April 26--Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville claimed he isn't "great at giving motivational speeches," but he shouldn't have had to say much before his team faced the St. Louis Blues in a do-or-die Game 7 on Monday night at the Scottrade Center.
After falling behind 3-1 in the series, the defending Stanley Cup champion Hawks were looking to complete the comeback and advance to the Western Conference semifinals against the Dallas Stars.
"I believe there is momentum, especially in the playoffs," Hawks winger Marian Hossa said before the game. "It's a huge thing. It could be crucial."
Playing in a Game 7 creates a lot of pressure as a bounce here or there could determine which team has its season ended.
"I think it's going to be fun," Hawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said. "I don't think it's really too much nerves involved. These are the kind of games that you want to play, unless you win in four, five or six. But we'll take a Game 7 and it's going to be a lot of fun. It's been a great series so far. Entertaining games. I think the crowd has enjoyed it as well, so hopefully we can give them a good finish here."
The Hawks were expected to stick with the same lineup while Blues coach Ken Hitchcock tweaked his, inserting Joel Edmundson in at defense for Robert Bortuzzo.
Here are the Hawks' forward lines:
Richard-Panik-Jonathan Toews-Patrick Kane
Artemi Panarin-Artem Anisimov-Teuvo Teravainen
Andrew Ladd-Marcus Kruger-Marian Hossa
Andrew Desjardins-Andrew Shaw-Dale Weise
Corey Crawford got the start in goal for the Hawks and was opposed by Brian Elliott for the Blues.
