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BOSTON -- Patrick Sharp had a new nickname for Brent Seabrook after he scored his second overtime playoff goal in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals.

"He's 'Mr. Overtime,'" Sharp said.

Seabrook has developed that reputation because he's scored twice in these playoffs, and both happened to be game winners. Seabrook's first OT goal won Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Detroit Red Wings. That one lifted the Blackhawks to a 2-1 win and completed their series comeback after being down 3-1.

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CHICAGO -- First the Chicago Blackhawks lost momentum, then they lost the lead and finally the game, falling 2-1 in overtime to the Boston Bruins in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals on Saturday.

The first 20 minutes were vintage Hawks. Speed with the puck and shots on net. A lot of them. Only one of 19 got past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, though. That came back to haunt them.

"When you score a goal and are playing the way we were playing in the first period, you need to find a way to sustain that, and we didn't quite do that tonight," Jonathan Toews said.

Nineteen shots in the first period were more than the Hawks had the rest of the game. They finished with just 34 on the night. The shots dried up and so did the scoring chances. Slowly, Boston took the momentum away.

"The message was basically to wake up," Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg said. "We really slept through the first period and didn't play very well."

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw normally defends himself.

He couldn't on Thursday.

Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook and forward Patrick Kane took light-hearted jabs at their 21-year-old teammate who wasn't present for the team's media availability on Thursday. Shaw scored the game-winning goal in the third overtime of the Blackhawks' 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals on Wednesday.

Shaw is known for being an energetic player on the ice and one who often tries to get under the skin of his opponents. Seabrook said Shaw is pretty much the same off the ice.

"He's a handful in the dressing room, too," Seabrook said. "Yeah, he's a high-energy guy. He likes to have fun, get guys going, jumping around the room, bouncing around. Yeah, he's pretty much the same as he is on the ice, just without skates on. He brings excitement to the dressing room and is big for us."

Kane took the ribbing a little further.

"Yeah, I sit next to him," Kane said. "There's times where I almost got to tell him to shut up because he just asks questions and doesn't stop talking when you're next to him there in between periods. He's really excited to be here. He's a kid that I think he got passed over twice in two drafts. We picked him up in the fifth round. He came in the next year and played. Speaks to his character, how he can put all that behind him and come in and play in the NHL right away and really be a factor.

"He does a lot of good things for us, whether it's hits, being an agitator, even scoring goals. He probably scores more goals off his shin pads than he does his sticks. I'm sure he'll take them, and we will, any way we can get them."

Shaw expressed gratitude for his shin pads after his game-winner in Game 1. While wearing a microphone for NHL Network for Game 1, he went to Dave Bolland, who had the second assist on the winning goal, and said "Bollie, I love you," and then seemed to say "I love shin pads."

Bruins coach Claude Julien said after Game 1 he was aware of Shaw and his game, but he wasn't their focus.

"I don't think we do our game-planning around Mr. Shaw," Julien said. "Our game plan is against the Chicago Blackhawks, so ... We know he's an agitator. We know he's good at embellishing, too, at times. We know all that stuff. We've done our research."

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville was asked Thursday if he had any reaction to Julien calling Shaw an embellisher.

"I'm not going there," Quenneville said.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa could have done without his neighbor's handyman work early Thursday morning, but otherwise the Blackhawks said they were feeling good less than 12 hours after winning one of the longest playoff games in NHL history.

The Blackhawks defeated the Bruins 4-3 in three overtimes in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. The game began at 7:22 p.m. CT on Wednesday and ended at exactly midnight. Blackhawks center Andrew Shaw scored the game winner at 12:08 of the third overtime, marking the fifth-longest playoff game in NHL history.

"To tell you the truth, I fell asleep around 3 o'clock, woke up early," Hossa said on Thursday. "I think my neighbor decided he was going to drill in the morning. So that wasn't really pleasant. Hopefully, he's going to get his message for the next time and we won't drill."

Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane believes coming out on the winning end of the marathon game also helps everyone feel better physically on Thursday.

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LOS ANGELES -- When a player as talented as Duncan Keith is out of the lineup, the void can seem as wide as Lake Michigan.

But the Chicago Blackhawks found a way to succeed Thursday without their star defenseman, who was suspended for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the Los Angeles Kings. The Blackhawks earned the 3-2 victory at Staples Center by getting a little extra from their remaining blueliners, sending them back to Chicago with a 3-1 series lead.

