Upper body encased in post-game ice -- right shoulder, left collarbone, to be specific -- Craig Conroy stood as Exhibit A.

At least, he was trying to stand.

For the past two weeks, the Chicago Blackhawks, surprisingly muscular, surprisingly spunky, had stared down their veteran counterparts.

Never wilting.Never flinching.

Fear factor? Non-existent.

That was not supposed to happen.

After all, no one's more ornery than the Calgary Flames, right? They're built to push.

But it was the Hawks' punishment that took its toll. Their pounding found all the soft spots.

And, for the youngest side in the National Hockey League, it added up to a splendid six-game victory in the Western Conference quarter-final.

"Yeah, they were banging us," said Conroy after Monday's 4-1 elimination game at the Pengrowth Saddledome. "They finished checks. They did a good job. They wore us down.

"It's disappointing, because that was our game plan going in. It seems like they got the better of that."

Heck, the Flames had been a bruised bunch before the matchup even started. Robyn Regehr's wrecked knee. Cory

Sarich's fractured ankle. Rene Bourque's wonky ankle. Dion Phaneuf's broken ribs (and subsequent upper-body issues).

All missed dates.

Regehr's series-long absence, however, hurt most.

"Obviously," said Eric Nystrom.

"The guy's an animal. That guy's a difference-maker. If you look at the record with him in the lineup and him out of the lineup, it would be pretty significant."

Like, 4-9-0, including the post-season.

Regardless, for the Flames, it's one round and out--their fourth straight first-round exit.

Asked about the blown opportunity -- meaning the series, not the night -- Conroy blinked.

Blinked again.

This, obviously, smarted.

"As you get older, you feel like time's running out," said Conroy, 37.

"How many more chances are you going to get?

"This was as good a team as I've played on.

"I'm disappointed.

"We are here now--on the wrong side of the score.

"Again."

For Michael Cammalleri, this had represented his first taste of the NHL's post-season.

"It feels like a lot of hard work during the season . . . and it can end pretty quick," said Cammalleri.

"I just wish we were still playing, that's for sure.

"You try to work your hardest and have no regret, do everything you can to win.

"But, you know, they beat us. "Pretty upsetting right now."

At least on this night, it wasn't for a lack of trying.

The Flames outshot the guests -- for the first time in the series --to tune of 44-16.

Meaning this was not a repeat of Saturday's 5-1 crumpling in Chicago.

"What were the shots at the end there?Well into the 40s?" said Cammalleri.

"You have to take your hat off to (goalie Nikolai Khabibulin) -- he won a game for him."

The Hawks got goals from Patrick Kane, Adam Burish and Brian Campbell. Todd Bertuzzi's zinger, in the third period's opening minute, counted for the local gents.

From there, the Flames could pile up only shots -- not goals -- and finished the exercise with the humbling handshake.

"It doesn't feel good at all," said Cammalleri.

"You put a lot, not only into tonight, but into a whole season for what we thought could have been a special run for this club.

"For it to end so abruptly, it hurts."

Not that they didn't hurt themselves.

In the morning, the Flames made it crystal clear that they had to avoid early penalties.

Made sense.

Chicago's power-players are enjoying a fine spring, so why give them extra chances?

Why, indeed, Mr. Bertuzzi?

For some reason, he placed his elbow into Brent Seabrook's ear-hole at 1:27.

A minute later, Kane calmly fired a loose puck past netminder Miikka Kiprusoff.

"The ironic thing is, our penalty kill's been pretty much our most consistent thing all year," said Adrian Aucoin.

"So it's extremely disappointing that our penalty killing didn't get the job done."

The difference in the series, though?

Steadiness. The Hawks had it. Their elders did not.

"A good series," said Nystrom.

"A lot of ups and downs. There was some good hockey to be played, some poor hockey to be played. You can't have peaks and valleys like that in the playoffs.

"This is the thing that leaves the salt in your mouth, the bad taste, and makes the summer real long."