(1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (4) Boston Bruins
Summary: If the first two games are anything like the rest of the series than it will be one of the most epic Cup finals in recent memory. Two Original Six teams battling for Lord Stanley, needing a total of 16 wins. The President Trophy Chicago Blackhawks cruised by Minnesota in 5, needed a dramatic 3-to-1 series comeback win against the Detroit Red Wings and dethroned the Los Angeles Kings in five. Jonathan Toews has been surprisingly quiet, he did however set up Patrick Kane’s Series Clinching goal. He needs to produce more on the score sheet to be successful. Corey Crawford has had a coming out party in these 2013 playoffs. Along with Rask he was not the goaltender when the team won their cup. Anti Niemi was the goalie in 2010 while Tim Thomas was the goalie for the Bruins in 2011.
While the Bruins and all of their Boston Strong Faithfull’s needed a miraculous game 7 comeback against the Toronto Maple Leafs, they have been on a roll ever since. They soared past the New York Rangers in 5 before surprisingly sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tukka Rask has been the key story and along with David Krejci’s line has been the story for the B’s. Krejci leads all scores in points and if the Bruins win the cup should be up there with Rask as Conn Smythe worthy.
Blackhawks will win if… Their speed can out weight the physicality of the Bruins. The Blackhawks like most teams in the NHL cannot match the physicality that Milan Lucic and Zedeno Chara bring to the table, the only person that lights any torch to them is forward Brian Bickell. But the Blackhawks are a fast and crafty team. They have the ability to beat you in so many ways because of all the talent they have. The thing that will lead them to another Cup will be their ability to convert on special teams. In game 1 they were 0-for-2 on the Power Play and gave up their first powerplay goal at home in the post season, and they won that game. In game two they held Boston without a power play goal on three attempts but also could not score on two attempts. They will need to take one game at least in Boston and a good PP would help silence the loud Boston crowd.
Bruins will win if… Tukka Rask does not have some mental collapse in the remaining what I believe will be five games. The defense in front of him has been superb all season and surprisingly the Bruins are getting timely goals, something they could not do all season. With the timely goals factored in, it will be up to Rask to be up the challenge and so far so good. Him and Crawford will most likely duke it out for the Conn Smythe and both are deserving of it. Jaromir Jagr has yet to score a goal and he is playing for the Cup.
X-FACTORS
Chicago:
-Dave Bolland
-Jonathan Toews
-Duncan Keith
-Andrew Shaw
Boston:
- Tyler Seguin
- Patrice Bergeron's ability to win faceoffs
-Zedeno Chara
- Daniel Paille & the 3rd line
Conn Smythe Possbilities:
-Boston: David Krejci, Tukka Rask, Milan Lucic
- Chicago: Patrick Kane, Corey Crawford, Patrick Sharp
Prediction: Blackhawks in 7
Monday, June 17, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Around The Bases #5
As we start the month of June and with the summer around the corner, there are still 100+ games to be played. With the new Wild Card format, more teams have a chance of playing meaningful games into September. The top story lines from the last few weeks include the Los Angeles Dodgers last in their division, Domonic Brown's emergence, and the Pittsburgh Pirates hope to finish above .500 for the first time in 20 years.
Top 5 Storylines:
1) Pittsburgh Pirates
2) Domonic Brown
3) Underachievers
4) Umpires and Video Review
5) Tampa Bay Rays early standouts
5) The Tampa Bay Rays are used to having a #1 ace in their rotation but with James Shields traded to the Kansas City Royals in the off-season and Daivd Price struggling mightily, it is finally time for the young pitchers that the Rays have gushed about to step up. While Price is the leader of the rotation, he has not been able to find the strike-zone, cue Alex Cobb and Matt Moore who is off to a wicked (8-0) start. Cobb and Moore are holding down the fort with Price injured, but James Loney's bounce back season has him as the frontrunner for the "Comeback Player of the Year." Loney was the most notable acquisition this past-off season for the Rays, despite struggling in his last two years in LA and his half season in Boston. After being traded in the monster deal between the Boston Red Sox and Dodgers last year, Loney signed with the Rays for a mere $2 million one-year deal with the Rays.He was a 1st round pick of the LA Dodgers back in 2002 and had high expectations, but never panned out. Despite a few seasons with 90 RBI’s, Loney has never been as affective as he is now. He is finally living up to his potential and the Rays are reaping the benefits. Heading into June, Loney was in the top-5 in batting average and a reason why the Rays sit just 2.5 games back of division leading Boston.
