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CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford said Wednesday he has to play better against the Detroit Red Wings despite the continued vote of confidence from coach Joel Quenneville.

Crawford made 26 saves in a 4-1 loss to the Red Wings in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Saturday and 27 saves in Monday's 3-1 loss in Game 3. The Red Wings lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 coming in Detroit on Thursday.

Quenneville has been firm in his confidence for Crawford in recent days and hasn't said he deserves any blame for the defeats.

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In 2011, knowing they wouldn't be able to keep Ilya Bryzgalov, the Phoenix Coyotes prepared a list of replacements. Mike Smith, then with the Tampa Bay Lightning, was at the top. They loved his size, how he battled and his ability to play the puck. Because of their time together in Dallas, Dave Tippett knew he'd be a great fit.

That year, Smith struggled with Tampa during the regular season with an .899 save percentage and 2.90 goals-against average but for the Coyotes, that didn't matter. They knew what they were getting and a down year only meant he came cheaper.

Then came the playoffs.

The Lightning made an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference finals and Smith started getting playoff time spelling starter Dwayne Roloson that showed his confidence was back and just how good he could play in pressure situations. That postseason, Smith played three games, with a save percentage of .958. He allowed just two goals on 48 shots.

The Coyotes started to fear that Smith's playoff success might earn him more playing time and drive his asking price too high for their budget. That never happened and they signed him to a very reasonable two-year deal that is set to expire this summer.

But the playoffs can completely change the perception of a goalie and what he can demand in his next contract. It can also change how a team approaches their goaltending situation the following summer.

And two goalie situations playing out in the postseason for Pittsburgh and Chicago could help shape an interesting summer goalie market.

When Marc-Andre Fleury struggled to start the playoffs for the Penguins, Tomas Vokoun came in and steadied the ship in round 1. He's been a calming veteran presence and is a big reason the Penguins' game has settled. It's also raised questions about Fleury's future with the Penguins.

Read the entire story here.

It's getting close to do-or-die time for the Chicago Blackhawks. Down 2-1 in their playoff series with the Detroit Red Wings, they have to play better collectively and as individuals.

Contrary to some beliefs, Jonathan Toews isn't playing all that bad. His only problem is that pucks aren't going in for him, but he's getting his chances and he's still playing productive hockey. There are other players (or coaches) who need to step up far more than the captain.

Here are four:

Dave Bolland: There are basically two ways to assess a player's performance: by watching if he's a positive influence on the ice and his statistics. Bolland is passing neither test right now. Inserted into the lineup after the first round, he's been disappointing so far. He has zero points and is minus-2 in the first three games while accumulating 10 minutes in penalties. His role is a little different in this postseason than in the past but when asked to play shutdown defense or more of an offensive role -- as he was in Game 3 -- Bolland has come up short. His game is to annoy but it's only worked on the referees so far. The Hawks need more from him.

Brent Seabrook: He's been a minus player in each of the first three games of the series although he does have 10 shots on goal. But that minus-4 isn't going to cut it. The move by Gustav Nyquist to open the scoring in Game 3 was a good one but Seabrook is paid to kill that play any way possible. He's played less than 20 minutes in each game of the series so far after averaging 22 during the regular season. He and his partner, Nick Leddy, have struggled but we expect more from Seabrook, the Olympic champion and former Stanley Cup winner.

Corey Crawford: Crawford hasn't played downright bad but he can step it up too. Simply stated, he's been outplayed by his counterpart, Jimmy Howard. Howard made a good save on Brandon Saad when he cut across the middle in Game 3, not unlike the move Nyquist made. But Nyquist scored on his. Pavel Datsyuk had great placement on goal No. 3 on Monday but that's because Crawford went down early giving Datsyuk the upper half of the net. It's hard to constitute any goal as a softy but to say a few have been save-able would be an understatement.

