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CHICAGO -- Minnesota Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom and defenseman Clayton Stoner did not practice on Thursday, increasing the possibility they will be unavailable for Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Chicago Blackhawks.

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks announced Thursday they will raise season-ticket prices by an average of 16 percent next season.

Blackhawks ticket operation and customer relations vice president Chris Werner said Thursday not all season-ticket holders will be affected the same by the price increase. For example, the season-ticket package that was priced at $28 per game this season will be increased to $36 next season. The Blackhawks offer eight different season-ticket packages.

"We're still trying to keep prices affordable and have different plans to choose from," Werner said. "We know how important it is to have a full building. What's so rewarding about working for the Blackhawks is having so loyal and dedicated fans.

"We were ranked 11th in ticket prices last season. We're a team that operates in a major market. We were ranked 28th in ticket prices during the 2007-08 season. We've made so many improvements in personnel and in the team in recent years that we're trying to remain competitive in a major market."

The Blackhawks have had 215 consecutive sellouts at the United Center dating back to the 2007-2008 season. They offer 75 percent of the seating at the United Center as part of season-ticket packages. There are more than 12,000 people on the season-ticket waiting list, according to Werner.

The Blackhawks also announced the 2013-2014 season-ticket plan will not include tickets to the outdoor game between the Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field on March 1, 2014. Werner said season-ticket holders will have a chance to purchase tickets to the game prior to the general public sales. The NHL, not the Blackhawks, will be responsible for ticket sales to Soldier Field.

CHICAGO -- Injured Chicago Blackhawks forward Dave Bolland and goaltender Ray Emery will not play Friday in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Wild, coach Joel Quenneville said on Thursday.

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ESPNChicago.com's Scott Powers takes your Hawks questions during a live chat at 1:30 p.m. CT. here to submit your questions.

CHICAGO -- Aside from the final score, the Minnesota Wild achieved Tuesday much of what they had hoped in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Wild slowed the Blackhawks' offensive attack, got in the way of their shots and forced a tight one-goal game which was only decided by the Blackhawks in the final five minutes of overtime.

The Wild's game plan was no surprise to the Blackhawks. They assumed the Wild would play in such a fashion and expect to see more of it the rest of the series. But the Blackhawks hope to put some more pucks past Wild goaltenders in Game 2 and beyond.

"It goes back -- Minnesota has always defended the front of their net extremely well," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said on Wednesday. "They collapse like a lot of teams in our league do. They protect that slot area. It's tough to penetrate with direct plays. Indirect plays off the goalie is the best way to get that guy the puck in the slot, so hopefully we get more pucks and more bodies in traffic at the net and look to get second and third opportunities. But the clean looks through the middle of the ice at their end is going to be hard to find."

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ESPN NHL analyst Barry Melrose chats about the majesty of the Stanley Cup, discusses the start of this season's playoffs, Sidney Crosby's health and explains why he believes the Blackhawks and Penguins will cruise to the Stanley Cup Finals.



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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks are hopeful their worst period of playoff hockey is already behind them.

The top-seeded Blackhawks endured a nightmarish first period in Game 1 of their first-round series with the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. The Blackhawks allowed the Wild to score on their first shot of the game and had more of their shots blocked (seven) than they got through to the net (six) in the first period.

The Blackhawks were put in an unfamiliar spot -- trailing after one period. They were down after one period in just nine games during the regular season.

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CHICAGO -- Injured Chicago Blackhawks forward Dave Bolland and goaltender Ray Emery are questionable for Game 2 Friday of their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Wild. Neither played in Game 1 Tuesday, when the Blackhawks defeated the Wild 2-1 in overtime.

"I don't know about Game 2, but hopefully they will be skating (Thursday)," said coach Joel Quenneville, whose team did not practice on Wednesday. "We're hopeful on that. I don't want to comment too much on Friday right now on them."

Bolland has missed four consecutive games due to a lower-body injury. He suffered the injury against the Vancouver Canucks on April 22. He missed 13 games during season due to various injuries. He had seven goals and seven assists in 35 games in the regular season.

Emery has missed three consecutive games with a lower-body injury. He suffered the injury against the Edmonton Oilers on April 24. He is 17-1-0 with a 1.94 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage this season.

Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford made 26 saves in Chicago's Game 1 victory, and he was backed up by Henrik Karlsson, who was recently recalled from the AHL's Rockford IceHogs.

The NHL announced Wednesday the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins will play at Soldier Field on March 1, 2014.

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CHICAGO -- When Minnesota Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom left the ice with an injury before the game started, Chicago Blackhawks fans probably expected an easy win over backup goalie Josh Harding.

Maybe the Blackhawks did, too.

