2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Blog - Conference Finals

Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin and right-winger Martin Havlat, the two Chicago Blackhawks players who left Friday’s 4-3 overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 3 of the Western Conference final due to injury, did not practice with the team Saturday at the United Center.

However, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville did not rule out either player for Game 4, which goes Sunday afternoon in Chicago.

Quenneville indicated Khabibulin, who gave way to Cristobal Huet to start the third period after suffering an upper-body injury, would be re-evaluated before Sunday’s game.

“Khabi is doing better today,” Quenneville said. “We'll see how he presents himself (Sunday), but there’s been good progress.”

Quenneville was non-committal when queried as to whether he’d go back to Khabibulin as his starter.

“We'll see,” Quenneville said. “We'll make that determination (Sunday).”

Huet seemed to think he knew the answer already, indicating after practice he expected to start Game 4.

“We're still optimistic that Khabi could play,” Quenneville said. “It’s nice having the decision that we will have to face as we go along here. Hopefully, Khabi is part of the mix.”

Meanwhile, Quenneville indicated he was optimistic that Havlat, left dazed after he was crunched by a Niklas Kronwall check 13:08 into the opening frame, would be able to go in Game 4. Kronwall received a major penalty for interference and a game misconduct on the play.

“I thought Marty really looked good,” Quenneville said. “Hopefully, he progresses in the same fashion and there’s a chance he could play.”

Both are listed as day to day. If Havlat is a scratch, either Colin Fraser or Jack Skille would likely come in to fill his spot in the lineup.

“Frase will be the next candidate to join the lineup up front,” Quenneville said.

Draper out, Datsyuk questionable

Neither Detroit centre Pavel Datsyuk, who missed Game 3 with a foot injury, or centre Kris Draper, who left Game 3 with a groin injury, skated during Saturday’s practice at the United Center. Wings coach Mike Babcock confirmed that Draper would be out for Game 4, but that Datsyuk would be a game-time decision.

Draper can't play,” Babcock said. “Abbie (Justin Abdelkader) is going to go in his spot (as fourth-line centre). It will be good for him, playing his natural position.

“Datsyuk is going to be the same thing as it was the day before. We'll see. I noticed his stuff was hanging up. They're hoping they can get him in his boot and get him going.”

The Wings went with the following lines during practice: Jiri Hudler-Henrik Zetterberg-Johan Franzen; Tomas Holmstrom-Valtteri Filppula-Marian Hossa; Dan Cleary-Darren Helm-Mikael Samuelsson; Ville Leino-Abdelkader-Kirk Maltby. Defence pairings remained the same as they’ve been all series: Nicklas Lidstrom-Brian Rafalski; Kronwall-Brad Stuart; Jonathan Ericsson-Brett Lebda.

Time to step up

While Datsyuk, who’s gone 11 games without a goal, remains a question mark due to his health, he'll at least temporarily be spared from the type of scrutiny faced by his slumping linemates Hossa and Holmstrom. Hossa had two assists in Game 3, but hasn’t scored in seven games. Holmstrom has gone 10 games without a point, though he did provide the screen on Jonathan Ericsson’s second-period goal that tied the game at 3-3.

The Wings maintain it’s just a matter of time until they break out of their funk.

“They’re getting their opportunities,” Babcock said. “They’re proud guys and they want to score.

“I’m really a believer in that if you do good things, good things will happen. You don’t score like they do all year long, every playoff and then suddenly you don’t. They didn’t just lose their hands or their skill. So keep on keeping on.”

Contributing in other ways

Though they haven’t been lighting the lamp, Babcock believes Hossa and Holmstrom are not liabilities on the ice.

“When you don’t score, you’ve got to make sure you’re a plus and you’re doing good things to help the team,” Babcock said. “They’ve been doing that, whether it be on the penalty kill, whether it be on the power play. Tommy is doing what he can and I’ve been impressed with the work of Hossa.”

Wings captain Lidstrom feels they help simply by the zone time they create in Chicago’s end of the rink.

“They are making some of the other team’s best players play defence instead of just going on the offensive side,” Lidstrom said. “That helps out a lot.”

He’s due

Sunday could be Hossa’s time to shine, if recent history is any indication. He’s netted four goals in the playoffs: two in Game 4 of the second round against Anaheim and two in Game 4 of the opening round against Columbus.

“You just have to keep pushing yourself in practice,” Hossa said of his scoring slump. “The puck’s going in in the practices, you just have to transfer them to the games. You just have to keep shooting the puck, keep creating chances and go to the net hard.’’

As much as he says that, Hossa admits the skid is gnawing at him psychologically.

“It’s human nature,” he said. “You don’t put the puck in and then you try to do it harder and harder. You start squeezing the stick. Sometimes it’s better to not think about it, to just play. When you don’t think, you just have fun and play.’’

Nik on Nick

Chicago defenceman Niklas Hjalmarsson is a big fan of six-time Norris Trophy winner Lidstrom.

“He’s pretty amazing out there,” Hjalmarsson said. “He makes it look so simple to be a D-man here in the NHL, when it’s not really. If I’m going to be even close to his career, I’m going to be happy.”

Final verdict

The winner of this series moves on to the Stanley Cup final and that’s been a tradition in Chicago-Detroit playoff series. In 10 of 14 previous post-season meetings, the winner has gone to the final.

The Blackhawks beat the Red Wings in the final to capture two of the franchise’s three Cups, including the most recent win by Chicago in 1961. Detroit made its first Cup final appearance in 1934, losing a best-of-five series 3-1 to the Blackhawks. In fact, on the five occasions that the Wings have advanced to the final after eliminating Chicago, they’ve never gone on to win the Cup.

1934 Final: Chicago beat Detroit
1941 Semifinal: Detroit beat Chicago, then lost final to Boston
1944 Semifinal: Chicago beat Detroit, then lost final to Montreal
1961 Final: Chicago beat Detroit
1963 Semifinal: Detroit beat Chicago, then lost final to Toronto
1964 Semifinal: Detroit beat Chicago, then lost final to Toronto
1965 Semifinal: Chicago beat Detroit, then lost final to Montreal
1966 Semifinal: Detroit beat Chicago, then lost final to Montreal
1992 Norris Division Final: Chicago beat Detroit, then lost final to Pittsburgh
1995 Western Conference Final: Detroit beat Chicago, then lost final to New Jersey