Niklas Hjalmarsson was paired with Keith’s regular partner, Brent Seabrook, causing him to switch to the left side, but he celebrated his 26th birthday by matching his career high with two assists, all while playing a playoff-high 24 minutes, 57 seconds.

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LOS ANGELES -- Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville once believed forward Bryan Bickell flew under the radar.

These days, Bickell's presence may break the radar.

Bickell added to his ever-expanding 2013 playoff highlight reel with another goal and assist in the Blackhawks' 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday. He now has eight goals and three assists in 16 playoff games.

"I think he's one of those guys that you really appreciate all year long," Quenneville said. "He's one of those guys that maybe flies under the radar. He's got all the assets that could make him a top forward power-wise. He can hit, skate, shoot, he sees plays and is big at the net, physical. All the ingredients you want put together. That process, he'd like to see it come together game in, game out. Probably this playoff round, it seems like he's really progressed."

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LOS ANGELES -- The Chicago Blackhawks already have silenced Los Angeles Kings fans once at Staples Center this season.

Minutes after the Kings raised their 2012 Stanley Cup championship banner before the season opener, the Blackhawks jumped on the defending champs and scored three first-period goals, shocking what had been a roaring standing-room crowd for the Kings’ pregame celebration.

The Blackhawks now will look to repeat that again as their Western Conference finals series with the Kings moves to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Tuesday. The Blackhawks lead the series 2-0 after consecutive wins in Chicago, but the Kings have owned their home ice throughout the playoffs, posting a 7-0 mark at Staples Center through the first two rounds.

“A long time since we played here,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said at the team’s hotel in Los Angeles on Monday. “A special day when we began the season here for them. They played well here all season long. I think the starts are going to be important to the game. Let's be sure we take care of what we have to take care of. We expect a hard game. Physically, they come after you. We want to make sure we're smart in that area and be proactive as well.”

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CHICAGO -- It takes a certain amount of discipline to stick with the program when you’re trailing in a hockey game despite outplaying the opponent.

And it takes similar discipline not to try to put away a game with a man-advantage late in the third period.

The Chicago Blackhawks showed the necessary fortitude to accomplish both en route to their 2-1 opening-game victory over the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference finals Saturday afternoon.

“It was an injustice being down 1-0 [after the first period],” coach Joel Quenneville said after the game. “Make sure we don't get discouraged, find a way to persevere off the rush.”

An injustice might be an understatement. Tied 0-0 would have been understandable. That’s how good Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick played -- pretty much as advertised. But Los Angeles had no business leading 1-0 after getting two shots to Corey Crawford in the entire period. Neither was that dangerous, but one slid past him after a blown clearing attempt. Meanwhile, the Hawks were peppering Quick to the tune of 17 shots in the opening 20 minutes.

“We liked our first period, even being down 1-0,” defenseman Brent Seabrook said. “The guys came in the room, we liked our period. We wanted to have the same kind of period in the second.”

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Blackhawks 2, Red Wings 1 (OT) (Blackhawks win series 4-3)

Brent Seabrook will be toasted in Chicago after scoring the overtime goal that gave the Blackhawks a Game 7 win. It was Seabrook’s first goal of the postseason. He becomes just the fourth defenseman in league history to score an OT goal in a Game 7. The goal and win capped a 3-1 series comeback for the Blackhawks, the first time the franchise had pulled that off. They were 0-11 in such series before this game.

The Blackhawks’ win sets up a rare situation in the Stanley Cup Playoffs: the final four won each of the previous four Stanley Cups: the Kings last year, Bruins in 2011, Blackhawks in 2010, and Penguins in 2009. FROM ELIAS: There has been only one "final four" in NHL or NBA playoff history in which each team won its league championship in one of the previous four seasons: the 1945 NHL postseason when the Bruins, Red Wings, Canadiens and Maple Leafs were left.

