The Chicago Blackhawks vs. Anaheim Ducks Western Conference Finals is proving to be not for the faint of heart.
With the Ducks leading the series, 3-2, three of the first five games have been decided in overtime and a fourth came down to a single, late-game tally in regulation.
It’s a big reason why Blackhawks tickets tickets for Game 6 at the United Center are at such a premium. In fact, ticket prices for tonight’s affair are averaging $387.58, with a get-in cost of $138, according to SeatSmart. More likely than not, this one probably won’t play out much differently from the way all the rest of them have in what has been a classic series.
“I said, ‘it’s our turn,’” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said of what he told his team after they somehow managed to squander a two-goal lead over the final two minutes in Game 5, before rallying to secure a 5-4 in yet another extra session.
Boudreau may have been talking about that specific game, but his words were also an accurate indicator of the back and forth nature of the way the entire series has played out. Just when it looks like one team may have found a winning formula and be on the verge of establishing a bit of momentum for themselves, the other always seems to come storming back.
Nip and tuck as the entire series has been, Monday night’s thriller couldn’t help but leave a bad taste in the mouths of the Hawks.
Captain Jonathan Toews bagged both the Hawks’ late goals and for much of the last two periods, Chicago seemed to be in control of most of the action. Still, after all that hard work, all that heavy flexing, it took the Ducks all of 45 seconds in the extra session to net the game-winner.
“There’s a lot of history here that we’ve collected over seven years, a lot of positive things,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said of all his team’s vast playoff experience. “I think we all came out of last night’s game with an anger and a real sour taste in our mouth. Sometimes that can be better than a history lesson.”
The history of this series is that no team really seems to hold much of an edge over the other until the final scoreboard tally tells you they do.
