h/t: MPS

That’s four wins in a row for Chicago during a streak in which they clinched a playoff berth.  With a win tonight against Columbus the Blackhawks can secure home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.  They’re in great position to accomplish that anyway, being up three points on both Calgary and Vancouver with two games each left for the teams chasing the Hawks, who have three games left.

All the Hawks need to do is finished ahead of one of these teams for home ice advantage, but to guarantee it, they need 101 points, meaning one win, or two overtime losses in their last three to clinch.  The most Calgary and Vancouver can end up with is 100, but things won’t look good in the win category (first tiebreaker) for Chicago if all three teams tie there.

Bottom line is it’s important to win tonight because the last two for Chicago are against the Wings, while Calgary and Vancouver have all their remaining games against teams that will miss the playoffs.  Don’t be surprised if those Canadian teams end up with 100 points each, so Chicago better end up with 101.  Big game tonight then at 7:30 in the United Center.

It’s been seven years since the Blackhaws graced the post-season and that much-too-short campaign ended with a 4-1 first round loss to St. Louis.  The Hawks also made the playoffs in the ‘96-’97 season, but lost to Colorado in the first round.  Their last playoff series win was in the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs against Calgary.

So yeah, it’s been a little while.  I think it’s great that they get a chance to win this for themselves tonight.  Not that they didn’t do the work all season, but it just seems right this way.  Now the Hawks just need to take care of business against the Predators tonight.  Even an overtime loss would clinch a playoff berth by the way.

The potential clincher is at 7:30 tonight.  If you’re going to the game, cheer like hell; if you’ve got no plans, watch the game; and if you can’t, just make sure you at least glance for the score.  If you’ve never experienced playoff hockey, I promise you you’ll be glad if you give it a chance in a couple weeks.

It’s easy to jump on the striped fellows when you are caught up in the frustration of allowing four third period goals to lose 5-3.  It’s even easier when two of those goals game on the power play, and it’s so easy it’s second nature when power plays are six to two.

Back to the calls in a bit, but the defense and the goaltending are on the hook for this one too.  I’m still of the opinion that Huet needs a rest.  He’s played great over this stretch, but there are moments where the fatigue is starting to show.  Rebounds are coming loose and the puck is finding its way to the net a little too often.  Give the guy a night off and send him back in for another run.

Huet wasn’t the only one to blame for the third period collapse.  The checking just wasn’t there.  It’s the end of a brutal stretch and the guys are tired, but there was too much space for Nashville.  That space led to opportunities for Nashville and contributed to three penalties.  Well, maybe two.  One?  Okay, maybe there shouldn’t have been any.

None of the Hawks last four penalties (Chicago was on the short end of the last five calls of the game by the way) were without controversy.  Huet was called for interference at the end of the second when a Nashville player came through the crease; Huet put his arms up as the player flew through the crease and both players went down.  Could have gone either way and it went for Nashville.

In the third, Ben Eager was called for tripping when Greg Zanon skated into him looking for a reason to fall.  Andrew Ladd was called for a hook when he lifted the stick of Joel Ward and Ward fell down.  Ward was the player that ran into Huet earlier, so don’t touch that guy.  The final call was on Brouwer and while it seemed like a pattern by now, this was probably the most legit call of the bunch.  While the Pred was already falling down, Brouwer did reach out and hit him while the player was off the puck; seemed like interference to me.

Either way, the loss is tough to take when you’re shorthanded like that.  At least the road warrior role is behind Chicago, as the Hawks will return to the United Center for seven of their next eight games.  It starts Friday night with a contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who may be without Sidney Crosby.  He’s busy with something about Alexander Ovechkin and a voodoo doll.