4) If 2013 is the year in which the MLB finally looked at the “Challenge” or added usage of video replay, than it was because plays like this.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OIBcTE2DlA)
Or maybe it’s the home run that was not called in a game between the Oakland Athletics and Cleveland Indians that would have tied the game in the bottom of the 9th .
(http://bit.ly/13xAS3H)
It’s really been a gong show on the part of the umpires. We have the technology these days to make sure that these things don’t happen. Yes, baseball is a long game, and yes if their were 10-15 minute delays in a Yankees/Red Sox 4-hour marathon it would probably be a little irritating and end up being a 6-hour event, but the right call needs to be made. Hockey has people waiting in Toronto, reviewing every game and every goal. Football has the challenge flag, which allows coaches to reverse a play they feel is unfit with the help of a video review. Even Tennis players have challenges! Baseball must finally adopt a new format because it is getting way out of hand and this argument that baseball needs to have the human element is bogus. Take a look at a slideshow that Fox Sports did of all the umpire gaffes in 2013 so far… (http://on-msn.com/1anP8OQ)
3) If you had to summarize the first two months of the season for the Dodgers, Angels and Blue Jays, you could bunch them together and label them as “Underachievers”. The Jays for all the moves they made sit last in the AL East 10.5 games behind division leading Boston Red Sox and 8 games back from the final wild card spot held by the Baltimore Orioles. The Angels are 7 games behind .500 and are showing no signs of the team that people expected with a lineup of Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Mark Trumbo and Josh Hamilton. The biggest disappointment though is the Los Angeles Dodgers. They play in a weak NL West and have both the hitting and the pitching to win a division title. Clayton Kershaw leads the team with a (1.85) ERA but can’t get any run support. In all five of his wins his team has not scored more then four runs. Adrian Gonzalez is having a very respectable season so far, but Matt Kemp is in the worst slump of his career and currently sits on the disabled list. To put things into perspective, Gonzalez leads the team with 41 RBI’s, Kemp is second on the team with a measly 17. The lack of offensive production has caused the team to start a “Fire Don Mattingly” Facebook group. These teams on paper should all be on the road to the playoffs, but at this rate none of them will be playing meaningful games in September.
2) Some players just take the league by storm. Mike Trout did it last year in his rookie debut, and the early star to the 2013 season belongs to Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Domonic Brown. Brown was a nobody in April, with just 3-homeruns, a batting average around .250, he and the Phillies were off the map. It wasn’t until May that things started to click. Brown hit 12-home runs in the month of May and one already in June, becoming the NL leader in long bombs to this point. Brown leads the team in batting average (.282), homeruns (16) and RBI’s (40) and is on pace for (46) homeruns and (120) RBI’s. That coupled with the recent play of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard have put the Phillies back on the grid.
1) Is this the year? The year the Pittsburgh Pirates finish with a record above .500. The last few seasons the Pirates have flirted with having an above average season but each time they have trailed off in August and September and out of the playoff hunt. Last year they led their NL Central division at the All-Star break only to finish (79-83) and 18 games back. This year they are red hot at again to start the season (35-23). They are playing great ball and getting production up and down a very young lineup. They currently sit behind St.Louis and Cincinnati in their division, but the Pirates are no longer cellar dwellers. The thing that’s amazing is how young their players are. Pedro Alvarez(26) 11hr/30rbi,Andrew McCutchen(27).284/28rbi/14sb, Starling Matre(25).291/36runs/15sb and pitcher Jeff Locke(26) 5-1/2.25 ERA, will all be on this team for a long time. This team has continued to progress under manager Clint Hurdle and has become one of the most exciting teams in all of baseball. After years of having the worst record in baseball the tide is changing, and the Pirates are on the path to making their first playoff appearance since 1979, a span of 33 seasons.
Games To Watch:
1) St.Louis Cardinals (38-19) @ Cincinnati Reds (36-22)
- Friday June 6th to Sunday June 8th
- ESPN's game of the week. Sunday Night 8:10
- Cardinals (20-9) on the road Reds (21-7) at home... Something has to give
- Yadier Molina is batting (.350) and has become one of the toughest batters in the game to retire.
