Ducks v Blackhawks, Game 6: Where Two Verges Converge

It's the nature of a Game 6: one team's thisclose to advancing, while the other is thatclose to booking tee times.

But the Chicago Blackhawks aren't thinking of golf yet.

In a series that seemed destined to go the distance since the first puck dropped, Coach Joel Quenneville's charges are still expecting that to be the case.

They showed why in a frantic finish during regulation time in Game 5 before an overtime flipped the script on them:

Notably, the Ducks have kept up their physical barrage; it's starting to show in other stats, like faceoffs won:

And everyone's fair game:

The Blackhawks claim this strategy isn't getting to them, but the odd comment here and there hints differently:

• Duncan Keith has mentioned that the defensemen are well aware that they've got time for one move and then they need to shift the puck; the inference is they are being affected by the hits.
• Brent Seabrook has tried to put lipstick on the pig by alluding to their need to make quick decisions; the inference, though, is they might not always be thought out as thoroughly as they're accustomed.

A Game 7, then? Hockey fans are on the verge of finding out.