The Blackhawks are hoping that home ice can provide them the same emotional lift it seemed to give the Detroit Red Wings in the first two games of their conference final series.
“The series isn’t over by any means,” said Jeremy Roenick, after Detroit jumped out to a 2-0 series edge with Sunday’s 3-2 victory. “We’ve got to use our building like Detroit used their building. The fans were fantastic here. They stuck behind the players. They did their job. I’m sure the Hawk fans will be just as revved up.”
“They’re certainly behind their team,” agreed defenseman Steve Smith. “The whole city seems to be on a mission. We’ve got to return to Chicago and turn it to the same thing. It will be very tough. Let’s not kid ourselves, this is the top team in the league. They’re playing the best hockey in the league right now. But I know we can play with them. I know we can beat them.”
See no evil? Detroit’s first goal came on a power play created when Jeff Shantz was sent off for elbowing Darren McCarty. Taken by itself the penalty may have been deserved, but it came at the end of a sequence when the Hawks had taken several punishing hits, some of them borderline, without a whistle.
“I went down low to hit McCarty,” said Shantz, “and he had his hands up, so I had mine up. Nothing you can do about it now. Obviously, never saw , or chose not to call it.”
Speak no evil? Tony Amonte still isn’t talking to the media, and now neither is Eddie Belfour. Amonte, who said after Thursday’s game that Sutter had forbid him to speak, was singing the same tune Sunday afternoon. “I can’t, Darryl won’t let me,” he answered all entreaties.
He did briefly answer one question: Did he think his 100-foot shot as time expired was going to go in the net (it clanged off the right post). “No I didn’t,” he said.
Belfour, obviously upset with himself for letting in the game-winner, just said no when asked if he would answer questions. He did stop to give an autograph to a fan in a wheelchair before boarding the team bus. If Belfour was blaming himself, his teammates certainly weren’t.
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“Eddie played great,” said Chris Chelios. “He held them to one goal for almost three periods.”