EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Perilously close to seeing their bid for a second consecutive Stanley Cup put in serious jeopardy, the Blackhawks are in need of a little showtime.
In times like these, the spotlight tends to find Patrick Kane.
The dynamic winger, who yelled "Showtime!" after scoring a highlight-reel goal in the opening game of the second-round series against the Wild, has struggled to score during the Western Conference finals against the Kings and is determined to turn things around in Game 4 on Monday night at Staples Center.
Trailing 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, the Hawks would face a Herculean task if they leave Los Angeles down 3-1 against a talented and inspired Kings team.
"I don't think I've played up to par the first three games of the series," Kane said after Sunday's practice. "It would be nice to turn that around and play good in Game 4. Take it as a new game, wipe the slate clean and come out with a good attitude Monday and see what happens."
Kane was in a similar situation a year ago when he was mired in an eight-game goalless skid before scoring in Game 4 of the Western finals against the Kings. That sparked the Hawks to the series win and began a run of high-level play that ended with Kane being awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the postseason.
"You hope history repeats itself," Kane said. "Scoring a goal like that last year probably propelled me into playing well the rest of the playoffs, but you can't go into games thinking about scoring or thinking you've got to have a big point night. That's only going to set you up for failure. The better way to engage it is, try to play fast, try to command the puck, try to get in and make plays and hopefully see a result."
Kane, 25, said in order to be more effective, he will "demand the puck and when I do get it, be confident with it. Whether it's presenting yourself better for teammates or showing them that you want it, that's probably the biggest thing."
The Kings have clamped down defensively on Kane, who has one goal in the last eight games. This after a regular season in which Kane had 29 goals in 69 games. In this series, the Kings have not allowed Kane to hang on to the puck with much time or space.
"You've got to give them credit, they're playing pretty well," Kane said. "At the same time, I think you probably take it upon yourself a little more when things aren't going well. I don't really go into a game saying, 'They're doing this or that' and say, 'That's why it's affecting my play.' Usually, you put it on yourself."
Kane's teammates say they believe it's just a matter of time until he breaks through.
"He tends to be harder on himself when he's not producing or getting the results on paper," said Jonathan Toews. "It doesn't necessarily mean he's not playing as well with the puck or not creating anything. He just has to stay with it and once that first one goes in, he'll be back to himself again. As his teammate, you can see what he brings to the team every single night, whether he scores or not. But he's hard on himself in that way. He wants to contribute. We know it's just a matter of time before he gets going again."
Added coach Joel Quenneville: "(Kane) is accustomed to scoring. For guys who are scorers, they get a little bit more excited, a little more confidence and their play can elevate by looking at production. But Kane … to me, he's dangerous. Opponents have to keep an eye on him quite a bit. They're concerned with him. It gives us some depth overall up front. He hasn't had the production to reflect it, but he's definitely had some opportunities."
What better place for Kane to turn things around than in the city that saw the Showtime Lakers capture five NBA titles during the 1980s? To do so, he said going hard to the net can be the solution.
"(It's) more going to the net and getting good bounces and hoping the puck finds you there," Kane said. "That's usually when goal scorers have success, when they're going to the net and catching those breaks."
ckuc@tribune.com
Twitter @ChrisKuc
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