2) LA Angels (25-33) @ Boston Red Sox (35-23)
- Friday June 6th to Sunday June 8th
- Clay Buchholz (8-0) starts Saturday
- Albert Pujols is struggling but has good numbers at Fenway Park
- A series win or sweep for the Angels would go along way
3)Tampa Bay Rays (31-25) @ Detroit Tigers (30-25)
- Tuesday June 3rd to Thursday June 5th
- Wednesday pitching matchup TB: A.Cobb (6-2) vs. DET: D.Fister (5-2)
- Last year's AL MVP Miguel Cabrera is on fire
- TB (7-3) in last 10. DET (4-6)
Top 5 Storylines:
1) Pittsburgh Pirates
2) Domonic Brown
3) Underachievers
4) Umpires and Video Review
5) Tampa Bay Rays early standouts
5) The Tampa Bay Rays are used to having a #1 ace in their rotation but with James Shields traded to the Kansas City Royals in the off-season and Daivd Price struggling mightily, it is finally time for the young pitchers that the Rays have gushed about to step up. While Price is the leader of the rotation, he has not been able to find the strike-zone, cue Alex Cobb and Matt Moore who is off to a wicked (8-0) start. Cobb and Moore are holding down the fort with Price injured, but James Loney's bounce back season has him as the frontrunner for the "Comeback Player of the Year." Loney was the most notable acquisition this past-off season for the Rays, despite struggling in his last two years in LA and his half season in Boston. After being traded in the monster deal between the Boston Red Sox and Dodgers last year, Loney signed with the Rays for a mere $2 million one-year deal with the Rays.He was a 1st round pick of the LA Dodgers back in 2002 and had high expectations, but never panned out. Despite a few seasons with 90 RBI’s, Loney has never been as affective as he is now. He is finally living up to his potential and the Rays are reaping the benefits. Heading into June, Loney was in the top-5 in batting average and a reason why the Rays sit just 2.5 games back of division leading Boston.
4) If 2013 is the year in which the MLB finally looked at the “Challenge” or added usage of video replay, than it was because plays like this.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OIBcTE2DlA)
Or maybe it’s the home run that was not called in a game between the Oakland Athletics and Cleveland Indians that would have tied the game in the bottom of the 9th .
(http://bit.ly/13xAS3H)
It’s really been a gong show on the part of the umpires. We have the technology these days to make sure that these things don’t happen. Yes, baseball is a long game, and yes if their were 10-15 minute delays in a Yankees/Red Sox 4-hour marathon it would probably be a little irritating and end up being a 6-hour event, but the right call needs to be made. Hockey has people waiting in Toronto, reviewing every game and every goal. Football has the challenge flag, which allows coaches to reverse a play they feel is unfit with the help of a video review. Even Tennis players have challenges! Baseball must finally adopt a new format because it is getting way out of hand and this argument that baseball needs to have the human element is bogus. Take a look at a slideshow that Fox Sports did of all the umpire gaffes in 2013 so far… (http://on-msn.com/1anP8OQ)
3) If you had to summarize the first two months of the season for the Dodgers, Angels and Blue Jays, you could bunch them together and label them as “Underachievers”. The Jays for all the moves they made sit last in the AL East 10.5 games behind division leading Boston Red Sox and 8 games back from the final wild card spot held by the Baltimore Orioles. The Angels are 7 games behind .500 and are showing no signs of the team that people expected with a lineup of Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Mark Trumbo and Josh Hamilton. The biggest disappointment though is the Los Angeles Dodgers. They play in a weak NL West and have both the hitting and the pitching to win a division title. Clayton Kershaw leads the team with a (1.85) ERA but can’t get any run support. In all five of his wins his team has not scored more then four runs. Adrian Gonzalez is having a very respectable season so far, but Matt Kemp is in the worst slump of his career and currently sits on the disabled list. To put things into perspective, Gonzalez leads the team with 41 RBI’s, Kemp is second on the team with a measly 17. The lack of offensive production has caused the team to start a “Fire Don Mattingly” Facebook group. These teams on paper should all be on the road to the playoffs, but at this rate none of them will be playing meaningful games in September.
2) Some players just take the league by storm. Mike Trout did it last year in his rookie debut, and the early star to the 2013 season belongs to Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Domonic Brown. Brown was a nobody in April, with just 3-homeruns, a batting average around .250, he and the Phillies were off the map. It wasn’t until May that things started to click. Brown hit 12-home runs in the month of May and one already in June, becoming the NL leader in long bombs to this point. Brown leads the team in batting average (.282), homeruns (16) and RBI’s (40) and is on pace for (46) homeruns and (120) RBI’s. That coupled with the recent play of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard have put the Phillies back on the grid.
