After he had made what Mike Keenan called "the turnaround playof the game," Brett Hull wasn't celebrating the fact that St. Louishas gained home-ice advantage.
"Home ice is B.S.," said Hull, whose shorthanded goal pulled theBlues into a 3-3 tie on the way to their 5-3 victory over theBlackhawks Monday.
"I don't know if this puts any more pressure on them," Hullsaid. "You still have to win four games. And I think both teamsknow exactly what to expect from each other."
They expect a series that will keep going until somebody isn'tstanding.
With the series tied 1-1, the teams move to St. Louis for gamestomorrow and Friday.
Chicago hockey fans gave owner Bill Wirtz something else toponder. With the HawkVision pay-per-view experiment under way, theHawks drew a crowd of 16,847, 470 short of the Stadium's 17,317capacity. That's the first time the Hawks haven't sold out at in 125home games, dating back 2 1/2 years.
It wouldn't be surprising if Wirtz, who has resisted televisinghome games, draws figures showing he has been right all these years.
The Hawks got some good early work from their power play, whichoften struggles, but were done in by poor showings in usuallyreliable places. Ed Belfour struggled, the penalty-killers struggledand goal-scorers Jeremy Roenick and Steve Larmer continued tostruggle.
"We had a game plan, and we stuck to it," said St. Louis coachBrian Sutter, whose game plan is not unlike Mike Keenan's: Work,work, work.
"We know we have our work cut out for us," Sutter said. "Iexpect them to get better and we have to get better."
Belfour, who was beaten high on three of the Blues' goals,definitely has to get better, or face being replaced by Dominik Hasekafter being dazed in a collison with teammate Keith Brown, who waspushed by Brendan Shanahan with 2:08 left in the second period.
When Jeff Brown put the Blues ahead 4-3 at 16:42 of the second,it was St. Louis' fourth goal on 11 shots against Belfour.
"Eddie's fine. He was fine when he came out of the net," Keenansaid.
When asked if he has a goaltending decision to make, Keenan saidwith his playoff stone-face, "We have a goaltending decision to makebefore every game."
"Eddie wasn't very sharp," Hawks' associate coach DarrylSutter. "He has to get out of the net and challenge the shooter."
Asked there's a chance Hasek will play tomorrow, Sutter said,"That's up to Mike. But Dominik came in a played great. He stonedBrett Hull on two breakaways."
After being high-sticked by Nelson Emerson just 2:24 into thegame, Chris Chelios, scored a pair of power-play goals. His jerseywas splattered with blood from his cut lower lip, but Chelios didn'tmind.
Tony Horacek added the Hawks' third goal. But Roenick, who hasscored only twice in 14 games, and Larmer haven't scored in the firsttwo games.
"They weren't checked very close," Darryl Sutter said. "Larmermay be pressing, but not Roenick. He's trying to do the rightthings. He just has to stay with it, and be careful not to try to doit all by himself.
"What's missing with Larmer is his intensity," Sutter said. "Ifhe's an elite player, this is the time of year to step it up."
St. Louis matched the Hawks with a pair of first-periodpower-play goals. Stephane Quintal scored after Bryan Marchment tookan ill-advised run at Craig Janney, leaving Quintal open. Marchmentthen was whistled for tripping Hull to set up Ron Sutter's power-playscore.
"My first playoff game," Marchment said. "It took me awhile toget it under my belt."
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