The last time the Hawks faced Harding on Jan. 30, he was pulled from the game after two goals in the first seven minutes. Harding, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the fall, hasn't started a game since then, and played only twice.

But this is the playoffs, after all, and in the NHL it's often hard to tell the seeds apart, let alone the dominant goaltenders (read: Corey Crawford) from the benchwarmers.

That's why everyone loves the Stanley Cup playoffs. The game begins with a goalie change and ends with Bryan Bickell celebrating an overtime goal.

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CHICAGO -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Blackhawks' 2-1 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild at the United Center on Tuesday in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.

How it happened: Blackhawks forward Bryan Bickell continued to be a playoff star as he scored the game-winner in overtime off a pass from Viktor Stalberg. It was Bickell’s fifth playoff goal in the past three seasons. The eighth-seeded Wild initially shocked the sold-out Blackhawks crowd by scoring on their first shot of the game. The Wild went ahead 1-0 when Cal Clutterbuck beat Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford from the left circle at 4:48 of the first period. Crawford bounced back from the early goal and stopped the Wild’s next 26 shots. The Blackhawks evened the game at 1-1 when Patrick Kane dished the puck off to Marian Hossa on the rush, and Hossa finished from the left circle at 2:06 of the second period. Wild goaltender Josh Harding replaced Niklas Backstrom as the team’s starter just before the game. Harding, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis earlier this year, played in five games during the regular season. He made 36 saves.

Player of the game: Harding stepped up in a difficult situation. He hadn’t started since Jan. 30 and found out just before Tuesday’s game he was going to have to replace Backstrom. In his last start, which also happened to be against the Blackhawks, he allowed two goals on four shots and was pulled from the game.

What it means: The Blackhawks and Wild played in some tight games during the regular season, and that carried over into their first game of the playoffs. Two of the teams’ three regular-season games were decided by one goal. Both were also two of the top teams in the league in one-goal games. The Blackhawks were 19-3-5 in one-goal games in the regular season, and the Wild were 13-5-3. The Wild proved they’re not going to allow the Blackhawks to roll through the first round. The Wild kept themselves in the game most of the night by getting in the way of the Blackhawks’ shots. The Wild blocked 21 shots. The Blackhawks played in five overtime games in the first round last season and two in the opening round in 2011. Eight of the Blackhawks’ last nine playoff games dating back to 2011 have gone to overtime.

What’s next: Game 2 of the series will be held in Chicago on Friday. The series will then move to Minnesota for the following two games.

Barry Melrose previews the Blackhawks' first-round series against the Wild -- a team he doesn't think will put up much of a fight.

CHICAGO -- Minnesota Wild coach Mike Yeo had no problem stating his game plan to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks in their first-round series that begins on Tuesday, but he understands the execution isn't as easy.

"It's pretty simple, we've got to be great at every aspect of our game, every player of our team," Yeo said after Tuesday's morning skate at the United Center. "The depth of their lineup, the strength of their game in all situations, there's no room for error on our part. That's obviously a tough challenge, but at the same time we like to think that when we've been sort of faced with those situations and when we've gone up against teams like that, it's helped to sharpen our focus, and we felt we've performed well in those situations."

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CHICAGO -- Minnesota Wild forward Jason Pominville will not play against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of their first-round series on Tuesday.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane unveiled the return of his playoff mullet, which includes three lines shaved on each side of his head, following Tuesday's morning skate in preparation for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Wild.

"I think it's fun," Kane said. "I think it's good for a laugh or two. It's something that's a little bit of a tradition since the start of the playoffs. I've had some fun with it, and I think a lot of people who follow the Blackhawks have had some fun with it, too. That's what it's really for."

The 24-year-old Kane began the tradition of shaping his hair into a mullet earlier in his career because he was unable to grow a playoff beard like his teammates. The mullet drew plenty of attention during the Blackhawks' run to the 2010 Stanley Cup. He did it again in 2011 when the Blackhawks lost in the first round, and then he opted to grow a beard last season, which also ended with a first-round exit.

"I think I'm just going to try and grow the beard as well as I can," Kane said last season. "I'm a little older now, and I can do a little bit better than a couple years ago. I'll try to go with that. I don't think I'm going to do the mullet. It didn't really work last year, and the team has been playing well as of late so I didn't want to change up too much."

Kane won't be the only Blackhawks player sporting a mullet during this season's playoffs. Kane also got rookie forward Brandon Saad to do it. Saad was the first to get into the barber's chair and had two lines shaved on each side of his head.

"It's something he was talking about doing, and I said I'd do it with him," Saad said. "It wasn't too much convincing. It was something we just figured we'd do together. … We got the lines put together in too. I think he's got three, and I got two. I got to earn my stripes still so. I don't know. It's something fun we'll do, though."