CHICAGO _ There is no panic among the Blackhawks after Thursday's 1-0 loss to the Predators in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. The Hawks have been in too many difficult situations in previous postseasons to worry much about a 1-0 deficit.
But coach Joel Quenneville said he did want to see more "desperation" from his team, specifically in the offensive zone, when the series resumes Saturday night at the United Center.
By that, Quenneville means the Hawks need to make life more difficult for Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne by creating more of a net-front presence and fighting through a defense that did a commendable job of keeping the Hawks on the perimeter in Game 1.
"They make it tough to get there, and that's part of getting to that hard area," Quenneville said. "It takes will. It's easier said than done. But they all know if they want to score goals, that's where the rewards are."
Every so often the Hawks have a game in which scoring doesn't come easily. And every time they say the solution is to get more pucks and bodies at the net. The term "greasy goals" becomes a trending topic.
They stuck to that script at practice Friday and worked on tips, deflections and plays in front of the net in anticipation of getting more physical in that area Saturday.
"That's no secret in playoff hockey, that it's always going to be those greasy goals that aren't always pretty plays," defenseman Duncan Keith said. "It comes down to having a little more determination and, like (Quenneville) said, that desperation _ pick it up a bit. Maybe that'll be the difference."
Winger Richard Panik said the Hawks needed a reminder to create more traffic in front of the net, and now that it is a point of emphasis, it should not be a problem.
"Everybody's more focused on it," Panik said. "We've just got to do it. I don't think there is much more (to it)."
The Hawks also have to find a way around the Predators' neutral-zone trap that took them out of their game Thursday. The Predators wanted to make sure the Hawks could not carry the puck into the zone and set up their offense.
"We may have to get rid of the puck to get it back in order to get through the neutral zone," Quenneville said. "But we had several looks, could've turned them into quality (chances), that we didn't take advantage of."
Quenneville said the Hawks may have to resort to dumping and chasing the puck and winning battles along the boards to gain possession in the offensive zone.
"The greatest thing is using our speed and coming through the neutral zone with speed," Keith said. "It's always tougher to defend than when you come in slow."
And when they get there, they need to find a way to the net. The Hawks weren't too intimidated by the play of Rinne, who had 29 saves. They don't want to make it look so easy for him Saturday.
"Even though he had a shutout, it probably wasn't the hardest shutout he got in his life," winger Ryan Hartman said. "I can't really stress this enough: (We need) to get in front of his eyes and make it harder for him."
