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Blackhawks vs. Ducks: 4 things to know for Game 5

​Coming off Saturday's 5-4 double-overtime win, the Chicago Blackhawks will try to become the first team in this Western Conference final to win back-to-back games as they visit Anaheim for Game 5.

Here are four things to know for Monday night's showdown (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 9 p.m. ET):

Hits taking toll?

Anaheim is continuing with its strategy of trying to wear down Chicago's top four defencemen. Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya have absorbed 107 of the Ducks' 220 hits in the first four games of the series. According to War-On-Ice.com, Hjalmarsson has taken 32 hits in Games 1-4 (see one below), the most of any player in the series, while averaging 26 minutes, 36 seconds of ice time. Oduya is next at 29 hits with an average ice time of 25:52.

But is Anaheim's plan working? Keith had enough energy to play 40:39, his third post-season game above 40 minutes, and Hjalmarsson 39:13 in Saturday's 5-4 double-overtime win. Or, as Chicago is starting to believe, are the Ducks doing as much damage to themselves with the physical play?

Conspiracy?

Chicago will enter Game 5 with 17 power plays in the series to Anaheim's nine. That brings the difference between the Ducks' 48 penalties and 38 power-play chances to negative-10, the most one-sided among the 16 teams that began these playoffs.

Centre Ryan Kesler backed away from the microphone while head coach Bruce Boudreau bit his tongue and didn't elaborate after telling reporters he was aware of the situation. Does it have the makings of a grand NHL conspiracy? Not when you consider Anaheim is a physical team, Chicago is fast, and most calls against the Ducks have been holding penalties (five), with three for roughing.

Wake-up call

Don't be surprised if Chicago forwards Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad escape the clutches of the Anaheim trio of Kesler, Matt Beleskey and Jakob Silfverberg on Monday night.

In the Blackhawks' Game 4 victory, Saad scored short-handed in the first period (see video below), his first goal in seven contests, and added two assists. Toews found the back of the next for the first time in five outings and was a force in the faceoff circle. Marian Hossa, the third member of the line, added an assist and seems ready to bust out.

Late-series success

Despite taking a lot of hits from Anaheim, the Blackhawks are ready to take their game to another level. Well, at least that's what history tells us. Since head coach Joel Quenneville took over from Denis Savard just four games into the 2008-09 season, Chicago sports a 7-0 record in playoff series that are tied 2-2, going 7-0 on the road and at home over that time. The Blackhawks also boast a 26-6 mark in Games 5-7 of a post-season series under Quenneville, compared to 29-28 in Games 1-3.

Anaheim probably doesn't want to take its chances in overtime, either, after falling 3-2 in triple OT in Game 2 of this series and 5-4 in double OT on Saturday.