ESPN

CHICAGO -- For the first 10 minutes of Saturday’s game, Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville was proud of the way his team played against the Detroit Red Wings.

Over the game’s next 50 minutes, Quenneville’s mood gradually declined as the Red Wings skated away with a 4-1 victory in Game 2 and evened the Western Conference semifinal series.

“I liked our start,” Quenneville said. “I thought, the first 10 minutes of the game, the pace was probably as fast as any point throughout [the series’ first] four periods, but we didn’t sustain it. We didn’t do what we were hoping to do over the last 50 minutes.”

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CHICAGO -- So we have a series.

That was in question after Game 1, in which the Chicago Blackhawks dominated the Detroit Red Wings in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal, just as they had in the regular season. But the only thing similar from that game to Game 2 was the final score, 4-1. This time the Red Wings dominated.

“We knew they were going to come back and play much better than Game 1, and obviously we didn’t quite match the effort,” Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said.

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CHICAGO -- Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock didn’t think it was possible to frustrate Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, but Toews’ reaction to being pushed around in Game 2 seemed to prove otherwise.

The Red Wings, especially their captain Henrik Zetterberg, were all over Toews and gave him little room to maneuver as Detroit prevailed 4-1 at the United Center on Saturday afternoon, evening the series.

“I’m not going to go off and complain about some calls I thought should have been called or whatever, one way or another,” Toews said. “If that’s the way they’re going to play, well, we need to play the same. There’s a lot of clutch and grab, a lot of interference. If they’re going to let that go, that’s something we need to know and maybe do to them a little bit.

“It’s tough to understand sometimes why we get roughing penalties and hooking penalties and whatever it is, and that doesn’t go both ways. It is what it is. If that’s the way it’s going to be, we need to understand that and play more physical and be tougher on them. We’ll know that going into the next one.”

The Blackhawks were called for five penalties -– two roughing, one slashing, one crosschecking, one hooking –- during Saturday’s game. The Red Wings had three penalties –- one hooking, one slashing, one delay of game.

Whether or not the Red Wings were getting away with anything, Toews was made a nonfactor offensively in Game 2. His line didn’t score, and he remained goal-less for a seventh consecutive playoff game.

“I don’t know about frustrate,” Babcock said of his team’s impact on Toews. “That guy doesn’t get very frustrated. He just competes. I don’t concern myself with that. We try to give him no space. They got four elite, elite forwards. They got lots of depth, but they got four guys who are all world, and you can’t give them much room.”

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville wasn’t surprised to see the Red Wings make Toews a priority.

“We expect your top guys are going to get some coverage looks, be it from the forwards or D,” Quenneville said. “All year long they faced top coverage against them. Hopefully, they have to find a way to fight through it, and we got to be harder in the tougher areas, particularly at their net. We didn’t really look to shoot it. We seemed to be on the outside.”

Toews didn’t believe the Blackhawks would take themselves out of their own game if they started to play in the same physical fashion. He saw it more as a way to balance the game.

“It’s not out of frustration,” Toews said. “It’s trying to frustrate their team. That’s something we need to do a little bit more. They’re trying to do it to our top couple lines. We can do a little bit more of it. We’re kind of letting them skate around with the puck too much.”

Jonathan Toews comments on the Blackhawks' 4-1 loss to the Red Wings and what the team needs to do for Game 3.

CHICAGO -- Here’s a quick look at the Detroit Red Wings' 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series at the United Center on Saturday.

How it happened: The Red Wings came ready to play in Game 2 after being outperformed for much of the series opener. They contained the Blackhawks’ attack to 20 shots after allowing them 42 shots in Game 1. On the other end, the Red Wings picked up their offensive game. After Patrick Kane scored to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead in the first period, the Red Wings responded with four consecutive goals. Damien Brunner and Brendan Smith scored in the second period, and Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula added goals in the third period. Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard made 19 saves. Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford made 26 saves. Chicago killed four power plays and improved to 24-for-24 on the penalty kill in the playoffs.

Player of the game: Henrik Zetterberg was a factor on both ends of the ice. He helped contain the Blackhawks’ top line, especially Jonathan Toews, and dished out the puck for two assists.

What it means: The Red Wings evened the series at 1-1 and were able to steal a game in Chicago. It’s the first time the Red Wings have defeated the Blackhawks since last season. Chicago was riding an eight-game winning streak over Detroit.

