Game 5 Preview
There are multiple storylines in tonight's game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
The Blackhawks go for the kill; the Predators fight to stay alive and possibly begin to shift momentum in the series.
Do Shea Weber and/or Mike Fisher play for the Preds?
Can 26 year-old rookie Scott Darling continue his completely unexpected dominance?
Does Nashville Coach Peter LaViolette have another wrinkle or line combination to try to implement?
The answers to the last three questions probably inform how the game, and possibly the series, ends tonight.
Expect more of the same from Joel Quenneville and the Blackhawks: checking up and down the ice, trying to maintain offensive zone pressure with a cycle and pinching defensemen. The lines and likely the defense pairings will remain the same.
Some have stated that the 5-on-5 play has been even or even tilted to Nashville. I think there's an argument for that in the series overall, but in Games 3 and 4, the Blackhawks seemed to hold sway, especially in the latter stages of regulation in both games.
Quenneville seems to have found his lines, the latest being Antoine Vermette, centering Patrick Kane and Bryan Bickell. The more pressure the Hawks can generate via multiple lines, the more pressure they put on the Preds blueline minus Weber (or with him at less than 100%).
Toward the end of Game 4, after being joined with Vermette and Bickell, Kane's game seemed to be getting more dynamic and dangerous—with more space to operate. In truth, Kane has basically been a non-factor thus far. In light of a 3-1 series advantage for the Hawks, that's bad news for Nashville. Because Kane's play in the latter stages of Game 4 and his overall playoff history suggest he is due for a break out. Over his career, Kane has gaudy playoff numbers overall—but they are absolutely sick in games 5-7 of series.
Goaltending, at both ends, could also be the story tonight. Pekka Rinne was very good in game 5. None of the Hawk goals could really be called soft and he made some huge saves.
Some are waiting for Darling's carriage to the ball to turn back into a pumpkin. But the way he plays, I don't see it. His is a low-risk style that that takes advantage of his size, and he's repeatedly shown the ability to make big, big saves.
But not to be discounted is the quality of defense in front of him. There were breakdowns galore in Games 1 and 2, where Darling saved the Hawks' bacon (and Corey Crawford didn't). But those really disappeared in Games 3-4. Darling saw more rubber in both those games than Rinne did, but Rinne, in my opinion, faced the tougher chances.
As far as Weber or Fisher. If either plays, it's basically a given they would not be 100%. So maybe their presence provides more of a psychological lift than an actual difference on the ice.
As far as the game itself, Nashville will come out sky high, pushing the pace and probably throwing some hits. The Hawks need to weather the storm, and if they can get an early goal all the better.
Once the pace settles in, it could end up being another long night (early morning).
I'll recap tomorrow.