When Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville met privately Sunday with goalie Corey Crawford in an unusual move for Coach Q, they came to a quick consensus.
Improve immediately.
Be great, not just good.
Replace solid with spectacular.
Had the rest of Chicago been invited, the room would have been full of people shouting aye.
"We had a little meeting, but it was nothing crazy," Crawford said after beating the Blues 2-0 Monday night at the United Center. "The task at hand was kind of obvious."
Quenneville's approach wasn't. He typically trims his mustache more than he meets with goaltenders, but trailing 2-0 in a first-round playoff series called for something different.
"I generally stay away from the goalies, but like any player we were just having a chat," Quenneville said. "I was commending him for accepting the responsibility."
Even more than the Hawks wanted their victory in Game 3, they needed it. A skittish hockey city needed it. More than anybody, Crawford needed it. If giving up two late third-period goals in the first two games didn't dent his confidence, Quenneville calling him out publicly, Q style, left a mark.
"He said he needs to be better, and he needs to be better," Quenneville told reporters before Game 3.
Crawford responded by being the best goalie in net, good enough in making 34 saves to restore Chicago's belief that the Hawks still can win a series that started badly.
"I was a little bit lower in my stance," Crawford said. "When they were rushing, I was more on my post. I felt I needed to move out instead of moving backward. That was obviously an important game for us."
When the Hawks took the ice in front of 22,112 anxious fans for their first home playoff game in 2014, they easily could have been greeted by a sign that said, "Welcome to Must-Win Territory." The moment packed that much magnitude.
Leave it to Hawks captain Jonathan Toews to seize it first. Just 4 minutes, 10 seconds into the game, Toews sent a shot from the left circle that somehow slithered through the legs of Blues goalie Ryan Miller — a goal softer than a goose-down pillow.
Toews' goal marked the first time the Hawks had scored first this series, in no small part because of Quenneville's decision to reunite a top line that worked so well during the 2013 playoffs. Toews centered for Patrick Kane and Bryan Bickell, a combination that tends to bring out the best in each player but especially Bickell.
Quenneville's decision to stick with veteran Michal Handzus instead of younger, quicker options such as Jeremy Morin or Peter Regin also paid off, reminding everybody the future Hall of Fame coach knows his team best. That doesn't make Quenneville immune to second-guessing, but Handzus' solid play rewarded the faith his coach placed in the 37-year-old. Confirmation came in the third period after Handzus blocked two shots during a penalty kill and chants of "Zeusssss" rang out.
"Hearing that was fun,'' Handzus said.
Watching the Hawks power play wasn't. Not to say the Hawks were tentative, but they practically passed the puck around long enough to have embroidered their invitations to shoot at the net. But it's much more enjoyable to address a chronic weakness after a win than a loss.
The Hawks desperately needed the puck to drop to change the subject from Saturday's alleged taunting of Blues captain David Backes, after Brent Seabrook's vicious hit, with the words "Wakey, wakey, Backes." Toews sounded like Congressman Toews addressing the incident at the morning skate. Duncan Keith offered a non-denial denial that was as unconvincing as it was unclear.
"I don't remember everything that gets said out there," Keith said.
Meanwhile, the Blues sounded intent on never forgetting. "In my career, I've never seen a guy go down in a severe manner like that and guys chirp him, especially the way Backes was acting," forward Ryan Reaves said.
Without the suspended Seabrook, veteran replacement Sheldon Brookbank made his presence felt by drawing a cheap shot from center Maxim LaPierre. Brookbank eagerly sprang to his feet as if he wanted to drop the gloves, but LaPierre sped to the penalty box like somebody was chasing him. The play confirmed it was the Blues' night to win the battle of dumb.
"You're not trying to beat their skill," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "You're trying to beat their resolve."
Suddenly, the Hawks stand one home victory away from creating a sense of Deja Blue throughout St. Louis. A year ago, the Blues lost four straight to the Kings after taking a 2-0 series lead. Enough players off that team remain to wonder if doubt could begin to creep into the Blues' collective psyche.
If so, Crawford put it there.
dhaugh@tribune.com
Twitter @DavidHaugh
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