1) Is this the year? The year the Pittsburgh Pirates finish with a record above .500. The last few seasons the Pirates have flirted with having an above average season but each time they have trailed off in August and September and out of the playoff hunt. Last year they led their NL Central division at the All-Star break only to finish (79-83) and 18 games back. This year they are red hot at again to start the season (35-23). They are playing great ball and getting production up and down a very young lineup. They currently sit behind St.Louis and Cincinnati in their division, but the Pirates are no longer cellar dwellers. The thing that’s amazing is how young their players are. Pedro Alvarez(26) 11hr/30rbi,Andrew McCutchen(27).284/28rbi/14sb, Starling Matre(25).291/36runs/15sb and pitcher Jeff Locke(26) 5-1/2.25 ERA, will all be on this team for a long time. This team has continued to progress under manager Clint Hurdle and has become one of the most exciting teams in all of baseball. After years of having the worst record in baseball the tide is changing, and the Pirates are on the path to making their first playoff appearance since 1979, a span of 33 seasons.
Games To Watch:
1) St.Louis Cardinals (38-19) @ Cincinnati Reds (36-22)
- Friday June 6th to Sunday June 8th
- ESPN's game of the week. Sunday Night 8:10
- Cardinals (20-9) on the road Reds (21-7) at home... Something has to give
- Yadier Molina is batting (.350) and has become one of the toughest batters in the game to retire.
2) LA Angels (25-33) @ Boston Red Sox (35-23)
- Friday June 6th to Sunday June 8th
- Clay Buchholz (8-0) starts Saturday
- Albert Pujols is struggling but has good numbers at Fenway Park
- A series win or sweep for the Angels would go along way
3)Tampa Bay Rays (31-25) @ Detroit Tigers (30-25)
- Tuesday June 3rd to Thursday June 5th
- Wednesday pitching matchup TB: A.Cobb (6-2) vs. DET: D.Fister (5-2)
- Last year's AL MVP Miguel Cabrera is on fire
- TB (7-3) in last 10. DET (4-6)
Sunday, June 2, 2013
NHL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: CONFERENCE FINALS
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
(1) Pittsburgh Penguins VS. (4) Boston Bruins
The Skinny: After an opening round that featured a sluggish Penguins team narrowly escaping an early exit at the hands at the New York Islanders, Dan Bylsma has his team clicking on all cylinders as they knocked off the Ottawa Senators in just five games. Now they go up against their toughest opponent yet, the Boston Bruins. Despite getting shutout at home in game one of the ECF (3-0) the Penguins are playing their best hockey right now, and one game does not determine who will win the series. Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are at the top of the playoff scoring for a reason, and if they are unable to find the net or at least contribute in some fashion, the Penguins will NOT win this series. On the other hand the Bruins, after a miraculous comeback in game seven against the Toronto Maple Leafs have been rolling along. They skated pass Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers and now face the team that took Jarome Iginla from them, or was it Iginla who chose the Penguins over the Bruins. If game one is any indication of how the series will play out then it should be a dandy.
Penguins win if... Tomas Vokoun can remain solid between the pipes. There is no denying that this is a potent lineup that has the ability to score on each shift. However, their defensive play and goaltending will be the key. The most anticipated matchup is between Crosby vs. Chara. It's quite simple, if Crosby can produce regularly like he has so far in the playoffs, the team will follow and win the series. But if the 7-foot Slovakian shuts down #87 then it will be up the other players like James Neal, Iginla and Evgeni Malkin to step up. To be blunt though, it won't be enough. Brooks Orpik and Kris Letang are guys that also needs to stand out. They will usually be up against the top line of Lucic-Krejci-Horton and in game one that line scored all 3 Bruin goals, finishing a combined minus (-3). Expect coach Bylsma to make the necessary changes throughout the series, and perhaps a change at the goaltending position if things get a little out of a hand.
