Flustered Blackhawks near stunning fall A drastic reversal of fortune in the Western Conference semi-finals has left the Chicago Blackhawks discouraged and on the verge of elimination. The Blackhawks began the season on a record-setting tear, earning at least a point in 24 straight games, and went on to win the Presidents" Trophy for the league's best record. But the Detroit Red Wings, who slid into the playoffs as the West's No. 7 seed, lead the teams" second-round series, three games to one. The Blackhawks have lost three straight, their longest slide of the season. Game 5 is in Chicago on Saturday. "We're all frustrated," Chicago forward Patrick Sharp said. It's not about one guy. We're a whole team in here. Sharp added: "There's no use hanging our heads. Our backs are against the wall. We have to play our best game in Chicago. There's no other options. We can dig in here. The Red Wings" confidence has been growing in the playoffs, while the Blackhawks appear to be coming apart. Five Blackhawks shots have hit goal posts in the past two games, and nothing seems to be clicking. Still, the Red Wings are not taking anything for granted. "They're going to play even more desperate on Saturday night," said Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard, who recorded his first shutout of the 2013 playoffs with a 2-0 win in Game 4 on Thursday. We're going to have to match it. We can't rest on our laurels here. Sharp, the Blackhawks" top playoff scorer with six goals, has no goals and one assist during Chicago's three-game skid. Other key components of Chicago's offence, wing Marian Hossa and the captain Jonathan Toews, have no points during the streak. Howard's strong goaltending and the Red Wings" defence are among the main reasons for the Blackhawks" slump. Another sign of trouble for Chicago is that the usually calm Toews has had emotional outbursts. He displayed a critical lack of poise during the second period of Game 4, taking three consecutive penalties in 5 minutes 34 seconds. Toews strongly objected to the calls, screaming at the officials as he skated to the penalty box. He also sniped at the Red Wings between plays. In the second period, Toews spent 6:04 on the ice and six minutes stewing in the box. His second penalty, for high sticking, led to the game-winning goal by Jakub Kindl. It was the first power-play goal the Blackhawks had allowed in nearly a month, ending their postseason streak of killing 30 consecutive penalties. Toews, known as a smart and offensively gifted player, has no goals during the playoffs. "I'm not going to say anything about the officiating," Toews said after Game 4. Obviously I disagree with the calls. It's in the heat of the moment; they see what they see. He added: "Eventually something's got to give. We're too good a team. We've got too much talent. For as hard as we're working, something's got to go our way. The Red Wings, particularly the captain Henrik Zetterberg, have been agitating Toews with physical play. "We'd like to keep him in the box," defenceman Jonathan Ericsson said of Toews" penalties. He's not as good for them in the box. Howard added that Zetterberg's defence had caused much of Toews" frustration. "He's all over him out there," Howard said. He's really taking away his time and space out there and not really letting him generate much. When Z's out there and he's working as hard as he's working, it sends a message to the rest of the team that they have to do their part. Red Wings coach Mike Babcock tried to put his team's playoff success in perspective, conceding that he had felt doubts about how Detroit would fare. Asked whether he was surprised to have a 3-1 series lead, Babcock said: "If you'd asked me two months ago, I would be shocked. We started playing better and better. Once we got through the Anaheim series, you go in thinking you have an opportunity. We're competing at a high, high level. There's a lot to be said for effort and battling.