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Blackhawks much more upbeat about latest victory

Cory Crawford

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 15: Cory Crawford #50 of the Chicago Blackhawks makes a save against the Detroit Red Wings in Game One of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the United Center on May 15, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The Blackhawks defeated the Red Wings 4-1. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville hasn’t been overjoyed with his team lately despite their recent success.

When they beat Minnesota 3-0 in Game 4, he said it was “the minimal standard we should be looking for.” After eliminating the Wild in Game 5, Quenneville insisted that “there’s another level we need to get to.”

So how does Wednesday’s 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings rate in his eyes?

“Much better from our prior series, and what we were talking about in our team game was in place,” Quenneville said in a CSN Chicago report. “We had some pace, had some speed and some zone time and everybody contributed.

“Obviously you get scoring chances, you can draw penalties, get second opportunities and you can tire them out. That’s easier said than done, but certainly you’re on an advantage if you get more zone time.

“The last series we didn’t get much. Let’s look forward to trying to get more.”

Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford was even more positive, calling Wednesday’s effort “probably our best game of the postseason so far.”

The game was tied after 20 minutes, but Chicago outshot Detroit 35-14 over the final two periods. Detroit will have a few days to regroup before Game 2 on Saturday (1:00 p.m. ET, NBC).