Blackhawks/Flyers: Identical in every way
It is that time of the year again, as these last two unforgettable months narrow down to the final two. Hockey fans throughout the continent can feel the electricity, as the countdown to the puck drop begins. Both these teams have proved, in over the last two weeks, that they are in leagues of their own. They both have experienced incredible voyages so far, but of course, we all know that only one of them will reach the Promised Land. These two teams are so compositionally similar, and it is only fitting that their structures have allowed them to prevail over their fellow conference squads. At initial glance of both rosters, depth is evident. First of all, both teams have at least three solid lines which pose a scoring threat whenever they are on the ice. If you take a look at the Hawks lineup, you will see dangerous offensive juggernauts, in the names of Jonathan Teows, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, and Marian Hossa. Keeping in mind that these four are all very capable of scoring 70+ points or 30+ goals, it doesn’t stop there. They have been able to find secondary offense in Dave Bolland, Kris Versteeg, Dustin Byfuglien, and Tomas Kopecky, in these playoffs. Not to mention, their puck moving defensemen such as Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell, and now even Niklas Hjarlmarsson, can add in that extra punch for their offence. Guarding one or two particular players and expecting to entirely shut down the Blackhawk’s offence would be a naïve strategy by any team. However, the Hawks aren’t the only high flying squad here. For every big name on the Hawks team, the Flyers have an equivalent answer to match. The Flyers have proven 70 + point scorers in Daniel Briere, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, and Simon Gagne. They also have dangerous point producers in Scott Hartnell, Claude Giroux, Ville Leino, and even Dan Carcillo. They also have key offensive threats on defense in Chris Pronger, Kimo Timonen, Matt Carle, and Braydon Coburn.
Both teams also have Norris quality personnel who have inspired and built fortress-like defense, and have made their goalies’ jobs a lot easier. Duncan Keith and Chris Pronger are both Norris trophy material, and their supporting defensemen such as Brent Seabrook and Braydon Coburn can really bruise opponents. Both teams have an equal balance of puck moving D-men and shutdown D-men, and a defense department that other teams can only envy. One thing for sure, however, is that both teams also have been labeled as clubs with questionable goaltending. A year ago, if anyone were to predict two likely goalies in the 2010 Stanley cup finals, no one would have honestly guessed it would be Antii Niemi and Michael Leighton. These two guys were expected to be back-ups entering the season, and have only been given this opportunity to carry their team due to injured or underachieving starters. So far, however, they have both been able to play adequately for their respective clubs to be in the positions that they are in today. Niemi was hot and cold in the first two rounds, but was able to play solid and consistent during the series against the Sharks. He even bailed them out of a few games. Leighton, receiving a call to duty, shocked the world as he recorded 3 shutouts in his first 5 playoff starts. While there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the Stanley Cup finals goaltending situation among hockey fans, there are no complaints so far either. Only time will tell, but they should both be aware that the ability to outplay each other may become a determinant of winning the series.
Last but not least, both team journeys have been led by courageous captains who have proved that they can do it all. Hawks captain, Jonathan Teows leads playoff scoring with 26 points, and not surprisingly Flyers captain, Mike Richards is a close second with 21 points. On top of that, these two are arguably two of the top three two-way players in the game. Richards and Teows were also the two most consistent and all-around effective players for Team Canada’s Gold Medal Olympic Team in February. These two young captains are clearly integral components of their teams’ success. They also both have very accompanying supporting casts. It is truly freaky how identical these two teams are. Somehow, odds makers and panelists continue to agree that the Hawks have a significant edge in this series. If these two teams play to their potential, this one is going the distance. If there really are identifiable factors that give either team an advantage in this series, I am clearly still oblivious to them.
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