Ducks vs Blackhawks

CHICAGO -- Antoine Vermette hadn't had much fun with the Chicago Blackhawks until the second overtime of Game 4 of the Western Conference Final at United Center on Saturday.

After being a healthy scratch Thursday in a Game 3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, Vermette scored the game-winning goal 5:37 into double overtime for a 5-4 win that evened the best-of-7 series at 2-2.

Game 5 is at Honda Center on Monday (9 p.m.; NBCSN; CBC; TVA Sports).

Left wing Patrick Sharp sent a pass from behind the Ducks net to Vermette, whose shot from the slot was blocked by Ducks forward Rickard Rakell. Vermette pounced on the loose puck and sent it into the net past goalie Frederik Andersen.

Vermette slid to the corner, pumped his fists and celebrated his second goal of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, also his second since coming to Chicago prior to the NHL Trade Deadline. He didn't score in 19 regular-season games with the Blackhawks after leaving the Arizona Coyotes.

"I think overall on that shift, we talk about our speed, and I think we are effective when we move our feet," Vermette said. "I think that was an illustration of that. We get the puck going in their end a little bit. We stuck with it. ... Lucky enough we got it back and put it in."

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks have enough experience in tough spots during the Stanley Cup Playoffs to know they'd better win Game 4 of the Western Conference Final at United Center on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

If they don't, they'll be down 3-1 in the best-of-7 series and face elimination in Game 5 at Honda Center on Monday, where the Anaheim Ducks have lost once in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"This game coming up is huge," Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad said Friday, a day after the Ducks' 2-1 victory in Game 3 put them up 2-1 in the series. "It's pretty much a must-win for us, especially going back to Anaheim where they have a lot of success. We play well at home. We let one slip away [in Game 3], so we’ve got a big one coming up."

CHICAGO -- When Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf was asked Friday about his coaches wishing he would shoot more sometimes, he didn't need to hear the rest of the question.

"Sometimes?" he responded.

Getzlaf is one of the game's premier players. He is a prototype for what a franchise player can be, from his size and ability on the ice to how he represents the organization off it.

He also is having an incredible 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, helping the Ducks get within six victories of a championship and earning praise as a Conn Smythe Trophy contender. The Ducks have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 Western Conference Final against the Chicago Blackhawks. Game 4 will be played Saturday at United Center (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

All Getzlaf's success, however, doesn't mean there isn't room for some constructive criticism.

CHICAGO -- Comfort has led to prosperity for the Anaheim Ducks.

The Ducks, who lead the best-of-7 Western Conference Final against the Chicago Blackhawks, 2-1, are excelling because of their attention to detail in this series.

That attention to detail was brought into focus by previous heartache in this tournament, particularly the second-round upset at the hands of Los Angeles Kings in 2014, which went seven games.

As preparations for Game 4 on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports) began Friday at United Center, several holdovers have talked about the lessons learned in that Kings series; about how every individual decision and battle has the potential to be the difference when two teams are evenly matched.

"I think it's more of a mindset that you figure out that that little play matters, that little chip matters, taking the hit to make a play, getting the puck deep so you can make a good line change," Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. "Those things are very minor when you look at them individually, but on the scale of a game, when you're talking about not making mistakes in a Game 7, those are part of them."

For additional insight on the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Final, NHL.com has enlisted the help of Claude Noel to break down the action. Noel will be checking in throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Noel was coach for the Winnipeg Jets from 2011-14 and interim coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2009-10. He also coached many years in the minor leagues, including the American Hockey League. In addition, Noel, a former forward, had 138 points in 353 regular-season games in the AHL and played seven games in the NHL with Washington Capitals in 1979-80.

Claude Noel said he believes that when everything else becomes equal during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the details of the game make such a huge difference in the outcome.

The Anaheim Ducks were detail-orientated in a 2-1 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final at United Center in Chicago on Thursday. The win gives the Ducks a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. Game 4 is Saturday in Chicago (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

For additional insight into the Anaheim Ducks during the Western Conference Final, NHL.com has enlisted the help of Frederic Chabot to break down the action. Chabot will be checking in throughout the series.

