The 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Finals get underway this upcoming weekend as the #2 seed Chicago Blackhawks from the Western Conference will host the #7 seed Philadelphia Flyers from the Eastern Conference in game one on Saturday May 29th and game two on Monday May 31st. The series will shift back to Philadelphia for game three on Wednesday June 2nd and game four on Friday June 4th. The puck is scheduled to drop at 8:00 P.M. for all four games.
Chicago is currently a prohibitive 2-5 favorite to win this year’s title and they way they have played in these playoffs you can understand why. They beat #7 seed Nashville in six games after actually falling behind two games to one. They only managed 4 goals in the first three games, but scored 13 in the next three games of that series.
Against #3 seed Vancouver in the second round they scored early and often taking a 3-1 lead and eventually eliminating the Canucks in six games. In their four wins in this series they averaged just over five goals a game.
In the conference finals against #1 seed San Jose, they never let the Sharks come up for air as they buried them in four straight games to sweep the series. This time it was their defense that got the job done, holding the high powered offense of San Jose to just seven goals in four games.
Philadelphia’s odds to hoist the Cup are currently at 3-1. Their route to these finals as the #7 seed has been just as impressive. After needing an overtime shootout win over the New York Rangers in the final regular season game just to make it into the postseason, they made the most of the opportunity right from the start. Against #2 seed New Jersey, a team they had beaten five out of the six times they met in the regular season, they continued their dominance by eliminating the Devils in five games. The Flyers defense held New Jersey to just four goals in their four wins.
In one of the most dramatic comebacks in the history of the game, Philadelphia found themselves down three games to none to #6 seed Boston before winning three straight to force a game seven. In game seven they trailed 3-0 in the first period, but battled back to win 4-3 capping off an incredible turn of events.
With goalie Michael Leighton now filling in for an injured Brian Boucher, they faced an equally impressive Cinderella Story in #8 seed Montreal in the conference finals. The Canadians knocked out #1 seed Washington and #4 seed Pittsburgh to get to this point. Against the Flyers the clock struck 12 as they had no answer for Philadelphia’ relentless attack and stifling defense, losing the series 4-1. Philadelphia recorded three shutouts on their way to their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 1997.
Many expect Chicago to wrap this series up in four or five games simply because of the dominance of the Western Conference over the East. When you take a closer look at this matchup, Philadelphia has the size and speed to neutralize Chicago’s big scoring threats as well as a goalie that is playing at a very high level. I see the Blackhawks hoisting the Cup at the end of this series, but it is going to take a hard fought seven games to get the chance to.
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