WAY TO COMEBACK

Go ahead, pick a cliche. It's not about how you start, it's how you finish. Better late than never. Never say die. There's not a wrong answer. They all apply.

Well, the Chicago Blackhawks were about finished after a miserable opening five minutes that saw them fall behind by two quick goals. But the gritty group proved resilient yet again as the Hawks rallied with three unanswered goals in the third period to elate a nervous United Center crowd in a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks that ties the Western Conference Semifinal at a game apiece.

Kris Versteeg made a lot of plays - some good, some bad. But none was more important than the game-winning goal with 90 seconds left in a 2-2 contest. After the puck dribbled off the end of his blade during a 3-on-1 rush, the Hawks cycled the play back around to the winger in the right circle and Versteeg wristed a shot over Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo.

Brent Seabrook assisted on Versteeg's decisive strike as the physical defenseman was a force all night. He finished with one goal, two assists, eight hits and was a plus-four. Seabrook's complete performance was matched by goaltender Antti Niemi, who finished with 24 saves after surving a first period onslaught by the Canucks.

The Finnish netminder was the Blackhawks only line of defense against a swift Canucks attack in the opening minutes of the game. Mason Raymond struck 1:22 into the first period after driving the net and snapping a rebound over Niemi's shoulder. Vancouver's second tally was with a 2-man advantage after the Hawks received two consecutive delay of game infractions. Henrik Sedin waited until Brent Sopel allowed a passing lane and then dished the puck to Mikael Samuelsson who had an empty net for an easy 2-0 Canucks lead with 5:02 elasped in the game.

It was the new additions to the Blackhawks lineup that allowed head coach Joel Quenneville a chance to change momentum. John Madden was joined by both Adam Burish and Ben Eager. Neither hit the scoresheet, but their impact was felt. When the Hawks hit a lull, Q sent the fourth line out for a boost. Burish's hard work was rewarded with an unsuccessful breakway effort in a scoreless second period.

When the Hawks did build momentum, the buzz was killed by their own listless powerplay that mustered two shots in an 0-for-2 effort. As has been the case for much of the season, the Blackhawks proved more dangerous while shorthanded. Patrick Sharp went forehand-backhand around Luongo with Versteeg driving the net to tie the score 2-2 at 6:49 of the third period. If you take away Patrick Kane's empty netter that was assisted by Jonathan Toews, Sharp was the only "big gun" to get his name on the scoresheet when it mattered.

The Canucks will be kicking themselves all the way back to Vancouver as the visitors let a golden opportunity slip away. The Hawks had 14 giveaways that the Canucks weren't able to turn into a 2-0 series lead. They tried to sit on the lead and the Hawks finally made them pay.

It was a more physical contest then Game 1 with the Hawks holding a 38-31 edge in hits, but it still lacked the after-whistle chippiness that is sure to come as the series heads to the Great Northwest. After a flat opening, the Hawks played with a reckless abandon while the Canucks continued to display a calm steadiness. One would think that Vancouver will release their bottled-up emotions sooner or later.

The Hawks victory does little to ease the doubters among us. They were whiskers from being down three in the first and inches from falling down by two late in the second. But pessimists would have tuned out after the dreadful beginning. If the current group of Hawks have taught us anything, it's to never count them out.

Quenneville will almost certainly have more changes to the lineup when the teams step on the ice Wednesday night in Vancouver. Troy Brouwer began the night skating with Kane and Toews but was benched after a terrible start. Buff started the night on the blueline and then ended it with the young guns. And Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky combined for a lot of hard work but accomplished very little. Plus, Dave Bolland won 4 out of 15 faceoffs. A 27% win percentage won't do for a supposed third line defensive center.

But, hey, why talk about the Hawks problems. The Hawks have the Canucks right were they want them. At least that's what I think Quenneville said in his post-game remarks. Is he right?