Joel Quenneville: Wings coach Mike Babcock has been winning the cat and mouse game with his counterpart so far. Quenneville might have to get creative. He's probably one more loss away from switching goalies just to shake things up but there's still more he can do now. Move Patrick Sharp back to center and let Viktor Stalberg "run" with him and Patrick Kane. Sharp was at center for the Stanley Cup team in 2010 and the situation calls for it to happen again. That trio would get the Hawks to play faster because they need to. And Quenneville needs to reign in Andrew Shaw a little. Shaw is playing just over the edge putting the Hawks in a tough spot whether it's killing his penalties or having to get past a controversial goalie interference call.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp doesn't believe it's fair to pin Saturday’s 4-1 loss in Game 2 all on what he and his teammates didn’t do in it.

He thinks the Red Wings also deserved recognition for what they did do.

“I just think it’s a good team over there,” Sharp said after Sunday’s practice. “They don’t get the credit they deserve, probably because they were the seventh seed. It’s two playoff teams going at it.

“Regards to what they did [in Saturday’s win,] they played at a higher pace, they played at a higher compete level and executed better than us. If we’re going to win this series and Game 3, we’re going to have to raise our level. ... If anyone thought anyone was going to cruise through this series, they were wrong. Just look at the talent they have over there and how well they play their team game. We know it’s going to be a great series.”

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook doesn’t look at the total number of power plays he and his teammates have killed in the playoffs as a whole number.

For Seabrook, each kill is its own entity, and he believes that’s the reason why they’ve been able to go a perfect 20-for-20 on the penalty kill through six playoff games, including Wednesday’s 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

“We’re not really focused on the past,” Seabrook said. “We’re not really focused on how well the penalty kill has been doing. We’re just focused on that particular penalty kill.

“Trying to get pucks out. Our forwards are doing a great job of fronting pucks, not giving their D-men good shots. I think it’s a real team effort. All five guys on the ice, including the goaltender, on a kill is [instrumental.] I thought our guys did a good job again tonight.”

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks, from coach Joel Quenneville on down, repeatedly expressed disappointment with their intensity throughout their opening-round playoff series.

The Blackhawks had knocked out the Minnesota Wild in five games, but they felt they weren’t matching the energy other teams around the league were bringing to their playoff series. It was something that concerned them as they got ready to face the Detroit Red Wings, a team hot off upsetting the Anaheim Ducks.

On Wednesday, the Blackhawks finally felt their play and intensity met what’s required for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

While the Blackhawks are still far from being content, they were pleased with the way they often dominated play in a 4-1 win over the Red Wings in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

“I thought that was probably our best game of the postseason so far,” Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford said. “A lot of pressure, a lot of pucks at the net. We were skating, moving the puck great. I thought it was one of our better performances overall.”

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville didn't sound like someone whose team had just advanced past the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Thursday.

The Blackhawks cruised to a win and eliminated the Minnesota Wild in five games on Thursday, but Quenneville wasn't laughing or smiling as he sometimes does after victories.

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CHICAGO -- The last time the Chicago Blackhawks were on the winning side of a playoff series they were lifting the Stanley Cup over their heads.

Following that glory in 2010, the Blackhawks endured the agony of being bounced from the first round the past two seasons -- first by the Vancouver Canucks and then the Phoenix Coyotes.

While the Blackhawks arranged themselves with much higher goals again by beginning the season on a 24-game points streak and capturing the Presidents' Trophy, they never forgot that feeling of consecutive first-round defeats. So when the Blackhawks finally moved beyond the Western Conference quarterfinals with a 4-1 series win over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, they didn't downplay the significance of it.

"It feels good," Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. "We worked hard all season to get to this point. Nothing is for sure. Whether you're the first or eighth seed, it doesn't really matter. You got to go out there and work hard to get out of that first round. We did that, too."

The Blackhawks defeated the Wild 5-1 in Game 5 Thursday and took the entire series by doing what they did throughout the regular season to be the NHL's premier team.

• After proving himself in the regular season, Corey Crawford showed he could be a big-game goaltender in the playoffs as well. He stopped 132 of 139 shots and had a 1.32 goals-against average in the series.

