How the Blackhawks win: With Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp, the Hawks can ice two first-line units every night. They boast plenty of youth and depth to support their stars, too.
Round 1: HAWKS vs WILD (Chicago wins series 4-1) Game 1 Chi 2 Min 1 (OT) *if necessary. All times Eastern |
Rookie Brandon Saad keeps getting better, Dave Bolland saves his best for the playoffs and Andrew Shaw has the blend of scoring touch and snarl every team needs this time of year. Chicago was careful not to overwork Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook and now has the luxury of playing its top two blueliners half the game during the playoffs. If not, Johnny Oduya, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Nick Leddy are there to eat minutes.
How the Wild win: The Wild added a lot of speed and skill the past couple seasons and the result has been a team that can not only gain the zone, but control the puck, cycle and create scoring chances. Zach Parise and Ryan Suter are A-list players who lead by example and are true difference-makers.
How the Blackhawks lose: The Hawks’ power play was weak for such a talented squad, ranking 21st at 15.9 percent. They’ll find themselves in too many close games if they don’t make opponents pay with the man advantage.
How the Wild lose: Suter can’t play 60 minutes a game and beyond him the ‘D’ is susceptible to bigger, more rugged competition. Even with its newfound offense, Minnesota scores three or more goals just half the time, leaving little margin for defensive mistakes.
Blackhawks goaltending: Corey Crawford and Ray Emery each posted a GAA below 2.00 and SP above .920. One of them will give Chicago the goaltending it needs.
Wild goaltending: goaltending One thing that hasn’t changed in Minnesota despite a made-over roster is that the Wild ebb and flow more than ever on the performance of Niklas Backstrom. When the pending UFA is on, the Wild look unbeatable. That there’s no proven support behind the 35-year-old is a little disconcerting.
Blackhawks question mark: Chicago has trouble keeping its scorers healthy. Sharp and Hossa missed time with injuries and often get nicked as quickly as they return.
Wild question mark: The loss of Dany Heatley with a season-ending shoulder injury leaves a hole in the lineup only partially filled by newcomer Jason Pominville. Though he’s no longer a 50-goal man, Heatley’s presence on the ice helped spread out the defense.
Blackhawks top three fantasy players: Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa
Wild top three fantasy players: Zach Parise, Jason Pominville, Mikko Koivu
Odds to win the Cup: Blackhawks: 5-1, Wild: 25-1
THE EDGE GOES TO… | |||||
TEAM | FORWARDS | DEFENSE | GOALTENDING | SPECIAL TEAMS | COACHING |
Blackhawks | X | EVEN | X | X | X |
Wild |
| EVEN |
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Winner and why: The Wild’s reward for securing their first playoff berth in five years is a first round date with the team that has undisputedly been the best in the league from start to finish. The Wild are the only team in this year’s playoffs that allowed more goals than it scored and that inability to produce offense consistently will be their undoing. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, have given no indication that they’re poised to become first-round fodder. This is the easiest pick of the Western Conference. Blackhawks in 5.
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