Chicago Blackhawks at Anaheim Ducks 7PM Central/5PM Pacific NBCSN/CBC/TVA
THE BUZZ
Can game 3 possibly come close to game 2 for drama? Well, I think all would agree, as long as it doesn’t take nearly 6 periods, drama is fine.
Rather than the typical game preview, I am going to delve into some of the conventional wisdonm that floated around before the series, is floating around now, and the actual facts that seem to have emerged after 2 games.
MYTH: “Chicago will easily win the possession battle.…
Hasn’t been the case. Actually, looking at it dispassionately, it’s been kinda even—and a projected faceoff dot advantage for Chicago hasn’t come to fruition, with only Brad Richards being in plus territory for Chicago in the series. The Ducks are bringing more speed than the Hawks probably counted on; conversely, Chicago is showing a lot more tenacity down low.
MYTH: “Chicago’s top 4 defense will wilt under too many minutes and too many hits.…
Hasn’t happened. At least not yet. How easily some forget p.r. storylines of years past. One of which was the amazing aerobic capacity and endurance of Duncan Keith. Keith’s VO2 max has been measured at a level equal to Lance Armstrong (with or without enhancement). He was by far the fastest player on the ice still in the 6th period Tuesday night. Er, I mean, Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, Anaheim’s defense racked up some big minutes too. And they lost, which has to be somewhat draining. Another telling stat, Anaheim’s top forwards logged marginally more minutes in game 2 than Chicago’s did. And it was 2-3 Anaheim players who seemed hobbled at times in the overtime periods (cramps?), not Chicago’s.
MYTH: “Cumiskey will fail.…
Also didn’t happen. He had a couple of gaffes that might be as much due to not playing at top speed for some time as anything else. But Kyle Cumiskey, inserted as the Blackhawks’ #6 defenseman, did some things well in game 2, and seemed to get better as the game went on.
MYTH: “Andersen will be exposed.…
Hasn’t happened. He’s been great. But bad news for Anaheim, Corey Crawford might have been better Tuesday night. Which keads ot my next myth.
MYTH: “Chicago got lucky in game 2.…
Ummm, no. Sure, Anaheim hit some posts and cross bars. But anyone who has any experience with goaltending will tell you, that’s typically the sign of a well-positioned goalie. Which Crawford was, especially as the game went on, and the pressure ramped up. And when Crawford is on, he usually stays on with more work. And Anaheim was lucky at times. Lucky that they didn’t lose one of their defensemen to ejection in the first period for not one but two dirty plays. Lucky Chicago didn’t get an extra opportunity on a powerplay that was clearly clicking.
MYTH: “The Ducks will hit Chicago out of the building.…
The Ducks are registering a lot of hits. But the Hawks seem none the worse for wear—at this point. But the other side of the coin is, the Ducks are taking some hits too. Ryan Kesler took at least two big hits (from Jonathan Toews and Bryan Bickell) Tuesday night/Wednesday morning that seemed to shake him up. And Kesler and Corey Perry are rumored to be playing on bad knees.
MYTH: “It’s all about the top lines.…
Both teams’ fourth lines have been the story. Nate Thompson’s for Anaheim in game 1. Marcus Kruger’s for Chicago in game 2.
PLAYERS TO WATCH TONIGHT:
Ryan Getzlaf, C, Anaheim
This is a very good hockey player who has to want to play well in order to redeem an egregious misplay on Kruger’s winning goal in Game 2. Would not be surprising if Getzlaf had a big game tonight.
Fredrik Andersen, G, Anaheim
How will he bounce back after the disappointment of game 2? And in the unfriendly confines of the United Center?
Clayton Stoner, D, Anaheim
Stoner will have the referees crosshairs on his back, for sure. He knows he got away with one in game 2 that called out on national tv. Will he rein it in? Will he go over the line and cost his team with the refs likely ready to penalize him?
Antoine Vermette, C, Chicago
Vermette’s third line, featuring Teuvo Teravainen, was more dangerous as the game wore on Tuesday. If this line really starts clicking, in addition to Kruger’s and Chicago’s potent top lines, it will be a gigantic matchup headache for Duck coach Bruce Boudreau.
Kyle Cumiskey, D, Chicago
All eyes will be on the 28 year-old journeyman-how many minutes can Joel quenneville utilize him and how well will he do?
Patrick Kane, RW, Chicago
Kane’s been quiet thus far in the series, but he’s also come close at times. Statistically, Kane typically does much better in Games 5-7 of a series than in games 1-4.
I’ll have a recap tomorrow,
JJ
Check out Hockey Streams. See NHL, AHL and CHL streamed in HD right to your computer, tablet or gaming device for a small donation: http://www.hockeystreams.com/ref/51981