What’s next: The series will move to Detroit for Game 3 on Monday.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Viktor Stalberg will be a healthy scratch from Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinal series against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

Stalberg was also benched in Game 1 of the series after playing in 47 of 48 regular-season games and in all five of the team’s first-round playoff games. He had nine goals and 14 assists in the regular season and one assist against the Minnesota Wild in the first round.

Dave Bolland replaced Stalberg on the third line in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over the Red Wings. The Blackhawks outshot the Red Wings 42-21 in the victory.

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks are prepared for the Detroit Red Wings to be a more driven team in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series Saturday after being outplayed in Game 1.

The Blackhawks ran away from the Red Wings with a 4-1 victory in Game 1 on Wednesday. Chicago dominated the puck the last two periods and outshot Detroit 42-21 for the game.

“We expect a harder game,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said after Friday’s practice. “Physically, I’m sure it’s going to be more physical than the first game. As you progress, as we found in the Minnesota series, it’s like that. Don’t wait for it to happen, expect it to happen and be more proactive than reactionary. So let’s have that mentality going into the game.”

Quenneville and a number of his players called Wednesday’s win their best performance of the playoffs. Quenneville had called for his team to play with more energy after the Wild series.

Chicago has defeated Detroit in the teams' past eight meetings, but the Blackhawks realize the series is far from over. They witnessed the fight in the Red Wings throughout their foes' seven-game series with the Anaheim Ducks in the first round.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Daniel Carcillo knows what it's like to be odd man out of the lineup.

Carcillo was a healthy scratch during spurts of the regular season and was left out of the lineup during the team's first three playoff games. While he's since played in the last three playoff games and contributed an assist in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 1 of their second-round series, he still isn't taking anything for granted.

"I think it's more of a mental game than anything," Carcillo said. "But it's a day-in and day-out experience where you need to be sharp in practice and especially during games. It puts the onus on yourself to kind of play a perfect game and help the team any way you can. When the team's clicking like the last game, it's great, but I think we still actually have a lot more to give."

Carcillo's entire season has been full of ups and downs. After suffering a season-ending knee injury last season, he returned this season and suffered another severe knee injury, this time to the other knee, in the season opener. He missed 15 games due to the injury.

Carcillo played from late February to the middle of March, but then Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville became dissatisfied with Carcillo's game and began playing him less regularly. Carcillo was scratched in 14 of the team's final 26 regular season games.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith and forward Michal Handzus did not practice Friday, but they will play in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinal series against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Viktor Stalberg said Friday he was told by coach Joel Quenneville that his recent demotion was solely based on performance.

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After the Blackhawks explosive third peroid in Game 1, do the Red Wings have a chance to come back in the series?

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Marcus Kruger found himself in an unfamiliar spot during Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal series against the Detroit Red Wings.

Normally, Kruger receives advice and motivation from Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews in the locker room. But on Wednesday, Kruger was the one dishing out the encouragement.

"I told him the same thing [as he tells me] -- go to the net, get a dirty one," Kruger said on Thursday.

It didn't work out for Toews, who hasn't scored a goal in six playoff games, but Kruger scored for a second time in the playoffs when he retrieved a loose puck in the slot and flung it into the net with a backhanded shot. The goal put the Blackhawks up two goals in the third period and helped secure a 4-1 win.

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CHICAGO -- As the individual awards start to finally roll in for the Chicago Blackhawks -- Patrick Kane was announced a finalist for the Lady Byng on Thursday -- there's at least one more that should garner Hawks attention.

Coach Joel Quenneville ought to get serious consideration for the Jack Adams Award given out annually to the league's top coach.

It seems like a no-brainer he would get the nod when the league makes the announcement of its three finalists on Friday, but that's not always the case for the coach of the NHL's best team. Voters like the underdogs who produce when least expected. It's why Ottawa Senators coach Paul MacLean is the favorite to win the award.

Considering where the Hawks were a year ago to where they are now, up 1-0 on the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference semifinals, Quenneville should get recognition. As Hawks television analyst Eddie Olczyk put it, Quenneville has done a "masterful" job this season. Juxtaposed with the year he had last season it makes the Hawks turnaround even better.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said Thursday reports that forward Viktor Stalberg was benched for Game 1 of their playoff series against the Detroit Red Wings for questioning his diminished role on the power play are "100 percent inaccurate."

"Viktor didn't play. He knows the reasons why," Quenneville said at the United Center on Thursday. "It has nothing to do with anything about our conversation. It was strictly nothing to do with that, at all. That situation wasn't even addressed."

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