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DETROIT -- Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews walked up to teammate Patrick Kane and NBC color commentator Eddie Olczyk while they were talking in the locker room following Thursday's morning skate.

Toews stepped in between the two of them and said, “No more interviews," and all three broke out into laughter.

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CHICAGO -- Scoring has rarely been an issue for the Chicago Blackhawks this season.

The Blackhawks ranked second in the league with 149 goals for (3.10 goals per game) and weren't shut out during the regular season. Their offensive ways continued in the first round of the playoffs as they averaged 3.4 goals in five games against the Minnesota Wild.

But after opening the Western Conference semifinal series with a four-goal output against the Detroit Red Wings in Game 1, the Blackhawks' production has been slowed to a trickle in the past two games. They scored just once in Game 2 and again in Game 3 -- both resulting in losses -- and they were held to a total of two goals in a two-game span for the first time all season.

The Blackhawks acknowledged their slump on Tuesday, but they said they haven't lost faith in their ability to score.

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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 -- 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 -- 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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Islanders forward Matt Moulson, Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane and Lightning forward Martin St. Louis are the three finalists for the NHL's Lady Byng Trophy, the league's sportsmanship award.

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CHICAGO -- If you're wondering what Chicago Blackhawks center Dave Bolland brings to the team as he gets set to make his 2013 postseason debut Wednesday night when the Hawks take on the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference semifinals, then you probably haven't watched the Hawks in the playoffs over the years.

Known as "The Rat," Bolland is a pest. The good kind, if you’re a Blackhawks fan. Some players raise their game come spring; Bolland is one of them.

"Bolly usually takes his game to that playoff level of intensity," coach Joel Quenneville said Tuesday. "He's been a very effective guy for us in the playoffs or come playoff time."

Bolland has made his reputation in the postseason, starting with the Hawks' Stanley Cup run in 2010. Arguably, he had as good a defensive performance by a forward as any in recent hockey history. In Rounds 2 through 4, he was asked to defend eventual Hart Trophy winner Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks, 89-point producer Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks and 31-goal scorer that season Mike Richards. The results?

In 16 games when Bolland played against those three stars, they tallied nine points and were a combined minus-16. Of course Bolland didn't do it by himself, but by anyone's account he pestered them into playing below their abilities. That's as good as it gets.

"He's pretty gritty and kind of chippy in these series, in the playoffs," Patrick Kane said. "He adds offense. He can play on the second, third line, penalty kill, power play, so he does a lot of different things."

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane was bothered by his lack of playoff goals last season.

Kane scored zero goals in six playoff games, and the Blackhawks were eliminated by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round last season. He said recently his play last season should carry some of the blame for their demise.

A year later, Kane has gone another first-round playoff series without a goal, but this time around he nor anyone else is pointing any fingers at his production. Instead of scoring goals, Kane was setting them up. He had a team-high five assists to help the Blackhawks top the Minnesota Wild in five games in the Western Conference quarterfinal series.

"I know everyone wants to score in the playoffs," said Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp, who is Kane's line mate. "It's tough to do that. It's tough to get to the net. It's tough to beat the goaltender. Kaner brings so much more to the team than goal-scoring. To me, he's the best passer, if not the one of them, in the league. Seen his two-way play this year, he's had a great regular season, a great first round.

"People make a big deal out of goals. He set up five that wouldn't have gone in without him. People need to remember that, too."

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks gave themselves the luxury of a few extra days off between series by taking care of the Minnesota Wild in five games in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Blackhawks aren’t exactly taking it easy while they await their second-round opponent, either the Detroit Red Wings or San Jose Sharks, though. While rest and getting healthy is an objective since closing out the Wild on Thursday, the Blackhawks also understand the importance of keeping a playoff pace and focus to their game. It’s not something they believe you can turn off and turn right back on.

“It’s useful, it’s helpful as long as we use it that way,” Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp said of the time between series. “We got good coaches and a good leadership group to keep everyone on their toes, keep us thinking playoff hockey.”

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks said Saturday they would have liked for Patrick Kane and/or Jonathan Toews to be named a Hart Memorial Trophy finalist, but they weren’t going to make a big deal out of it.

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin and New York Islanders forward John Tavares were named the three finalists on Friday.

“I don’t know if I feel disrespected,” Kane, who led the team with 55 regular-season points, said. "I think everyone who got named is very deserving of the award. Crosby had an unbelievable season. Ovechkin pretty much single-handedly led his team to the playoffs. And maybe you can say the same about Tavares, too.

“I don’t know. I think maybe a little bit more recognition for the team would have been nice if myself or Johnny maybe got nominated. Other than that, you’re not going to worry about it too much.”

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville thought a Western Conference player should have been included among the finalists.

“Someone wrote an article [Friday] that they should have had one from each side since we didn’t play the other side,” Quenneville said. “Three guys from the other side, we didn’t get to play [them] -- tough to comment. On our side, those two guys had outstanding seasons, were a big part of our success. Definitely should have gotten consideration. Maybe one takes away from the other. You could probably put that in [the] equation as well. Both guys were definitely worthy of that consideration in my eyes.”

Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp said Kane’s and Toews’ exclusion from the Hart finalists doesn’t change how their teammates feel about them.

“We know in this locker room how valuable they are and the kind of individual seasons they had,” Sharp said. “A lot of people in here would like to see them there, me included, but having said that, I don’t think you can argue with the three guys who are nominated. They’re all great players. We definitely appreciate Jonathan and Patrick.”

Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford had similar feelings. He was also surprised Brandon Saad had been the only Chicago player named a finalist for any of the awards. Saad made the Calder Memorial Trophy final list.

“Our team was so good this year -- especially those two guys are, year-round, so consistent,” Crawford said. “We were definitely rooting for them. I’m sure a lot of guys voted for them for one of the awards. It’s definitely surprising when your team does so well during the year, and you get one guy that’s nominated for something. That’s definitely surprising. You know? Whatever. It’s not going to change what we do in the playoffs.”

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 -- Chicago Blackhawks teammates Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews touted each other as Hart Memorial Trophy candidates in recent weeks, but neither was included among the finalists announced Friday.

"He's had a great season," Kane said recently. "I think he's been the best player on our team and pretty much the best player every night I've played with him."

Toews countered by saying Kane was more worthy.

"I'm honored you guys would even say [I'm a candidate,] but I think there's another guy across the room there that deserves it just as much and probably more," Toews said. "To have two guys in the talks like that, it always shows that you have a great supporting cast."

But the finalists were Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin and New York Islanders forward John Tavares.

The Hart Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the player most valuable to his team, is voted on by Professional Hockey Writers' Association, which includes five members in the Chicago chapter. According the PHWA, 178 members, the largest number in the association's history, cast votes this season.

The case for Toews as a Hart finalist had been his overall play. He ranked among the league leaders in nearly every category while helping the Blackhawks to an NHL-best 36-7-5 record during the regular season. He was tied for first with 56 takeaways, second with a 59.9 faceoff winning percentage, third with a plus-28 rating, tied for 13th with 48 points, tied for fifth with 23 goals, tied for 29th with 25 assists and tied for sixth with five game-winning goals.

The argument for Kane was built on his offensive consistency. He led the Blackhawks with 55 points (tied for fifth in the NHL), which included 23 goals (tied for fifth) and 32 assists (tied for 14th). He recorded points in 35 of 47 games this season and had two points streaks of eight games. Adding to Kane's regular-season performance was the fact he rarely played with the same players on the second line because Dave Bolland and Patrick Sharp missed a combined 33 games due to injury.

The Blackhawks' wait for another Hart winner has been going on since Stan Mikita won it in 1968. The Blackhawks won it four consecutive times from 1965-68. Bobby Hull was awarded it in 1965 and 1966, and Mikita won it in 1967 and 1968. Al Rollins (1954) and Max Bentley (1946) are the other Blackhawks to win it.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane had a feeling that once Patrick Sharp got rolling in the playoffs, there would be no stopping him.

Kane said just that after Game 2 against the Minnesota Wild and proved to be dead on as the series ended in Game 5 on Thursday. After scoring just six goals in 28 regular-season games and dealing with injury troubles, Sharp looked like his past self in the playoffs and broke out for a team-high five goals in the five-game series.

“He’s a goal scorer,” Kane said Thursday. “He knows how to score goals. He’s done that his whole career since I’ve been here. Nothing really new, just kind of new to the season for him. He had a great series. We’ll look for him to stay hot.”

Sharp has never been one to make a big deal out of hot or cold streaks. He always believes his goals will come around if he continues to put in the effort.

He showed that to be true again in this series. He scored twice in Game 2. He added two more in Game 4 and closed out the series with a power-play goal Thursday.

“It’s always nice to score, especially in a win,” Sharp said. “I feel like I got better as the series went on as far as making plays with the puck, kind of raising my level away from the puck. Goals are going to come when you least expect them. They seem to be going in right now, so hopefully I can ride that as long as I can.”

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville never doubted Sharp would find his form again.

“He’s proven in the past he can score,” Quenneville said. “Coming off a couple of injuries late in the year, I think he was fresh and ready to go once we began. Nice to see some production. ... It’s a good start for him.”

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."

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Patrick Sharp and Corey Crawford will deservedly receive plenty of recognition for their individual performances in the Chicago Blackhawks' 3-0 win over the Minnesota in Game 4 on Tuesday.

Sharp scored the goals, and Crawford stopped them.

But while Sharp and Crawford’s performances will be celebrated, 11 Blackhawks will likely go unnoticed -- at least by their individual names -- for their major contribution to Tuesday’s win. Those 11 Blackhawks comprise the team’s penalty-kill unit.

On Tuesday, the Blackhawks’ Duncan Keith, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Marcus Kruger, Jonathan Toews, Brandon Saad, Michal Handzus, Johnny Oduya, Michal Rozsival, Marian Hossa, Michael Frolik and Brent Seabrook all assisted to hold the Wild scoreless on six power-play chances. The penalty kill hasn’t allowed a goal in 15 power plays in the series.

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