* Brent Seabrook (CHI): 1st goal of postseason ... 1st career postseason OT goal (he's had 6 OT goals in regular season career)
* Seabrook (CHI): 4th defenseman in league history to score OT goal in Game 7 and first since Darius Kasparaitis of 2001 Penguins
* 37th Game 7 in NHL history to go to OT (2nd this postseason ... Boston's Patrice Bergeron scored OT winner in Game 7 of Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs Maple Leafs)
* Blackhawks: overcome 3-1 series deficit for first time (were 0-11 before this game)
* Blackhawks: 6-5 all-time in Game 7 (first win since 1995 Conf. QF vs Maple Leafs)
* Blackhawks: 1st OT win in a Game 7
* Blackhawks: play Kings in Western Conference Final (CHI won 2 of 3 regular-season meetings)
* Red Wings: both series this postseason went 7 (won at ANA, lost at CHI)
* FROM ELIAS: The final four NHL teams won each of the previous four Stanley Cups: the Kings last year, Bruins in 2011, Blackhawks in 2010, and Penguins in 2009. There has been only one "final four" in NHL/NBA playoff history in which each team won its league championship in one of the previous four seasons: the 1945 NHL postseason (Bruins, Red Wings, Canadiens and Maple Leafs).

Defensemen to Score OT Goal in Game 7
2013 Brent Seabrook CHI vs. DET
2001 Darius Kasparaitis PIT vs. BUF
1983 Brad Park BOS vs. BUF
1950 Leo Reise DET vs. TOR

FROM ELIAS: It took overtime to decide a winner in Game 7 of the Chicago–Detroit series, which was as close as a series could be heading into extra time, with the teams deadlocked not only in wins but in total goals scored for the series (15–15).

Until last year, the only playoff series in NHL history in which Game 7 went to overtime with the teams having scored the same number of goals in the series was the first-round matchup between the Sabres and Senators in 1997 (won by Buffalo).

But this was the third such series in the last two playoff years, following the Washington–Boston and New Jersey–Florida first-round pairings in 2012 (won by the Caps and the Devils).

NEXT LEVEL: The Blackhawks scored 6 of their 15 conference semifinal goals (40%) against the Red Wings on high shots to Jimmy Howard’s glove side, including the overtime game winner in Game 7. The Blackhawks’ greatest percentage of goals (28%) were to the high glove side this season, an area in which Detroit’s Jimmy Howard limited goals in the 1st round.

Jimmy Howard Goals Allowed High Glove
This Postseason
Total Pct Allowed
vs CHI 6 40%<<
vs ANA 2 10%
>>Worst zone vs Blackhawks

CHICAGO -- As tough as it was for the Chicago Blackhawks to send the Detroit Red Wings home after seven games, they're expecting an even more difficult task in knocking off the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings in the next round.

The Blackhawks and Kings open the Western Conference finals in Chicago at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Game 2 will be on Sunday at 7 p.m.

"I think we've progressively had a much tougher series from the first round; we expect it to keep getting tougher," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "L.A., they got the Cup. They played two tough rounds in a row. They know how to win. I think that we got to make sure we're well prepared. We're excited about the opportunity. I'm sure these back-to-back games will be fun to be a part of this weekend."

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CHICAGO -- No Chicago Blackhawks player rode the roller coaster of the seven-game series with the Detroit Red Wings more than defenseman Brent Seabrook.

Seabrook experienced the lowest of lows and the highest of highs all within seven games. He went from having his role diminished and his minutes cut substantially to being reunited with old defensive partner Duncan Keith and having his role re-established to finally being the team's hero in the most important game of its season.

On Wednesday, in overtime of Game 7, Seabrook fired the puck into the right corner of the net past Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard for the game-winning and series-clinching goal, giving the Blackhawks a 2-1 win and a trip to the Western Conference finals.

"I'm a defenseman; when I have that much room, I usually screw up, trip or fall or something like that," Seabrook said. "But [Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville] harps on it all the time, put pucks on the net, anything can happen."

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CHICAGO -- Here's a quick look at the Chicago Blackhawks' 2-1 win in overtime over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinal series at the United Center on Wednesday.

How it happened: Not much more could have been asked from a Game 7 between Original Six rivals. The game was only decided when the Blackhawks' Brent Seabrook scored the game-winning goal 3:35 into overtime. Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp put his team up first when he, Michal Handzus and Marian Hossa put on a passing display, which ended with Sharp scoring at 1:08 of the second period. The Red Wings tied the game when Gustav Nyquist connected with Henrik Zetterberg for a goal 26 seconds into the third period. Both goaltenders were on their game. Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford made 26 saves, and Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard had 33 stops. The Blackhawks had a goal by Niklas Hjamarsson waived off at 18:13 of the third period when an official called coincidental penalties on the Blackhawks' Brandon Saad and the Red Wings' Kyle Quincey behind the play.

