Chicago Blackhawks-San Jose Sharks Western Conference Finals Preview
Written by Tyler Juranovich, Wednesday May 12 2010
The Chicago Blackhawks and the San Jose Sharks both took down two worthy opponents in their second round of playoff action. The Hawks beat the Vancouver Canucks in six, and the Sharks shocked the hockey world with an upset of the Detroit Red Wings in five games. The tow best teams, seed-wise, will battle it out to see who is worthy of playing for the Stanley Cup.
If the reguular season record between these two mean anything to anybody, it would be in the Hawks' favor.
The Hawks won three out of the four regular season games, including a 7-2 blowout of San Jose in San Jose. A game that was Marian Hossa's first game of the season and also the final game of the Hawks' eight game win streak.
But all of that is different now that it's the playoffs. The games, no doubt, will be fast-paced with the Sharks having a physical dominance over the Hawks, but the Hawks have shown that speed beats brawn, as evident it their disposal of two physical teams, Nashville and Vancouver.
San Jose hasn't played in nearly a week so they are bound to be a little rusty, giving the Hawks the advantage going into San Jose for the first two games. The Hawks, on the other hand, have just come off a great moral booster. I like the chances of the Hawks stealing a game in San Jose and bringing back home-ice to Chicago.
Is home-ice really an advantage for the Hawks?
Stats say no.
So far the Hawks are 3-3 in the United Center and 5-1 on the road. As you can see the Hawks' records are not conforming to the norm. But now the Hawks don't have the initial home-ice advantage, which could work in their favor, seeing how they win more games on the road than at home.
San Jose is coming off a series in which, I believe, they played their best hockey of the season. They cemented in my head that they could give the Hawks and any other team some troubles and a run for their money.
The Sharks have been considered a lame duck in the playoffs. The past few years they have always managed to be atop or near the top of the Western Conference, but have failed to recreate that success into the playoffs.
This year is different.
The Sharks are finally getting production from both the skaters and the goaltender, both proving to be deadly forces for Stanley Cup hopefuls.
From an outsider's point of view I still like the Hawks in six games. They have the talent, the potent offense, and the goaltending to get the job done.
contact author: tyler.juranovich@gmail.com
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