Bruins win if.... They continue to get great goaltending from Tukka Rask. While he is no Tim Thomas, Rask has looked in fine form ever since beating the Leafs in seven. The defense in front of him is also one of the stingiest in the league and coach Claude Julien has his team playing like they did win the cup in 2010. Forwards are back-checking, timely scoring, killing crucial penalties and hard hitting. Overall this Bruins team has not changed much in the last few years so most of the players are used to each others tendancies on the ice. Vokoun is not an elite goaltender and is very beatable. In fact I'd argue that goaltending is the Penguins biggest weakness against a Bruins team who takes shots from all over the ice. This is the Bruins biggest task yet, and Jaromir Jagr hasn't even scored a goal all playoffs.
Prediction: Penguins in 6
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
(1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (5) Los Angeles Kings
The Skinny: The Chicago Blackhawks cruised past the Minnesota Wild in 5 and then needed to comeback from 3-1 to beat the Detroit Red Wings at home in overtime of game 7. The Blackhawks for some reason tried a different approach against the Red Wings then what made them this year's President Trophy winners. They weren't getting in front of the net, shots were not being redirected in, and their defensive play was sluggish to say the least. To and outsider it seemed that this team had pulled a "Jekyll and Hyde" sort of thing. But in game five things started to click again and after winning both games five and six they needed a Brent Seabrook overtime winner to vault them to the conference finals. It will be no easy task de-throning the defending champs but if there is a team that can do it, it's Joel Quenville's Blackhawks. The Los Angeles Kings had a tougher road to get to where they are, they needed to get past two of the toughest teams in the West. First they needed some brilliance to comeback from 0-2 and beat the St.Louis Blues and their defensive-minded team in six games, taking the next four. Then it was the battle of California against the San Jose Sharks and had it not been for finishing with two more points in the regular season, they may have lost the series. The reason for that is because each game was won by the home team and the Kings played game seven at home. Jonathan Quick once again has decided to take matters into his own hands by stealing games and making spectacular saves at key moments. TSN's James Duthie referred to Quick as being in a "Dominik Hasek world." In four of the seven games the Kings played against the Sharks, the outcome was 2-1. The same was the case in game one between these two teams with the Blackhawks coming out victorious.
Blackhawks win if... They can continue to shut the door down on the penalty kill. In these playoffs the Blackhawks are an outstanding 42/43 on PK attempts. The defense goes as far as Duncan Keith takes them but the supporting cast of Seabrook, Johnny Odyua, Niklas Hjalmarsson round out a very solid top-4. Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp have been playing very well, but in order to beat the Kings in a seven game series they will need Marian Hossa (GWG in game 1) and Jonathan Toews to step up. Also the emergence of Brian Bickell has made the team's first line even more dangerous with his ability to hit, score, and screen the goalie. Cory Crawford has been nearly perfect at home in the playoffs with a record of (7-1).
Kings win if... Jonathan Quick remains the best goalie in the NHL. Last year he rose to stardom with his tremendous play, a Stanley Cup ring and a Conn Smythe trophy to boot. This year the pressure's still on to repeat the same performance and he is not backing down. After struggling in the first two games of the playoffs against the Blues, Quick has regained his form, and due to his lateral abilities has made him the toughest goalie to beat. The Kings and the Blackhawks are similar in many ways; including the strength of the top-4 defenseman. Drew Doughty, Robyn Regher, Slava Voynov and Matt Greene's ability to shut down the best of them. But besides Quick, Mike Richards, Doughty, Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown have to be better then the top players of the Blackhawks. Both teams hit but the Kings are a tougher and bigger team, and to beat Chicago they will need to hit everyone, every time they can.
Prediction: Kings in 7
(1) Pittsburgh Penguins VS. (4) Boston Bruins
The Skinny: After an opening round that featured a sluggish Penguins team narrowly escaping an early exit at the hands at the New York Islanders, Dan Bylsma has his team clicking on all cylinders as they knocked off the Ottawa Senators in just five games. Now they go up against their toughest opponent yet, the Boston Bruins. Despite getting shutout at home in game one of the ECF (3-0) the Penguins are playing their best hockey right now, and one game does not determine who will win the series. Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are at the top of the playoff scoring for a reason, and if they are unable to find the net or at least contribute in some fashion, the Penguins will NOT win this series. On the other hand the Bruins, after a miraculous comeback in game seven against the Toronto Maple Leafs have been rolling along. They skated pass Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers and now face the team that took Jarome Iginla from them, or was it Iginla who chose the Penguins over the Bruins. If game one is any indication of how the series will play out then it should be a dandy.