Player of the game: Crawford saw the Blackhawks' season flash by his eyes after allowing a soft goal in the second period of Game 6. Since then, he's been nearly unbeatable.

What it means: The Blackhawks rallied all the way back from a 3-1 hole to eliminate the Red Wings. It was the first time the Blackhawks have ever overcome a 3-1 deficit. The Blackhawks advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2010. For the Red Wings, they had three chances to close out the series and failed to do so. They haven't reached the conference finals since 2009.

What's next: The Blackhawks will host the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of the Western Conferences finals on Saturday.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook’s individual play was behind him losing minutes of ice time and then gaining them back, but it might not be a fluke that the latter occurred playing beside an old friend.

After seeing a season-low 12:03 of playing time in Game 4 of a Western Conference semifinal series against the Detroit Red Wings, Seabrook was reunited with longtime defensive partner Duncan Keith in Game 5. The two had been split up earlier in the season when Chicago coach Joel Quenneville was searching for more stable play from all of his pairings.

Months later, Quenneville was looking again for something to change, and he found it again as Seabrook had one of his best games of the playoffs while contributing an assist, two hits, seven shots on goal and major minutes on the power play and penalty kill in the Blackhawks’ 4-1 win in Game 5 on Saturday. He finished with 23:20 of ice time, which was second only to Keith’s 23:48.

“You got to commend Seabs,” Quenneville said on Sunday before departing for Detroit. “I think the day before, he was excited about the opportunity and prepared himself well. They have a great rapport, him and Duncs [Keith]. They’re very close in all areas of their lives. I think that support on the other side helps him. I thought right off the bat he got some good hits into the game, got him into the game, good to see him bounce [back].”

Seabrook had been frustrated by his own play for much of the playoffs. He wanted to be out on the ice more, but he never questioned Quenneville’s decision to cut his minutes during the Red Wings series.

Seabrook said the key to getting back on track Saturday was never stopping to dwell on his situation.

“You got to stick with it, keep going,” Seabrook said. “I came in[to] every game excited, ready to go. For whatever reason, I didn’t like my game.

“It was a comfortable feeling [Saturday night]. I was excited to be back out there and play. I wasn’t happy with my game at the start of the series and even going back to Minnesota [in the first round]. It was nice to have a better game.”

Keith has always had a high level of respect for Seabrook, but was especially impressed with how Seabrook handled his decreased role and fought for it back.

“It’s always nice to play with him and have that comfort factor, knowing where he’s going to be,” Keith said. “I thought he played good coming off not playing very much. It’s tough to do that not only physically, but mentally. He did a good job; a lot of big shots, a lot of big hits. He’s a great player.

“We need him. For us to win, win [Game 6], we’re going to need him. He’s a guy who has that presence out there.”

That responsibility is something Seabrook has had in the past, and it’s still something he wants in the present.

“My time here in Chicago, I’ve always had a lot of responsibility in key situations,” Seabrook said. “I’ve been against the other teams’ top lines, and I thought I’ve done a good job over the years. I took pride in it.

“It was my job, so to speak. [Jonathan Toews] scores goals. [Patrick Kane] makes passes, scores goals. I was the shutdown guy, physical guy, make it tough on the other teams’ top players. That was the role I loved, took pride in. When I come to the rink, that’s the role I want to play.”

CHICAGO -- It started with a clean win of the draw. Jonathan Toews not only beat Pavel Datsyuk on the faceoff, he ripped the puck back to Duncan Keith at the point of the Blackhawks power play.

And it was on. The most important power play of the Blackhawks' season was off and running, and when it was finished, Game 5 of this Western Conference semifinal would be transformed.

Chicago beat Detroit 4-1 to keep its season alive -- and cut the Red Wings' series lead to 3-2 -- and the Blackhawks wouldn't have done it without the resuscitation of a power play that, until Saturday night, was providing more momentum for the opposition than for the Blackhawks.

Like in the first period, when they ended a strong opening period with a lifeless power play.

