build on what worked for you in Game four and try to fix what didn't work. If you are the road team, your opponent is probably going to come out strong early on and try to finish you early in the game. A team will have to weather the storm and once again try to stay within a goal if trailing.
If you are the home team and facing elimination your ultimate goal is to win what could be your final home game of the series.
Game six: If you manage to force a game six after losing the first three games now the pressure starts to shift to your opponent. They have already failed to get the sweep and now they failed to close it out in five. The last thing a team wants to do is go to a game seven after winning the first three games so the sense of urgency is ramped up.
In game six you realize that you have a chance to make history. You want to stick with what works in games four & five. Keep in mind only six teams have forced a game seven after losing the first three games so there is still a lot you are going against. If you are the home team you want to win your final game while if you are on the road you want to force one more home game.
Game seven: At this point all bets are off. The series is tied at three games a piece and no team has a real edge. The team that won the first three games has lost any momentum that they may have had and are now fighting to survive. The team that has won the last three games is playing with house money and whatever happens happens.
Home ice can be a factor if you have a strong crowd behind you. If the crowd gets taken out early then the home ice edge goes away. Game seven then comes down to who wins what little battles there are. In game seven all the pressure goes on the home team because they are expected to win at home. It's a matter of who steps up to be the hero.
So, do I think San Jose can come back to win the series against Chicago? I don't. I think the Blackhawks are playing too well right now to let the Sharks back in the series. I think San Jose can avoid being swept by winning Game four but the way Chicago has played on the road I think they will wrap it up in five games.
Later today, Philadelphia plays Montreal in Game four of their best of seven series. Game time is at 2:00 PM on NBC.
Thanks for reading & enjoy the hockey.
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