#2 Seed(West) Vs. #7 Seed(East)
Analysis: This series opens up Saturday night in Chicago and features the 2nd seed from the Western Conference Blackhawks against the 7th seeded Philadelphia Flyers from the Eastern Conference. Many people had Chicago picked to be a Stanley Cup contender at the start of the season and their playoff performance showed that they are exactly that. For the Flyers however it is quite the different story, they have gone from winning a shootout in the last game of the season and just squeaking into the playoffs to having been down 3 to 0 in their semi final series versus Boston and completing one of the biggest comebacks in sports history. Not many people would have picked the Flyers to come out of the East at the start of the playoffs but they have shown that they are no joke with tough physical and mental play. Both Chicago and Philadelphia have goaltenders that many people questioned whether or not they would be able to lead a team to the Stanley Cup. While both Leighton and Boucher from Philly and Niemi from Chicago have looked shaky at points they have proven over the course of the playoffs that they have what it takes to lead their respective teams to victory. Niemi has definitely been a nice surprise for Chicago as he was the most glaring point of weakness that people associated when discussing the Blackhawks playoff chances. Both teams have a dynamite core of forwards with Richards, Briere, Gagne, Carter, and young star in the making Giroux leading the charge for Philadelphia. In Chicago their offense is sparked by Toews, Kane, Byfuglien, Sharp, Hossa, and Versteeg. Toews has been a dynamic force so far in the playoffs and this kid is looking to prove how truly legit he is by continuing to put up numbers. One of the most underrated Blackhawks is Dustin Byfuglien who has had a monster playoffs planting himself in front of opposing goalies creating havoc (Luongo past 2 years, and Nabokov) and putting up solid point totals. Both defense cores are also very strong with Pronger and Timonen being the main guys for Philly. In Chicago Seabrook, Keith, and Campbell all play big roles defensively while packing an offensive punch as well. An interesting battle to watch will be between Pronger and Byfuglien who are both massive men and Pronger’s duty will be to clear out Byfuglien from the goalies area, something which nobody has been successful at so far. Another thing to watch will be to see if the 3rd time is the charm for Marion Hossa, who has found himself on the losing end of the last 2 Stanley Cups. Expect both arenas to be absolutely nuts as both cities have been without a Stanley Cup in quite some time and are 2 of the most passionate fan bases in the league.
Prediction: I’ve got to give the Flyers a ton of credit for what they’ve accomplished this post-season especially having completed one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. However the Hawks have continued to get stronger and stronger as the playoffs have moved on and that was clear by sweeping the powerful Sharks in the Western Conference Championship. I think the Hawks will continue to roll in the Finals but I do expect the Flyers to compete hard and win at least one in their own building. With that being said my finals pick is going to be CHICAGO IN 5. Conn Smythe will be awarded to Chicago’s: Jonathan Toews
Key Players: Blackhawks: Toews, Kane, Hossa, Sharp, Keith, Seabrook, Byfuglien, And Niemi. Flyers: Richards, Carter, Giroux, Gagne, Briere, Pronger, Leighton.
