CHICAGO -- A couple members of the Chicago Blackhawks told the media Wednesday that the pressure is on the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, RDS) to eliminate the defending Stanley Cup champions and not let them back in the series.
It's a typical rallying cry for a team behind in a series, a way for players to force themselves to be less nervous or less focused on the potential end of their season being near. The Blackhawks are down 3-1 in the best-of-7 series, so playing up the "don't let us back in this" angle probably is a good strategy in a typical situation.
This situation might not be typical, though. The Blackhawks are used to being the team in a series with the championship "mojo" and experience and all of that unquantifiable stuff players tend to lean on at this time of year.
The Kings are just like the Blackhawks, having been to three straight conference finals and having won the Stanley Cup in 2012.
"Both teams are probably used to pressure," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "That's how you get to the 100-game mark, or close to the 100-game mark. It's what your players want and what they thrive on. Obviously I don't think there is more on one team or the other."
Considering that some of the Kings will be playing their 57th playoff game in the past three seasons Wednesday, trying to play mind games through the media probably isn't going to work.
"We've got to win one game," Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin said. "If they're trying to say that to make us feel nervous, that's what it is. We've got enough leadership and experience in here. We know what we have to do. It is just a matter of going out and doing it.
"We know their backs are against the wall and they'll come out with a good push. We have to be solid. It's going to be a hard-fought battle and we have to be ready for it."
Here are the projected lineups for both teams:
BLACKHAWKS
Bryan Bickell - Jonathan Toews - Marian Hossa
Brandon Saad - Andrew Shaw - Patrick Kane
Patrick Sharp - Michal Handzus - Kris Versteeg
Brandon Bollig - Marcus Kruger - Ben Smith
Johnny Oduya - Niklas Hjalmarsson
Scratched: Michal Rozsival, Joakim Nordstrom, Jeremy Morin, David Rundblad, Klas Dahlbeck
KINGS
Marian Gaborik - Anze Kopitar - Dustin Brown
Tanner Pearson - Jeff Carter - Tyler Toffoli
Dwight King - Jarret Stoll - Justin Williams
Kyle Clifford - Mike Richards - Trevor Lewis
Willie Mitchell - Slava Voynov
Scratched: Colin Fraser, Brayden McNabb, Andrew Bodnarchuk, Jeff Schultz, Linden Vey, Andy Andreoff, Jordan Nolan, Jean-Francois Berube
Injured: Robyn Regehr (knee)