The Chicago Blackhawks are competing for the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1992 and looking for their first Stanley Cup Championship since 1961. Facing off against the Philadelphia Flyers will be no easy task, even with home ice advantage and the better regular season record. Of course, there is two sides to every coin and in this match-up it’s no different as there are plenty of reasons why the Blackhawks will win the series as well as a handful of reason’s they’ll lose the Cup to Philly. We’ve got both sides of the coin listed below.
By Peter Christian
Why the Blackhawks will win:
The Blackhawks will win the Stanley Cup because they out-skate Philly and put constant pressure on Michael Leighton. By avoiding the overly physical style that the Flyers clamor for, the Hawks will be able to pepper Leighton with shots and rattle his cage the same way they did to Evgeni Nabakov and Roberto Luongo. The pressure to win this series lies heavily on the top scoring line of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien as they will be asked to crack the strangling defense that Philly will throw at them. Chris Pronger teamed with Kimmo Timonen on the blue line can be ultra formidable and very difficult to penetrate as they enjoy punishing any forwards who get in too close. If, however, that top line is able to crack the Pronger-Timonen code, the Blackhawks will be in good shape.
That’s not to say that Chicago couldn’t win if Philly did successfully shut down Buff, Kaner and Taser. If the 2nd line behind those guys picks up the slack from a production standpoint, there’s no way that Philadelphia can keep up with the output of TWO high powered scoring lines. Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa are more than able to score in bunches and give the Flyers 2nd line defense fits.
Why the Blackhawks will lose:
Philadelphia is chocked full of physical players that will goad the Blackhawks into dumb penalties, playing a slower, more physical pace and avoiding rushing up and down the ice. If Chicago gets caught playing a man short too much, Philly’s power play will eventually make them pay. The Hawks will need to remain patient to get their chances and to put shots on net from any and all directions. However, it is possible for the Blackhawks to be too patient. If they try too hard on the power play or are always trying to make that one extra pass instead of just putting the puck on net that could work into the Flyers advantage as it will allow them more time to get the puck cleared out of the zone.
Lastly, the Hawks could lose this series if Michael Leighton prevails as the hotter goaltender. Antti Niemi has been terrific in the playoffs, but Leighton just posted 3 shutouts in 5 games versus the Canadiens. A goalie’s duel that brings a tie game into the waning seconds of regulation or into OT helps Philly immensely as they won’t have to try keep up with the high powered offense of the Blackhawks.
Predictions:
Stanley Cup Champion: Blackhawks win in 5 games
Conn Smythe: Jonathan Toews