Flyers/Blackhawks: Stanley Cup Finals Preview
The Chicago Blackhawks, the third best team in the league and second seed in the Western Conference, were expected to make it this point. They have everything in place for success: a young talented squad, top-notch speed, tough, physical defensemen, and a hot goaltender. Philadelphia has had a different path to the Finals. The Flyers beat the New York Rangers in a “win and in” situation on the last day of the regular season, making them the last team to make the playoffs. And they won it in a shootout. Philadelphia faced the New Jersey Devils in the first round, and knocked them and their hall of fame goaltender Martin Broduer out of the playoffs in five games. Then the Flyers faced the Boston Bruins in Round 2, and after facing a 3-0 series deficit, they came back and won four games in a row to move forward. Facing the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Flyers crashed the net and won the series convincingly in five games, beating the team that knocked out the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. Regardless of how these two teams made it to the Finals, they are both deserving and now they are going to face each other. Let’s take a look at the matchup.
Offense It’s hard to go against Chicago’s top line of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and the recent huge play of Dustin Byfuglien. This line is going to cause trouble for any team. The Andrew Ladd line with Patrick Sharp is also dangerous, as Sharp has a laser shot from the point. Chicago also has a great checking line with Dave Bolland. Line in and line out, this team is fast in the offensive zone, and very dangerous. Philadelphia has had ten different forwards score in this playoffs thus far. Jeff Carter is back in the lineup, Simon Gagne has been huge since his return, and Mike Richards is showing the hockey world why he wears the big C for Philadelphia. Richards has gotten better every game. Philly can score, and they can do it with any line.
Defense Chicago has arguably the best defensemen pair in the NHL with Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. These guys, especially Keith, stepped up huge against San Jose, disrupting the Sharks’ offensive rhythm and clearing away rebound after rebound. The defensemen of the Blackhawks are notorious for jumping into the offensive zone quickly and creating offense, and with Brian Campbell back in the lineup, this squad will look to exploit any offensive opportunities. Philadelphia has arguably the best penalty-killing defensemen with Chris Pronger and Matt Carle. Philadelphia has an 87 percent success rate of killing penalties in the playoffs, and they are going to need to continue that dominance to slow down Chicago.
Goaltending Antti Niemi has burst onto the scene this season, taking over for a struggling Cristobal Huet. Niemi has made absolutely critical saves when his team needed him to, and with each game, he has more and more confidence. He has been amazing so far, but Philly knows how to exploit hot goaltenders. They took it to Jaroslav Halak in the Eastern Finals, the goaltender that stopped Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. Niemi will have to be stellar. Michael Leighton is the newest goaltender in Philly, and he has stepped into the net and taken over where Brian Boucher left off. Leighton has been a beast in net and played well, but credit is due to his defensemen, whom have played outstanding. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals is 8 p.m. EST on NBC, CBC, and RDS.
By Noah Glick Want to add your comment to this article? Leave your comments on our NHL blog today!
> Follow the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs online with Pro Hockey Fans! > Find all of the NHL news & articles online from Pro Hockey Fans.
|
|