"It's a good feeling knowing you have a rock in net back there," Patrick Sharp said.

• The Blackhawks' penalty kill shut out the Wild on all 17 of their power-play opportunities in the series.

• The Blackhawks received contributions from everywhere. They scored two goals on the power play. Marian Hossa on the top line scored three goals and dished out three assists. Sharp and Patrick Kane on the second line combined for five goals and six assists. Bryan Bickell on the third line had three goals. Michael Frolik and Marcus Kruger on the fourth line combined for three goals.

"It's been there all year,” Kane said of the team's depth. "Really no surprise when a new guy steps up."

• The Blackhawks' defense held the Wild to seven goals over five games. No Wild player scored more than one goal. Mikko Koivu had no points in the series. Zach Parise had just one goal.

"I think this series we can probably talk about our defense more than anybody as far as getting the attention it's deserved," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "Different nights some guys score, some lines are more productive offensively, but at the end of the day our consistency was one of our strengths this year."

CHICAGO -- If the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild didn’t provide enough storylines for you in the opening round of the playoffs, don’t worry, Round 2 will have plenty. The Hawks don’t know yet whether they’ll be playing the San Jose Sharks or Detroit Red Wings -- that will be determined in the coming days -- but in either case, the matchup will be a juicy one.

As much as the Red Wings and Hawks have a storied rivalry, the better series might be with the Sharks. Consider this: It’ll be the first time in the postseason the Hawks oppose players who helped them win a Stanley Cup in 2010, including goaltender Antti Niemi. Niemi and Corey Crawford were teammates in the minors, but Niemi left the organization in a controversial salary dispute after winning the Cup. And now he could face his former team in a win-or-go-home scenario. The talkative Adam Burish also plays for San Jose, and although injured, he said in a text Thursday night that he’s going to do “everything I can to get back” for the potential series.

But the storylines don’t end there. Captains Jonathan Toews and “Jumbo” Joe Thornton have a budding rivalry. Although friendly through their experience in the Olympics in 2010, they haven’t been the best of friends on the ice since. Thornton was responsible for a concussion Toews received in 2012 that caused him to miss the final 21 regular-season games. Then Toews and Thornton dropped the gloves in a game earlier this season.

“They have a great team over there,” Patrick Sharp said. “Since I’ve been in Chicago, it seems like it’s been a hard-fought game. Detroit, the same thing. It’s going to be a tough second round.”

Adding another layer to the potential drama is the Sharks' trade this season for notorious bad boy winger Raffi Torres. Playing for the Phoenix Coyotes last season, Torres was suspended after a vicious -- and illegal -- hit on Marian Hossa that knocked him out of the playoffs. Torres also has a history with Brent Seabrook after a dirty hit laid on him in the 2011 playoffs when Torres played for the Vancouver Canucks.

And don’t forget the in-season trade the two teams made as the Hawks acquired Michal Handzus from San Jose earlier this year.

A matchup with Detroit isn’t void of storylines, either. Not when the two teams have played 798 total games against each other, including 15 previous postseason matchups. Most recently, the Wings knocked the Hawks out of the playoffs in 2009 en route to the Stanley Cup finals. And this is the last season the two teams will be in the same division, as next season's realignment will separate them for the first time in the history of the league.

“Without a doubt, it’s going to get tougher and tougher,” Toews said. “So we have to know that, and we’ll talk about it before we go into the next series.”

Either opponent would have plenty of motivation, as the Hawks swept the season series from each, going a perfect 7-0. If Anaheim wins its series over Detroit -- the Ducks are up 3-2 with Game 6 on Friday -- the Hawks take on the Sharks. If Detroit comes back to win, it’ll be the Hawks and Wings in Round 2. Either way, the conference semifinals won’t lack for drama.

CHICAGO -- He has heard chants of his name from a crowd before, but never as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. So when the sold-out United Center began screaming "Cor-ey, Cor-ey," on Thursday night, Hawks netminder Corey Crawford took notice.

