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Hawks in 6

April 13, 2010, 2:27 PM ET [ Comments]
John Jaeckel
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
As Joe Friday used to say: Just the facts.

There's already a lot of emotion on other message boards about this topic, most notably Josh Lile's blog, where he has the Blackhawks sweeping this series.

I won't go that far because I have always greatly respected Barry Trotz' ability to get the most out of limited talent. And the Preds (though losers of 4 out of 6 head-to-head contests) have given the Hawks some trouble this season.

That said, barring a spate of injuries or a complete meltdown, this looks like a series the Hawks should win. And no disrespect to the Preds or their fans.

One thing a whole new generation of Hawk fans learned last year is what it takes to win in the playoffs. And it's something Preds fans will see the Hawks have a great deal more of than the Preds: depth.

Depth, because you will have injuries in the playoffs and players will get tired.

Depth, because over the course of a series, with long changes and short changes, matchups become critical. You can compensate for it within the context of one game. But over the course of a 5-7 game series, matchup problems get exposed and cost you games.

The truth is, there might not be a team in the West or the entire league that can roll the four lines the Blackhawks do.

Shea Weber and Ryan Suter and Dan Hamhuis are terrific defensemen, But they can't play 40 minutes a night a piece.

The Preds were (by my rough count) 17-18-2 against playoff-bound teams this year. The Hawks, on the other hand, were 26-11-6. The Preds won the games they were supposed to win, but didn't do so well in the games they weren't necessarily supposed to win against quality opposition.

The Blackhawks finished with a +61 goal differential. The Predators were even. What this indicates is two things: the quality of the Blackhawks offense, and their defense.

Cristobal Huet's save% was .895, one of the worst in the league, but his GAA was 2.53, among the best in the league. Which speaks to one thing: the quality of the Hawks' defense in all three zones. And Antti Niemi is clearly better by all statistical measures.

On the other hand, the Preds are limited offensively. And they're going to have trouble scoring on the Hawks. The question is, how long they can keep the Hawks' offense at bay.

Hawks in 6, possibly 5.

A PLAYER TO WATCH: Troy Brouwer.

Not only did Brouwer score 22 goals this season, but he registered 189 hits. In last year's playoffs, Brouwer knocked both Matthias Ohlund of Vancouver and Dion Phaneuf of Calgary out of the playoffs on clean hits.

If Nashville tries to force the Hawks into dump and chase hockey, as Calgary and Vancouver did last year, Weber and Suter especially will be targets for Ben Eager, Brouwer and Andrew Ladd (it's rumored a Ladd hit caused the now infamous shoulder injury to Marian Hossa in last year's Western Conference Semi-Finals).

Many hockey fans inaccurately characterize the Hawks as a finesse/speed team. Actually, they are a speed team that can hit with just about anyone. And that pays big dividends in the grind of the playoffs.


Thanks for reading,

JJ
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