Western Conference finals rematch? Not exactly

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Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010
7:31 PM

By Tracey Myers
CSNChicago.com

SAN JOSE, Calif.The Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks were the cream of the Western crop when they met in the conference finals last May. And despite the Blackhawks sweep in their playoff tilt, Patrick Sharp called it the toughest series of their postseason.

Flash forward six months to the present, and neither team is really where it wants to be. Be it personnel changes, slow starts or busy schedules, the Blackhawks and Sharks have struggled through inconsistent beginnings. So while there may be memories of past playoff series, both teams are more focused on working out present kinks.

I think were all going to look back and say, this is the rematch. I tend to live more in the present, San Jose coach Todd McLellan said. I see our team as a team that has some work to do. Were not the same team that played against the Blackhawks in May.

The Blackhawks arent the same, either. Adjusting to new players, lines, defensive pairings, early injuries, etc., has led to some ups and downs. It didnt help that the Blackhawks played so many games, either.

Its just been a brutal few weeks, playing every second day and a lot of new guys on the team, Dave Bolland said of the shakiness. It could have been just about finding chemistry.

The Blackhawks are looking at Saturdays victory vs. Vancouver as the benchmark of where they want to be. Theyre hoping a rare few days offwith a Las Vegas trip in betweenwill help jump-start that chemistry on and off the ice. Coach Joel Quenneville was encouraged by his teams practice on Tuesday, when the team looked rejuvenated and ready to go.

It was a fun couple of days to get away, get back to remembering how we went into that trip. The way we played in Vancouver is something we want to get right back and thats got to be our mindset, got to be our standard.

The Sharks, meanwhile, have lost three in a row entering Wednesdays game. They had two-goal road leads against Colorado and Dallas, only to squander both late in regulation and eventually lose in overtime. None of the Sharks were happy with their Saturday response at home, a 3-0 loss to Columbus.

They went through a determined practice on Monday and want to get back to taking advantage of their home ice, where theyre now 6-3-2 this season. Just winning, regardless of the opponent, is the Sharks focus right now.

We know were better than weve been, Joe Pavelski said. We havent executed quite as well as we should. It just hasnt happened for us quite yet but we need to find it quick here. Regardless of who were playing, whether Chicagos in town or whoever, its important for us.

That goes for the Blackhawks, too. For these two teams, times change and rosters change. But the need for victories and consistency never does.

This should be a good game and looking forward to it. We cant take any game for granted, Sharp said. We want to win every game. Thats what our focus is.

Niemi or not?

Will Antti Niemi start against his former team? San Jose coach Todd McLellan said hes letting his Wednesday night starting goaltender know he is the guy, but he wasnt telling the media on Tuesday afternoon. Asked if he took into consideration Niemis past with the Blackhawks, he said, absolutely. Otherwise, he wasnt tipping his hand.

Its a consideration we take into every start, he said. We feel that if hes the guy, we feel good about him playing against them. And if hes not the guy, hell eventually get his chance against them.

Good trip

The Blackhawks said they enjoyed their down time in the middle of this circus trip. But Patrick Kane said hes also ready to get back to hockey.

One thing is you can get away from the game and once its over youre ready to come back, he said. If anything it helped the team bond together even more. Hopefully we come together even closer.

Bolland agreed.

Its been a pretty busy two months, so it was good to get away from the rink and hockey, think about other things, he said. Now were back and ready to go.
Briefly

As of Tuesday, Duncan Keith is currently second in All-Star ballot voting (82,968), behind Sidney Crosby (118,755). Jonathan Toews is fifth with 79,953 votes.

Marty Turco will start Wednesday vs. San Jose. Turco is 24-14-1 lifetime vs. the Sharks.

Tracey Myers is CSNChicago.com's Blackhawks Insider. Follow Tracey on Twitter @TramyersCSN for up-to-the-minute Hawks information.

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