ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Higher-seeded teams with the lead in a best-of-seven series over the history of the NHL playoffs have had plenty of trouble putting the opponent away. Sometimes the brink of elimination has been what truly gets a team going. Consider the Chicago Blackhawks, though, when their foe is down. An ability to swoop down and delivering the finishing victory has become a clear trait of this team since coach Joel Quenneville took over and stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews arrived. "The bigger the setting, the bigger the stage, they seem to rise to that challenge," Quenneville said. Since 2009, the first post-season appearance for Kane and Toews, the Blackhawks have not lost in any of the seven playoff series theyve been in that were tied after four games. Thats a 13-0 record in Games 5 and 6 of such matchups that were even at two each, including the Stanley Cup finals in 2010 against Philadelphia and 2013 against Boston. Theyll test that perfect mark once more on Tuesday in Game 6 against the Minnesota Wild, who fell behind 3-2 in this Western Conference semifinal series after losing 2-1 in Chicago on Sunday. "To do exactly whatever it takes ... is one of the hardest things in any series, to clinch it," said Blackhawks left wing Bryan Bickell, whos tied for the NHL lead with six goals this year in the playoffs. "But I feel we have the confidence and the poise and the relaxation that we dont get ahead of ourselves and just play shift by shift." During the Kane-Toews era -- which includes left wing Patrick Sharp and core defencemen Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson -- the Blackhawks are 11-2 in games played with a chance to win a series. Theyre 5-1 on the road, with the only losses in those clinching situations against Vancouver, in 2011 in Game 7 of the first round and in 2010 in Game 5 of the second round. They rebounded in 2010 to win Game 6 and advance. The Wild are bound to be one of the toughest outs these Blackhawks have encountered. Theyre 5-0 at Xcel Energy Center since the playoffs began, outscoring their opponents 16-5 and allowing an average of 19.2 shots on goal per game. The Blackhawks were stifled in Games 3 and 4, unable to amount any kind of offensive rhythm. "The building has been electric. The fans have been unbelievable. Im sure theyre having a good time with the late starts," Wild defenceman Ryan Suter said, smiling. "Everything, its been a lot of fun for us. Were driving to the rink and you see the excitement outside the rink, and we just build off that." The Wild won two elimination games in the last round against Colorado and, to factor in franchise history, are 9-5 all time in those situations. Theyre trying to become the first NHL team to force consecutive Game 7s in the same post-season without holding a series lead since the New York Islanders in 1987. "Just get ready for Game 6 here. Thats our Game 7 right now," captain Mikko Koivu said. Quenneville declared injured centre Andrew Shaw out again for Game 6. Wild coach Mike Yeo said left wing Matt Moulson and defenceman Keith Ballard were skating on Monday but declined to speculate on their status. Suter took a hard spill in Game 3 in a tangle with Blackhawks right wing Marian Hossa, leaving the game briefly with an apparent injury to his right arm, but he and Yeo have said repeatedly hes fine. Really, at this point in the playoffs, any pain is mostly an afterthought. So, too, is the elimination scenario for the Wild. "I think we like the challenge. We always seem to make things harder than it needs to be. I dont know if thats a good thing to do, but it seems throughout the year thats kind of been the way weve gone about it," Suter said. So the teams will take the ice on Tuesday, with the pressure on each side higher than its been all season. "I think we know what theyre doing. I think they know pretty much what were doing, too," Blackhawks defenceman Johnny Oduya said. "From this point I think its just a matter of will and who wants to win the most and whos fresher and who plays better." Where to Buy Cheap Jerseys . - Mike Magee converted two penalty kicks in a 10-minute span of the first half and the Chicago Fire beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Sunday. How to Buy Cheap Jerseys . TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie tweeted Monday morning that Callahan - who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, is now open to a six-year contract at less than $7 million per season. https://www.wheretobuycheapjerseys.com/ . Chris Johnson singled with two outs off left-hander Jerry Blevins (1-1), and Schafer pinch ran. With a 2-2 count, Schafer ran on the pitch and Upton dropped a single in front of Bryce Harper. Schafer already was rounding third when Schafer bobbled the ball. What is the best place to buy Cheap Jerseys . The 19-year-old from Westmount, Que., was edged 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-3 by third-seeded Alize Cornet of France. Cornet broke Bouchard twice in the last set and saved six break points in the three-hour match. What is a good website to buy sports jerseys . The veteran fighter will be squaring off with Henderson in a five-round lightweight bout as part of another network televised card at the United Center on Saturday night.