"I don’t think we had a shot," Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook said. "We were [ticked] off after the first one."

The frustration seeped into the Blackhawks dressing room during the first intermission. They had an early one-goal lead on the Red Wings, but it didn’t feel like it. When the Red Wings killed that late holding penalty on Carlo Colaiacovo, a few boos emerged from the rafters of the United Center. It looked like more of the same for a power play that had suddenly become the NHL’s worst in the postseason with the elimination of the New York Rangers earlier in the day. At least for the moment.

While losing three consecutive games to the Red Wings, the Blackhawks power play had gone zero for nine, and the struggles went back further than that. A bit lost in Chicago’s incredible regular-season run was that a power play that can roll out high-powered offensive weapons Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa and Keith was pedestrian too often. They finished the regular season at 16.7 percent, good for 19th in the league.

"It’s something we’ve talked about. We’ve moved different units around," Keith told ESPN The Magazine. "It’s not rocket science, power plays. Sometimes, we’ve made it like that over the past season. It’s taking what they give you. Getting shots when you can take it."

That’s exactly how they handled that critical power play that started with 11:39 remaining in the second period. Toews drew a hooking penalty on Drew Miller, important not only because it gave the Blackhawks a man advantage but also because it sent one of Detroit’s best penalty killers into the penalty box.

Detroit coach Mike Babcock sent out a PK unit of Datsyuk, Cory Emmerton, Jonathan Ericsson and Niklas Kronwall.

Toews won that first faceoff clean, a key moment.

"Toewser had a big draw. You start with the puck. He’s so huge," Seabrook said. "I don’t think we even had a breakout when we scored. When you start in your own zone and go back and set up, that’s when things start spinning."

And it started spinning. Jimmy Howard made a save on a Seabroook shot, kicking the puck out near Datsyuk, when the Blackhawks got their first break. In a rare misstep by the Red Wings star, Datsyuk whiffed on a backhanded clearing attempt.

The second break was quite literally a break. Datsyuk broke his stick, leaving the Red Wings with essentially 3½ players trying to kill the penalty. For a split moment, Emmerton thought about giving Datsyuk his own stick but opted not to.

"At that point, I was running around a little bit," Emmerton said. "Just trying to play smart and hope for a good bounce. Or get a whistle."

The Red Wings penalty kill has been so effective against Chicago because of its aggressive play. But a missed clearing attempted and a broken stick wiped out that advantage. The aggressiveness was gone.

Now, the Blackhawks focused on working the puck on the side of the ice where Datsyuk tried to defend without a stick. Seabrook was set up for shots by Keith. He had a slap shot from 54 feet and another from 42.

"He’s at a disadvantage. You can pass through him," Seabrook said of the stickless Datsyuk. "Datsyuk has such a great stick and is such a great player defensively. It’s hard to pass around him. He’s one of those guys who does a great job of taking away lanes."

But not when he’s missing a stick. The Blackhawks attacked with desperation, winning battles for puck retrieval, and, at one point with 45 seconds left on the power play, Hossa made a great play at the blue line to keep in a clearing attempt from Ericsson.

By the time Andrew Shaw deflected a shot from Keith past Howard for what turned out to be the game-winning goal, the Wings PK was gassed and the Blackhawks power play struggles were over.

There’s no such thing as momentum from one NHL playoff game to the next, but the confidence gained in that power play and Toews getting another power-play goal on his surgical shot later in the second, can be carried over. It has to be if the Blackhawks are going to continue their climb past Detroit.

"Tonight was the way we know we can play and the way we can skate," Keith said. "It was nice to see the power play get going. That was a big boost to our team tonight."

And with the success, the Blackhawks pulled out of the basement. Their power play improved to 17.9 percent in the postseason, no longer the worst of any team still playing. At 15.9 percent, that honor now belongs to Detroit.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks don't have to look too far back to recall a time they faced an uphill battle in a playoff series like they are now.

In 2011, the Blackhawks dropped their first three games to the Vancouver Canucks in a Western Conference quarterfinal series. The Blackhawks rallied to win the next three games and ultimately fell in the series when they lost 2-1 in overtime in Game 7.

Now down 3-1 to the Detroit Red Wings in their Western Conference semifinal series, the Blackhawks said Friday they hope to draw from that 2011 experience to assist them this season.

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