May 28--Nearly a year after suffering a heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Kings in the Western Conference finals, the Blackhawks will be right back in the same position Saturday against the Ducks but hoping for a different outcome.
Kings defenseman Alec Martinez's game-winning goal in overtime on June 1, 2014 at the United Center remains seared in the Hawks' memories, coach Joel Quenneville said.
"At the end of it that was the toughest loss of probably our lives," Quenneville said of the 5-4 OT defeat. "That's what we'll take out of it."
That's the motivation the Hawks will have headed into Game 7 on the road. The last time the Hawks faced a Game 7 away from the United Center was in 2011, when they fell 2-1 in overtime to the Canucks in the first round of the playoffs.
"We can resort to our experience in these situations and just feel confident," captain Jonathan Toews said. "We're going to go work. Fate's on our side. We'll find a way to make things happen."
The Hawks seem to play some of their best hockey when their backs are against the wall -- think the Red Wings series in 2013, when the Hawks came back from a 3-1 deficit.
"When we realize our season's on the line, we kind of think back to everything that went into us getting to this point, we realize the opportunity we have, the group that we have, throw everything in the mix," Toews said. "That's your motivation right there, to go throw everything at them."
That will be the case Saturday night in Anaheim. The Hawks hope it will be good enough to keep their season alive.