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos began the season without strongside linebacker Von Miller, and theyll end it without him, too. Miller is done for the year after tests Monday revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, which he injured in the first quarter of Denvers 37-13 win at Houston over the weekend. "Its definitely going to be a blow," executive vice-president John Elway said on his weekly podcast on the teams website. "But I think that weve done a good job of handling adversity throughout the year. This is another bump in the road for us." The Broncos (12-3) have hit so many potholes this season its a wonder theyre not broken down on the side of the Super Bowl Expressway. Instead, they can wrap up the AFCs top seed with a win at Oakland (4-11) on Sunday. Millers injury ended a rough third season for the Broncos star, which began with a six-game drug suspension and included just five sacks and 33 tackles in 10 games. With 30 sacks in his first two NFL seasons, Miller won the NFLs Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2011 and was runner-up for the leagues Defensive Player of the Year honour last season. He set a team record in 2012 with 18 1/2 sacks to go with 28 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles. In the off-season, Elway called Miller the best football player on the planet. But Miller ran afoul of the NFLs drug program, was suspended for the first month and a half of the season and never really returned to form in 2013. Miller worked out at the teams Dove Valley complex during his banishment, and he bulked up to 270 pounds -- 24 pounds more than when he was selected second overall in the 2011 draft out of Texas A&M. Miller was rusty upon his return. Although his bulkier body enhanced his bull rush, it seemed to sap some of his athleticism that made him such a special pass rusher. He had moments where hed flash his old form, and last week he spoke about peaking for the playoffs. Although the Broncos went 6-0 during his suspension, that was before they also lost safety Rahim Moore (leg) aand linemen Kevin Vickerson (hip) and Derek Wolfe (illness).dddddddddddd The Broncos find themselves once again scrambling to make up for the loss of a dynamic playmaker teams had to account for even though he wasnt having his typically disruptive season. "Its like losing a guy like Ryan Clady earlier in the season or (wide receiver Wes) Welker," coach John Fox said via a teleconference with reporters after being sent home Monday because of the flu. "Any time you take away those calibre of players, its a blow." The Broncos will look to replace Miller on the roster with another pass-rusher. Miller was rushing Matt Schaub when he was blocked cleanly by tight end Ryan Griffin. His right knee buckled and he crumpled to the ground. Miller walked off the field and into the locker room with a team doctor and trainer. Because he didnt need to be carted off, there was hope his injury wasnt season-ending and that he might return in the playoffs. "It wasnt anything that was a late hit. It wasnt even a hit," Elway said. "It was just sometimes you tear those ACLs. Its unfortunately a fact of where you step and when you get hit at the same time and that was really what happened to Von. It was really just the ACL, so it should make for a quick recovery." The best case is that hes back for training camp after surgery sometime next month. ACL recoveries generally take six to nine months. The Broncos will once again rely on Nate Irving at strongside linebacker in the base defence and on Shaun Phillips, Robert Ayers and newcomer Jeremy Mincey on passing downs -- along with dialing up creative blitzes. "Hes a special player, no question, one of the best guys Ive seen on the edge in my career," Broncos tight end Julius Thomas said. "What hes able to do on the field, what he can bring, it will be missed, but most importantly we wish him the best, we wish him a fast recovery. "Were going to be there for him and we know hell be there rooting us on." ' ' '
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