Blackhawks look to stay calm

Top-seeded squad not changing much before Game 5

The Red Wings' Daniel Cleary, right, celebrates his empty-net goal with teammate Henrik Zetterberg. The veteran right wing said his team feels good with a 3-1 series lead.

CHICAGO — Jonathan Toews is going to play his usual minutes. Corey Crawford will be in goal. The lines will look largely the same.

Don't expect any major changes for the Chicago Blackhawks when they try to extend their season in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series against Detroit on Saturday night.

After three consecutive losses to the rolling Red Wings, Toews, and Co. think they are close to a breakthrough.

"The guys are very confident that we're very close to finding a way to win one game and when we do that we know all that confidence, the momentum is going to come rushing back and that's what we're focused on," Toews said.

"It's the only thing we can worry about."

It's quite the change from the end of the regular season, when the Red Wings won their last four games to secure a spot in the postseason.

They were down 3-2 in the first round against Anaheim before taking the last two to advance, including a road victory in Game 7.

Now they're in complete control against the top-seeded Blackhawks, and eager to deliver a knockout blow.

"It's a race to four, and we feel that we're in a good position," said Daniel Cleary, who had an empty-net goal in Detroit's 2-0 victory on Thursday night.

"But we also understand that Chicago is a great team. They're loaded with champions, with winners, with guys [who] know what it takes."

Problem for the Blackhawks is those guys aren't doing anything right now. Jimmy Howard and the Red Wings have shut them down completely.

Toews, who took home the Conn Smythe Award when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, is without a goal in his past 10 playoff games dating to last season.

Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa combined for three shots in Game 4. Patrick Sharp got off to a great start in the postseason, but is without a point in the past two games.

The few times Chicago's biggest stars have managed to wriggle free, Howard has been right there. The 29-year-old goalie has stopped 86 of 88 shots over the past three games for a sparkling .977 save percentage.

"They're doing a great job in front of me," Howard said, praising Detroit's maturing defensemen. 

"They've been helping me out a lot and [it's] why I think we've been successful here."

Toews grew so frustrated on Thursday night that he was called for three penalties in the first 11 minutes of a period for the first time in his career, according to STATS LLC. The Red Wings used the captain's second penalty to score the first goal of the game on Jakub Kindl's power-play shot midway through the second.

"I understand what happened in the second period wasn't a good thing and I don't attribute it to me losing my temper," Toews said after the Blackhawks had a team meeting and an optional skate on Friday.

"I think obviously I was a little bit careless with my stick and unfortunately it cost me and it cost our team, but I think we're looking to have that controlled emotion as a team."

Toews has been hounded by Henrik Zetterberg throughout the series, but the Red Wings captain downplayed his role ahead of Game 5.

"I don't think it's man on man," he said. "It's two teams that play out there."

Only 24 teams have come back to win a best-of-seven NHL playoff series after dropping three of the first four games, according to STATS.