Pre-game chatter.

Byfuglien was the finisher:

He was all there Wednesday, both physically and mentally. He's not going to score three goals tonight, but he is going to open up the ice for his linemates.

''He was the biggest threat on our line [Wednesday],'' Toews said. ''Kaner and I were out there trying to make plays, and [Byfuglien] was out there finishing them off, which was great.

''It always helps when you've got a guy like that attracting attention, whether it's scoring goals or just playing really physically.''

Look for Byfuglien to create room for the two young forwards tonight, and look for Kane to be his creative self with the puck. There's a reason Kane likes to be the last one to leave the ice after the Hawks' pregame warmups. He gives the crowd a brief show of his stick-handling ability. All of Game 4 could be like that.

Byfuglien is about as subtle as a mallet. While the Canucks look to answer with their own blunt object, Kane will kill them with craftiness. Or Toews will take over. Count on it.