Chabot was the goaltending coach for the Edmonton Oilers from 2009 to 2014. He played in the NHL for five seasons, spending time with the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers and the Los Angeles Kings.

When things get tight, as they normally do in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, games can be won and lost in the high-danger areas. The space around the goal crease, where it can be costly physically to enter or defend, can be a difference maker when it comes to the outcome of a game.

CHICAGO -- The Anaheim Ducks believe failures on their penalty kill cost them Game 2 of the Western Conference Final.

An improved penalty kill may have won them Game 3.

Special teams played a defining role Thursday at United Center in the Ducks' 2-1 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks, which gave Anaheim a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. Game 4 is Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

The Ducks were shorthanded five times in Game 3, including a first-period double minor to Jakob Silfverberg. But Chicago couldn't capitalize; the Blackhawks managed one shot during 9:18 of man-advantage time for the game.

Meanwhile, Anaheim got one power play and scored on it. Patrick Maroon deflected a shot past Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford 27 seconds after Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa negated a power play with a holding penalty in the offensive zone.

CHICAGO -- Joel Quenneville likes options, so the Chicago Blackhawks coach used two Thursday in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final against the Anaheim Ducks.

Rather than sticking with the lineup that won Game 2 3-2 in triple overtime on Tuesday, he replaced center Antoine Vermette and rookie forward Teuvo Teravainen with Kris Versteeg and Joakim Nordstrom.

The moves changed Chicago's bottom two lines but failed to pay dividends in a 2-1 loss at United Center that put the Blackhawks behind 2-1 in the best-of-7 series.

Quenneville said the changes weren't related to injuries, but the length of Game 2 did play a role.

"We just wanted to get some fresh legs in there," Quenneville said. "We felt that [Versteeg] never played over a long stretch there in the last series and we wanted to get him back in there. Tough game the other day with travel and we wanted to bring some new guys in."

CHICAGO -- There might be some heavy legs among the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final on Thursday at United Center (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports), but they will be mitigated somewhat by a combination of emotion and desperation.

For the Blackhawks, the emotion will come from returning to their home arena to play a game for the first time in 18 days. Chicago last played at United Center in Game 2 of the Western Conference Second Round against the Minnesota Wild, a 4-1 victory May 3.

"I think our players know the advantage, the perk of playing in front of such a passionate fan base, the excitement," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "We look forward to this. I think playing here at home against a good road team here, it's going to be a good test."

For the Ducks the desperation will come from the desire to dictate by regaining control of the fate of the series. Much like Chicago earlier this week, Anaheim knows it needs to win a road game and the best way to clear that hurdle is to do so immediately.

Here are three keys for the Ducks in Game 3 that, if executed properly, will give them a chance to regain command of the series.

Also here are three keys for the Blackhawks that, if executed properly, give them their best chance to move within two wins of another trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

CHICAGO – The Chicago Blackhawks arrived Wednesday looking like a team that played deep into the night Tuesday to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in the third overtime of Game 2 of the Western Conference Final at Honda Center.

Among those who met with reporters was defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson, who still looked bleary-eyed after playing a career-high 47:35 in the win that evened the best-of-7 series at 1-1. He wasn’t the only one who looked a little bushed.

Centers Brad Richards and Jonathan Toews did too, and it’s a safe bet the other three defensemen who comprise Chicago’s top four were dragging just as much. Duncan Keith (49:51), Brent Seabrook (47:46) and Johnny Oduya (46:06) all played at least 46 minutes in Game 2, as Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville continued to lean on them heavily in the absence of injured veteran Michal Rozsival (fractured ankle).

"Yeah, [that] was a lot of minutes last game," Hjalmarsson said. "But we won the game, and we move on from there, start focusing on [the] next game. Personally, I feel fine. I have no complaints."