Blackhawks vs Predators Series Preview
After an 82 game preamble the Blackhawks are set to kickoff the only season that really matters tonight against the Predators in Nashville. I love the NHL playoffs and I assume you do too otherwise you wouldn’t have clicked on this blog. Now I need to warn you about two things, 1)this blog is going to be long. I basically coast all season long to make sure I don’t have carpel tunnel when the calender turns to April. 2) I’m a Blackhawks fan. “Oh Chief, the biggest homer honk on the internet blah blah blah“…yeah no shit, idiots. I’m in the trenches with you guys. On the edge of my couch for every shot, crushing Reese’s Peanutbutter Cups in OT for goodluck. If it seems like I’m rooting for the Hawks…its because I am. I’m also going to call it like I see it. So here we go. Should be a really competitive series between two teams that at times this year were both regard as the best in the NHL. Everything you need to know for the First Round.
1) Schedule
2) Regular Season Results:
Doesn’t really matter, but the Hawks took 3 out of 4 vs Nashville. They haven’t played since December
3) Postseason Head-To-Head History
The comeback that jump started a Dynasty
4) Predators To Hate
It’s not the NHL Playoffs unless you have the proper amount of hate coursing through your veins. Luckily, the Preds are littered with rats. They’re no longer the cute little try-hard team from down south. They overhauled their roster last offseason and plugged holes with…plugs. As much as I hate Mike Ribeiro and Eric Nystrom, nobody is worse than James Neal. A guy so dirty that you have to keep your head on a swivel even when you’re down on the ice.
Or when you don’t have the puck.
One more for good measure
James Neal is officially Public Enemy No.1
One thing the Preds do have going for them is that all they have to do to completely neutralize my hate is show Carrie Underwood in the stands.
So perfect and wifey. When I see her all my anger just melts away.
What we’re we talking about?
Goaltending
–Pekka Rinne is without a doubt one of the very best goalies in the NHL. He will probably end up being a Vezina Finalist and is also a candidate for Comeback Player Of The Year. Rinne is a giant at 6’6. Good athlete, takes up a lot of net. Rinne is the Preds’ most important player and he will have to be the best player in this series if the Preds are going to win. Corey Crawford had one awful game in the Stanley Cup Finals vs Boston and he can’t seem to shake it. Guy can’t get any respect. He won over 30 games again this year and posted similar numbers to Rinne. Crawford wasn’t great in 2013-14, but after a goaltending coach change he’s returned to the form that helped him win a Cup in 2013. The Preds have the edge in goal, but the gap isn’t as wide as many make it seem. EDGE: Nashville
Defense
This is the closest match up in the series. Both teams have a Norris Trophy-level defenseman(Weber & Keith), and strong players supporting them. I love Shea Weber. If you could create a perfect defenseman in a lab it would end up being Shea Weber. Heavy shot, strong, physical, smart, mean, and a good skater. He’s a bonafide bully who plays in all situations. He’s usually paired with Roman Josi who is one of the most underrated players in the whole league. After that things get a little dicey for the Preds. Seth Jones will be an elite defenseman someday, but he isn’t there yet. Jones is only 20 years-old and playing in his first post-season. Same goes for Ryan Ellis. The Preds big in-season trade was for Cody Franson. Safe to say that Franson hasn’t been the impact player the Preds hoped he’d be. Franson is only getting about 15 mins per game since the trade. The Hawks’ Top 4 is as good as any in the league, but their 3rd pair…woof. Rozsival and Timonen have been through the wars, but Coach Q is going to have his work cut out for him trying to protect those guys with favorable matchups and zone starts. EDGE: Push
Forwards
This is where the Hawks separate themselves. The Hawks had a deeper forward group before it was announced that Patrick Kane was coming back. Now its a blood bath. The Hawks haven’t been the offensive juggernaut you’d expect a team with Toews, Kane, Hossa, Sharp, and Saad to be, but they’re way more talented than what the Preds have. Filip Forsberg has been Nashville’s best forward all year long, but he’s another guy with zero playoff experience. The Preds are loaded with guys who are solid and smart, but they don’t have any game-breakers. You need stars to win the playoffs. Guys who can make the most of limited offensive chances. The Hawks have that in spades. EDGE: Chicago
Coaching And Intangibles
Nashville hired former Flyers coach Peter Laviolette and he changed the identity of the team immediately. The Preds had always been a team that would try to slow the game down to a crawl and beat you 2-1. The 2014-15 Preds will come out of their shell and go up and down with you. The Preds were 3rd in the NHL in shots per game behind only the Blackhawks and Islanders. That’s all well and good in the regular season, but trading chances with the Hawks is a death sentence. The Preds will need to slow the pace if they want to beat the Hawks. I think the Preds will have a hard time playing the match up game. Weber and Josi can’t play the entire game. I’m guessing Lavi will try to get Weber/Josi out against the Toews lines as much as possible, but that leaves Patrick Kane free to feast on Jones/Ellis/Ekholm/Franson. Coach Q is a master at the matchup game. Nobody puts his guys in a better position to win than Coach Q. I think the Hawks playoff experience and their ability to dictate matchups and pace will be the difference. EDGE: Chicago
The Preds had a great year and they’ll be competitive in the Central Division for years to come, but it’s not their time yet. The Hawks are just too experienced, too skilled, and they also have a hot goalie. I have a feeling I am going to go through a TON of OT Reese’s in this series, but the Hawks have more guys who can bury the rare chance and a couple guys who can create chances out of thin air. Blackhawks in 5
Sorry Babe
