The two best teams in the Western Conference made their way through the first two rounds of the playoffs with relative ease, but now they will face each other in a seven game series that will determine which team earns the right to move on to the Stanley Cup Finals. Here is a preview of the conference finals along with each team’s current odds to win it all.
#1 San Jose Sharks (7-4) vs. #2 Chicago Blackhawks (7-4)
In their first round series against Colorado, the Sharks had to start getting that sinking feeling in their stomach that they were on the verge of another early exit from the playoffs after losing game one and then falling behind two games to one after a loss in game three. Instead of going into the tank as they have in the past they rallied for three straight wins to take the series 4-2.
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In the second round against Detroit confidence had replaced doubt and they won the first three games of the series by an identical 4-3 score on their way to eliminating the Red Wings in five games. The only kink in the armor was a 7-1 beating in game four on home ice, but San Jose quickly put that behind them by taking the deciding game five 2-1 in Detroit.
So far for the Sharks it has been guys like Joe Pavelski (9 goals and 6 assists), Joe Thornton (3 goals and 8 assists), and Dany Heatley (2 goals and 9 assists) that have been getting the job done on offense. With help from some others like Devin Setoguchi (5 goals and 3 assists) and Patrick Marleau (3 goals and 4 assists) San Jose is playing as a complete team, making them very hard to beat. In the net it has been the play of Evgeni Nabokov that is other big part of their success. He has a GAA of 2.43 and a SV% of .907.
Chicago came into these playoffs as many people’s favorite to win it all. They too got a bit of a scare in the first round after falling behind to Nashville two games to one. After shutting out the Predators 3-0 in game four, they regained control of the series and went on to win the next two, eliminating Nashville in six.
In their second round series against Vancouver they knew they were in for a battle against a very solid Canuck team. After getting embarrassed 5-1 on home ice in game one, the Blackhawks realized they were going to have to elevate their play to have any chance of keeping their dreams of a championship alive. They quickly bounced back and won the next three games in convincing fashion to grab an all important 3-1 edge in the series. After a tough 3-1 loss in game five at home, they ended the series in six by jumping all over the Canucks in a 5-1 rout.
Center Jonathan Toews has brought his A game to these playoffs as he leads the team in scoring with 20 total points (6 goals and 14 assists). Patrick Kane is the leading goal scorer with seven and Patrick Sharp has added 14 points (5 goals and 9 assists). Goalie Antti Niemi has got the call in all 12 games and has a 2.57 GAA and .909 SV %. He has not been spectacular, but certainly good enough to keep his team in almost every game they have played.
This series should produce some of the best offensive hockey we have seen all year. While both goalies have been adequate, this one will come down to which team’s stars can put the puck in the net most often. Expect a few overtimes and possibly a shootout or two as this one is going the full seven games. Look for the San Jose Sharks to finally break through and make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
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