Jonathan...

Toews! (pronounced TAYS) ...

Power... Play... !

Toews scored three power-play goals and added two assists as the Blackhawks beat Vancouver 7-4 on Friday night and grabbed a 3-1 lead in the second-round series. The more the Canucks have taken bad penalties and displayed a lack of discipline, the more Chicago has made them pay with its lethal power play.

“We stuck with our game plan,” said Toews, who took over the NHL playoff scoring lead with 18 points. “We know now nothing they do or whatever is going to take us off that plan or away from what we are doing as a team.”

ADDED:
BY ADAM L. JAHNS

VANCOUVER, Canada -- The Canucks were hell-bent to prevent Blackhawks winger Dustin Byfuglien from taking over -- again.

That meant cross-checking the bruising forward, elbowing him while he tried to put in rebounds and taking whacks at him while he lay on the ice.

After all, as defenseman Brian Campbell put it before the game, Byfuglien is the most hated player in Canada right now.

But all those extra whacks and a handful of other infractions resulted in a parade to the penalty box for the Canucks -- and essentially served up a hat trick for Jonathan Toews as the Hawks defeated the reeling Canucks 7-4 in Game 4 on Friday night at General Motors Place.
...
"The No. 1 thing is we focused on our own game," Toews said. "Whether they're reacting negatively to it, it's not really our problem or our priority to worry about it."

FINALLY:
It's all in a Toews Work
Rick Morrissey:

VANCOUVER, Canada -- That sound you just heard was the Blackhawks imposing their will on the Canucks. Or it could have been a referee's whistle.

Whatever it was, the Hawks whacked Vancouver 7-4 Friday night to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal.

The Canucks had eight penalties, leading to four power-play goals for the Hawks. It was like watching a kid go to pieces at a piano recital.

The series moves back to the United Center for Game 5 Sunday night, and if the Hawks don't revert to the inconsistent team that reared its ugly head at times in these playoffs, it should end there.

This one was impressive. This one was the crusher, and thus it should come as no surprise that it was Jonathan Toews applying the pressure on Vancouver's neck. He had a hat trick by the time the second period was done. He finished with five points.

He's the captain. He's the leader. He's mature beyond his 22 years. And when it came time to put away the Canucks, he was the one who locked them up and threw away the key.

''You always have to have some big performances from guys all over your lineup,'' he said. ''It always seems to be the guy who scores the goals who gets recognized in games like this. But there were guys playing great against some of their top players.''

Did we mention he's humble, too?