Penguins win if... Tomas Vokoun can remain solid between the pipes. There is no denying that this is a potent lineup that has the ability to score on each shift. However, their defensive play and goaltending will be the key. The most anticipated matchup is between Crosby vs. Chara. It's quite simple, if Crosby can produce regularly like he has so far in the playoffs, the team will follow and win the series. But if the 7-foot Slovakian shuts down #87 then it will be up the other players like James Neal, Iginla and Evgeni Malkin to step up. To be blunt though, it won't be enough. Brooks Orpik and Kris Letang are guys that also needs to stand out. They will usually be up against the top line of Lucic-Krejci-Horton and in game one that line scored all 3 Bruin goals, finishing a combined minus (-3). Expect coach Bylsma to make the necessary changes throughout the series, and perhaps a change at the goaltending position if things get a little out of a hand.
Bruins win if.... They continue to get great goaltending from Tukka Rask. While he is no Tim Thomas, Rask has looked in fine form ever since beating the Leafs in seven. The defense in front of him is also one of the stingiest in the league and coach Claude Julien has his team playing like they did win the cup in 2010. Forwards are back-checking, timely scoring, killing crucial penalties and hard hitting. Overall this Bruins team has not changed much in the last few years so most of the players are used to each others tendancies on the ice. Vokoun is not an elite goaltender and is very beatable. In fact I'd argue that goaltending is the Penguins biggest weakness against a Bruins team who takes shots from all over the ice. This is the Bruins biggest task yet, and Jaromir Jagr hasn't even scored a goal all playoffs.
Prediction: Penguins in 6
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
(1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (5) Los Angeles Kings
The Skinny: The Chicago Blackhawks cruised past the Minnesota Wild in 5 and then needed to comeback from 3-1 to beat the Detroit Red Wings at home in overtime of game 7. The Blackhawks for some reason tried a different approach against the Red Wings then what made them this year's President Trophy winners. They weren't getting in front of the net, shots were not being redirected in, and their defensive play was sluggish to say the least. To and outsider it seemed that this team had pulled a "Jekyll and Hyde" sort of thing. But in game five things started to click again and after winning both games five and six they needed a Brent Seabrook overtime winner to vault them to the conference finals. It will be no easy task de-throning the defending champs but if there is a team that can do it, it's Joel Quenville's Blackhawks. The Los Angeles Kings had a tougher road to get to where they are, they needed to get past two of the toughest teams in the West. First they needed some brilliance to comeback from 0-2 and beat the St.Louis Blues and their defensive-minded team in six games, taking the next four. Then it was the battle of California against the San Jose Sharks and had it not been for finishing with two more points in the regular season, they may have lost the series. The reason for that is because each game was won by the home team and the Kings played game seven at home. Jonathan Quick once again has decided to take matters into his own hands by stealing games and making spectacular saves at key moments. TSN's James Duthie referred to Quick as being in a "Dominik Hasek world." In four of the seven games the Kings played against the Sharks, the outcome was 2-1. The same was the case in game one between these two teams with the Blackhawks coming out victorious.
Blackhawks win if... They can continue to shut the door down on the penalty kill. In these playoffs the Blackhawks are an outstanding 42/43 on PK attempts. The defense goes as far as Duncan Keith takes them but the supporting cast of Seabrook, Johnny Odyua, Niklas Hjalmarsson round out a very solid top-4. Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp have been playing very well, but in order to beat the Kings in a seven game series they will need Marian Hossa (GWG in game 1) and Jonathan Toews to step up. Also the emergence of Brian Bickell has made the team's first line even more dangerous with his ability to hit, score, and screen the goalie. Cory Crawford has been nearly perfect at home in the playoffs with a record of (7-1).
Kings win if... Jonathan Quick remains the best goalie in the NHL. Last year he rose to stardom with his tremendous play, a Stanley Cup ring and a Conn Smythe trophy to boot. This year the pressure's still on to repeat the same performance and he is not backing down. After struggling in the first two games of the playoffs against the Blues, Quick has regained his form, and due to his lateral abilities has made him the toughest goalie to beat. The Kings and the Blackhawks are similar in many ways; including the strength of the top-4 defenseman. Drew Doughty, Robyn Regher, Slava Voynov and Matt Greene's ability to shut down the best of them. But besides Quick, Mike Richards, Doughty, Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown have to be better then the top players of the Blackhawks. Both teams hit but the Kings are a tougher and bigger team, and to beat Chicago they will need to hit everyone, every time they can.
Prediction: Kings in 7
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