Hawks on brink of the ultimate penalty

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. There is a severe penalty for stupidpenalties:

Early withdrawal from the NHL playoffs.

That's what the Blackhawks will be trying to avoid when they takeon Minnesota at the Met Center tonight (7, SportsChannel, 780-AM).

The North Stars hold a 3-2 lead and can wrap up this first-roundseries with a victory. The Hawks must win tonight and again at theStadium Tuesday to avoid a shocking early exit.

To put their prospects in perspective, the Hawks are 1-12 inprevious playoff series when they have lost three of the first fivegames.

"We just keep shooting ourselves in the foot," Bob McGill said."We're getting frustrated and we're …