[A] Oh Captain My Captain! CHI 2, PHX 1 (OT)

[LordKOTL]

Well, some talk on the other boards is that if we had Smith, we would have swept the series. Personally, I doubt it because Phoenix's D is much more stingy--they may allow more shots, but the scoring chances are far lower quality. Conversely, Phoneix has been shooting all over the net, not just into the crest and 6' wide or 2' high. I honestly think if the goalies were swapped, the series might not look too much different--certainly not a sweep.



I think one thread remains that Q touched on after game 5: There is another level the whole team needs to play on. That's not just in goaltending, it's goaltening, defense, and offense. The stars not only have to play like they can in the offensive zone, but in the neutral zone and defensive zone as well.

 

[supraman]

Well, some talk on the other boards is that if we had Smith, we would have swept the series. Personally, I doubt it because Phoenix's D is much more stingy--they may allow more shots, but the scoring chances are far lower quality. Conversely, Phoneix has been shooting all over the net, not just into the crest and 6' wide or 2' high. I honestly think if the goalies were swapped, the series might not look too much different--certainly not a sweep.



I think one thread remains that Q touched on after game 5: There is another level the whole team needs to play on. That's not just in goaltending, it's goaltening, defense, and offense. The stars not only have to play like they can in the offensive zone, but in the neutral zone and defensive zone as well.

There you go. The hawks even in game 5 for most of seemed to play it like it was just another game. Yeah they certainly had their moments but you look at some (not all) of the other series and you can tell those teams are playing their asses off.