Part one of this series featured the Philadelphia Flyers's chances to win the Cup. Today's article focuses on the Chicago Blackhawks, a team that many have favored in this series. They have a lot of skill and grit, and a hot goalie, making them a prime candidate to take home Lord Stanley's Cup.
1. The Blackhawks have a Quick Transition Game
One of the strong points of the Blackhawks is their ability to activate the defense. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook can jump into the rush before the other team can catch their breath, and they can score goals. The Flyers have yet to face a team with such talented offensive defensemen. And what makes the Hawks even more dangerous is their ability to get back to their zone to defend with ease. Sometimes, the knock on offensive defensemen is that while they have a talent to score goals, they can be a defensive liability. Not so with Keith and Seabrook. They are as talented in their own end as they are in the offensive zone. Chicago has great skill when it comes to creating plays and starting rushes, something that might exploit a slower Flyer defense, and it all starts on the back-end with their superb puck moving defensemen.
2. The Blackhawks have Three Lines that can Score
Chicago's first line of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien have been reeking havoc on the opposition since they came together earlier this playoff season. Kane has the dynamic skill, Toews has the hockey sense, and Big Buf has the brute force to get in front of the net. The Flyers plan to put Chris Pronger against this line, and he may be able to take away their space, but what about the rest of the line-up? Philly's third defensive pairing of Lucas Krajicek and Ryan Parent haven't seen much ice time and aren't relied upon. Therefore it will be very difficult for the Flyers big four to contain all the scoring power on the Blackhawks. The second line of Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa and Kris Versteeg can be extremely dangerous, especially if Hossa regains his scoring touch. But it doesn't stop there. Dave Bolland can score, Andrew Ladd can crash the net, Tomas Kopecky has skill, even Troy Brouwer can put the puck in the net. Combine that with a checking line of John Madden, Adam Burish and Ben Eager and Chicago is filled with weapons.
3. The Blackhawks have had Timely Goaltending.
Not to take anything away from the remarkable run that Michael Leighton has been on for the Flyers, but Antti Niemi has faced many more shots, and more quality opposition. In the series against the Sharks alone, Niemi faced 136 shots, and only allowed seven goals in four games. He has had to face talented shooters like the Sedins, Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton. His rebound control has improved immensely, and he looks composed in the net. A big key to winning the cup is timely goaltending, making that big save at that crucial moment, and Niemi has done that so far. The Blackhawks have confidence in him, allowing them to play their game, allowing their d-men to jump into the rush. If Niemi keeps up his stellar play, the Hawks will be very hard to beat.
4. The Blackhawks have Grit and Size
The Flyers are a big, tough team. But the Hawks certainly aren't small by any stretch of the imagination. They have forwards who can score and hit, they have big bodies to crash the net and they aren't afraid to get hit. On paper, it looks like this series can get nasty in a hurry, but the Hawks have an ability to keep their composure, while still playing a physical game. The Flyers were the most penalized team in the regular season, amassing 402 penalty minutes, while Chicago had the forth least amount of minutes with 300. This series probably won't come down to special teams, but Chicago would be wise to try and get Philly off their game by luring them into dumb penalties. The Hawks have that perfect blend of physicality and smarts, and that could be a huge advantage. Despite Chicago being the favorite, this series is a lot closer than it seems. In the case of Chicago, they need to stick to their game plan, control the play and stay out of the box. One of these teams will end a lengthy Stanley Cup drought, and it could be the Blackhawks coming out on top.
Marcia Di Michele - In addition to Suite101, Marcy is also a writer for TheHockeyWriters.com and blogs for Sports Illustrated's Fannation page. Marcy has been ...
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