Kane enjoying every minute of first postseason

In addition to a recent bout with the flu -- which kept him sidelined in Game 3 of this Western Conference Quarterfinal series against the Calgary Flames -- Chicago's Patrick Kane also has a mild case of playoff fever.

Kane is one of 11 core members of the Blackhawks playing in their first Stanley Cup Playoff series with at least 50 regular-season games under their belt. He and his teammates now hope to lead the Blackhawks to their first victory in 12 seasons in Game 6 Monday night (9:30 p.m. ET, VERSUS, TSN).

"Coming into the playoffs, the intensity is so high and you think, maybe, if you're at the start of you're career, you would fear something like this, but when then you realize just how special and fun they are," Kane said. "You realize every shift you're out there could be your last and it's a lot more fun to play in these games because you're really playing for something."

While Kane would certainly like to be chipping in a little more on offense -- he has 1 goal and 2 points in four playoff games -- his presence has certainly opened up more lanes for his teammates.

He's looking forward to one more visit to Calgary in Game 6 Monday.

"Some players try to block stuff out on the road, but I thought it was pretty cool in Calgary (in Games 3 and 4), seeing everyone wearing a Calgary jersey -- they call it the 'C' of Red," Kane said. "I've never seen it work with such effectiveness as in these playoffs though."

He's also privy to those various home-made signs being held up throughout the Saddledome.

"One sign said, 'I'm missing my girlfriend, can you find her? She answers to Pat Kane,'" Kane said. "Another said, 'I killed Patrick Kane's goldfish.' There are some really creative ones. When the game is over and it's time to go outside to the bus, the Calgary fans have their obscene gestures, then they go and hide somewhere and when your bus turns the corner, they're chucking snowballs at the bus.

"Hey, it's stuff I remember doing when I was a kid."

Contact Mike G. Morreale at [email protected]