"Twenty-two thousand people chanting that?" Crawford said, smiling after the series-clinching 5-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. "Maybe caught a couple seconds of it. It felt good to have our crowd behind me."

That wasn't always the case for Crawford, but after a stellar regular season Crawford played even better in Round 1 of the postseason. The first seven minutes of Thursday's game illustrated his play for the series. He made a flurry of saves, some of them sprawled on his back. And it kept the Hawks in the contest.

"One of the most underrated goalies in the league in my opinion," forward Patrick Sharp said.

Of all starting goalies in the playoffs, Crawford leads with a goals-against average of 1.32 and save percentage of .950. That's a far cry from last postseason, when he ranked 17th and 16th in those categories en route to a 4-2 series loss to the Phoenix Coyotes. He was maligned by fans and blamed for the quick exit. A year later he has his first postseason series victory.

"It feels great," Crawford said. "It does feel really good right now."

And his teammates know how much it means to him. They were there for the boos, and now experienced the chants of his name along with him.

"That definitely felt good, not just for him but also for us," Marian Hossa said.

It was pointed out to Crawford that the same fans who booed him a year ago were probably cheering him on Thursday -- and he's just fine with it.

"That's professional sports," he said. "Fans want to see you at your best and they definitely hold us accountable at times here. We love our fans."

And they love him now too.

CHICAGO -- Here's a quick look at the Chicago Blackhawks' 5-1 win over the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series at the United Center on Thursday.

How it happened: The Blackhawks elevated their play in Game 5 to finish off the Wild. Marian Hossa gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead in the first period, and the Blackhawks built on that with three more goals in the second period. Hossa added his second goal in the second period, and Andrew Shaw and Marcus Kruger also chipped in with goals. Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford had his goalless streak snapped after four periods with a Wild goal in the second period, but he still held Minnesota to one goal and made 21 saves. Wild starting goaltender Josh Harding was pulled after the Blackhawks' third goal and replaced by Darcy Kuemper. Patrick Sharp scored the Blackhawks' fifth goal, which also happened to be his fifth of the playoffs.

Player of the game: Hossa had his playoffs cut short last season when he suffered a head injury in Game 3 against the Phoenix Coyotes. He has made his presence known throughout the Wild series. He scored three goals and dished out three assists in the five games.

What it means: The Blackhawks won the series in five games and now advance to the Western Conference semifinals. It's the first playoff series the Blackhawks won since winning the Stanley Cup in 2010. They were eliminated in the first round the past two seasons. The Blackhawks showed throughout the series the traits that led them to the Presidents' Trophy. They received consistent goaltending from Crawford, had contributions from all four lines and their penalty kill shut out the Wild on 17 power-play opportunities.

What's next: The Blackhawks now await their Western Conference semifinal opponent. They could face the Detroit Red Wings, who are down 3-2 to the Anaheim Ducks, or the San Jose Sharks, who have already swept the Vancouver Canucks.

St. PAUL, Minn. -- In a playoff year that has been dominated by goaltending drama, Chicago Blackhawks netminder Corey Crawford is the King of Calm.

On Tuesday night alone the Montreal Canadiens lost starting goaltender Carey Price to injury and then lost Game 4 of that series to Ottawa, blowing a 2-0 lead along the way.

Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Marc-Andre Fleury melted down against the New York Islanders as the home team tied its series against the heavily favored Penguins with a 6-4 win.

Cory Schneider, shelled in Game 3 after replacing Roberto Luongo in the Vancouver goal, was between the pipes again Tuesday as the Northwest Division champion Vancouver Canucks were swept by the sixth-seeded San Jose Sharks.

And that’s to say nothing of the ongoing drama surrounding the Blackhawks’ first-round opponents the Minnesota Wild, who lost inspirational netminder Josh Harding; Harding suffered some sort of lower body injury and left after the first period in Tuesday.

Harding’s replacement, Darcy Kuemper, promptly allowed the first shot he faced to float by him as Chicago went on to win 3-0.

Crawford?

