OPINION

By Dave Curtis

updated 3:12 p.m. ET May 25, 2009

CHICAGO - The bad news piled up with the meat and potatoes and the Red Wings' morning meal. Star center Pavel Datsyuk's bad ankle would keep him out another game. Kris Draper's groin left him scratched as well. Then the surprise — captain Nicklas Lidstrom had acquired one of hockey's mysterious "lower body injuries" and would join his veteran buddies in coat and tie for Sunday's Western Conference finals matinee with the Blackhawks.

No problem, thought Marian Hossa, as he headed to the United Center. This was Game 4, time for him to contribute to a championship. He had scored twice in the fourth game against Columbus and twice again in Game 4 at Anaheim. In each of those games, his team scored six times.

So with one pregame theme in his head — "Drive to the net more often," he said, "and try to be a little more dangerous." — Hossa kept his pattern and covered for his injured teammates. He scored twice, shorthanded in the first for a 1-0 lead, even strength in the second for a 4-1 cushion. And the Wings rolled 6-1, moving to the brink of another trip to the Stanley Cup finals.

"He was awesome," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "The fourth goal put a knife in them. He did a great job out there."

The day was ideal for a clutch performance from the forgotten Red Wing. He looked nothing like his team's leading goal scorer and a five-time All-Star early in this series; in 50 shifts over the first two games, he had no points. Two assists during Friday's second-period flurry showed his best hockey wasn't far away. And with the Wings looking for a hero Sunday afternoon, Hossa ended up being more than dangerous.

Another of his Game 4s started on a first-period penalty kill, when defenseman Jonathan Ericsson swept a loose puck up the left boards. Hossa collected, played give-and-go with Valtteri Filppula, and scored at 8:41. It was his first shorthanded tally of the season, and the Wings' sixth in 97 regular-season and playoff games.

The encore came a period later, as the arena public address announcer called the details of a Jonathan Toews power play goal that cut the lead to 3-1. Hossa collected the puck along those same boards, slipped inside Kris Versteeg and beat Cristobal Huet. The goal won back every ounce of momentum, prompted a Hawks goalie change and might have clinched the series for Detroit.

"He's ridiculous at what he does," Red Wings veteran Kirk Maltby said. "His skill, we see it every day. Nothing surprises us."

To be fair, a pitiful showing from the Hawks helped Hossa more than anything. Chicago played without poise, taking 16 penalties and allowing a shorthanded goal. Huet, starting with Nikolai Khabibulin injured, couldn't have stopped a beach ball from hitting his net. The sellout crowd here never grew louder than it was during the Star-Spangled Banner.

With Datsyuk and Lidstrom possibly back for Wednesday's Game 5, three straight Blackhawk wins would seem impossible. So Hossa, Cup-less in 11 seasons so far, figures to get a crack at the finals.

He'll be even more dangerous with a complete lineup around him. But watch for him, especially come the next Game 4.

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