Three keys to the Blackhawks 5-3 win over the Ducks in Game 7

The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Anaheim Ducks, 5-3, in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday evening at Honda Center.

Here are three keys to the game:

1) Jonathan Toews proved unstoppable, scoring the Blackhawks’ first two goals and putting their imprint on Game 7 early in the first period.

2) The Ducks’ big stars came up small again. Francois Beauchemin left Toews alone once too many, Cam Fowler took a bad penalty just after Corey Perry had cut Chicago’s lead to 5-2, and Ryan Getzlaf was nearly as terrible in Game 7 as he described himself in Game 6.

3) It seemed logical for the big, heavy Ducks to base their strategy on pounding the Blackhawks’ defense into submission. But Chicago shrugged off the hits and kept on making more than enough plays to win.