Ho hum. No muss, no fuss, just another day at the office as he stopped all 25 shots he faced and the Blackhawks took a 3-1 series lead against the Wild, with a chance to close them out on home ice Thursday. He even managed to drum up some empathy for Kuemper’s situation.

“I think their young guy, obviously letting in the first shot, it’s pretty nerve-wracking. I’ve been in that situation before. It’s obviously pretty nervous time,” Crawford said.

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CHICAGO -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Blackhawks' 3-0 win over the Minnesota Wild in Game 4 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series at the Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday.

How it happened: Patrick Sharp continued his playoff roll as he scored two more goals to lead the Blackhawks to the victory. Sharp notched his first when he redirected a shot by Michal Handzus in the first period. He added a second when he stole a pass and beat Wild goaltender Darcy Kuemper with a wrist shot from the left circle in the second period. Kuemper started the second period, replacing starter Josh Harding, who left with an injury. Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford made 25 saves and posted the Blackhawks’ first playoff shutout since April 21, 2011, when Crawford stopped 36 shots against the Vancouver Canucks. The Blackhawks killed six power plays. Bryan Bickell scored the Blackhawks’ final goal in the third period. He has three goals in the series.

Player of the game: Sharp had a quiet regular season due to injuries, but he’s making up for it in the playoffs. He scored six goals in 28 regular-season games and now has four goals in four playoff games.

What it means: The Blackhawks took a 3-1 series advantage and regained the momentum after being outplayed in Game 3. The Blackhawks will have a chance on Thursday to advance past the conference quarterfinals for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2010; they have been eliminated in the first round the past two seasons. The Blackhawks’ penalty kill came up huge again in Tuesday’s win. The Wild have been held scoreless on 15 power plays in the series.

What’s next: The series returns to Chicago for Game 5 on Thursday.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The season began with many questioning whether the Chicago Blackhawks could succeed in the Stanley Cup playoffs with Corey Crawford as their starting goaltender.

Three games into the Blackhawks’ first-round series with the Minnesota Wild, Crawford has so far resoundingly answered his doubters with three quality performances.

Although the Blackhawks lost 3-2 in overtime in Game 3 on Sunday, Crawford’s teammates let it be known the only reason they felt they even had a chance to win was because of his play. Crawford finished with 34 saves, which included 28 in the game’s first two periods.

“He was amazing,” Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. “There’s not a chance we would have stuck around that game without his effort. He was great all night. He was as good as he’s been all year. All of us in this room have to look at that and understand that we can take it to the next level as he did today. We have to better in front of him.”

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ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Here’s a quick look at the Minnesota Wild’s 3-2 overtime win over Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series at the Xcel Energy Center on Sunday.

How it happened: Wild forward Jason Zucker delivered the game-winning goal after two minutes and 15 seconds of overtime. The Wild put an emphasis on being more physical and aggressive after dropping the first two games to the Blackhawks, and that’s exactly what they did. The Wild hit the Blackhawks up and down the ice and made everything difficult on them. The Wild outhit the Blackhawks 34-13 and also carried that over to their offensive game by outshooting the Blackhawks 37-27. It wasn’t until the later stages of the third period that the Blackhawks found some life again. Down 2-1 in the third period, Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith blasted a shot from the left circle into the net to tie the game at two at 17:14. Wild forward Zach Parise initially put his team ahead with a backhanded shot into the top right corner at 3:09 of the third period. Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya scored the game’s first goal in the first period, and the Wild’s Pierre-Marc Bouchard answered later in the period. Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane accounted for two assists and has five assists in the series. Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford made 34 saves, and Wild goaltender Josh Harding made 25 saves.

Player of the game: Zucker came through with the game-winner.

What it means: The Wild needed to win Sunday to keep their series hopes alive. The Blackhawks still lead the series 2-1, but the Wild found a formula which they will continue to try to use in the coming games against the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks could have shrugged off a loss against a desperate team, but Sunday’s loss has to be disturbing to them in the way the Wild dominated most of the game.

What’s next: Game 4 of the series will be held in Minnesota on Tuesday. Game 5 will be in Chicago on Thursday.