By Chris Kuc

Following a bad stretch, the Blackhawks find themselves in a knock-down, drag-out battle in the middle of the Western Conference playoff race.

Their 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday was the Hawks' first win since March 11 and snapped a five-game stretch of defeats. It also earned the Hawks two valuable points in the race for fourth place and home-ice advantage in the first round.

"It's good to have the slide now instead of three weeks from now," defenseman Brent Seabrook said. "We're getting that taste back in our mouth. We were getting sour about losing, and it's not a good feeling around here. We have to change that up."

The top of the conference has been without drama since the first couple of weeks of the season as the San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings have distanced themselves from the pack. The rest of the teams, however, are fighting for entrance into the postseason and positioning.


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