Saturday, May 16, 2015

Blackhawks Go Duck Hunting



Knuckle Puck Mighty Ducks Giphy gif
My exposure to the pastime of the Great White North has been very gradual to say the least. In childhood I probably watched The Mighty Ducks (why Anaheim changed their name/logo is beyond me) a dozen times and tried to replicate a "knuckle puck" anytime I came in contact with anything remotely shaped like a ho-ho. I played street hockey with all the kids my age in my neighborhood for probably half of one summer but the constant stops due to traffic proved to be too much for our fragile attention spans and the ritual quickly dwindled. I remember as a teenager ESPN added a tail of fire behind the puck during highlights which made it easier for me to watch. Beyond that, I grew up just a typical ball-sport loving American kid.

Then I went to college at Utah State University. Nightlife in Logan can often be dry and the club hockey team offered some of the best entertainment around. Now I live in southern Oregon and have become very good friends with a somewhat rational man whose passion for the game has made me actually check the bottom line of Sportscenter for Blackhawks scores. Long story short, I am now a Chicago Blackhawks "fan" and this is a post about how they're going to soon hoist Lord Stanley of Preston's cup as the NHL champions. Hat tip to Ray Dinkins for providing the vast majority of the content and analysis forthcoming. I asked Ray, who has been a hockey coach and currently has a daughter playing collegiate hockey back East, to give me three reasons the Blackhawks will win the Stanley Cup. I then looked up some stats to back up what he has to say. Here we go:

Reason #1: " They are veterans of the pressure. They have won the cup twice in the last five years and have not missed the playoffs for years (2007-2008 was the last time). They are calm and cool under pressure and don't understand the concept of panic."

  • Impressive resume, but are there any numbers from THIS postseason that back up Ray's claims? So far this postseason, the 'hawks have won 5 of 6 games when they are outshot by their opponents. This ranks them number one in the league in terms of wins when being outshot. Pretty cool customers considering the barrage of shot attempts being taken against them.
Reason #2: "Offensive depth: It's possible to match a Patrick Kane and/or Jonathan Toews. But nobody can match them plus Patrick Sharp, Marion Hossa, Andrew Shaw, Brandon Saad, etc. I mean, the offensive depth of the Hawks makes every single line a starting line on other teams."
  • No team can match their front four in Toews, Kane, Sharp, and Hossa. What has been Chicago's achilles heel in previous years has been when their opponents have stronger forwards in the 5-12 slots. This year is a different case. Chicago has proved this by ranking first in overall goals this postseason, first in 1st period goals, and first in 2nd period goals. 
Reason #3: "The Big 4. The Hawks have the best 4 defensive players in the league and the 4 of them alone can put in a complete game. Duncan Keith, Johnny Oduya, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarrson...these guys will shut down any powerhouse offense. Add Corey Crawford in net (struggled to end the season but is in veteran cup winning form right now) and opponent's goals will be hard to come by." 
  • This may be where one could argue the Hawks may have an achilles heel. Of the four teams left in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Chicago is the only one outside the top five in terms of goals against per game this postseason at 2.8. However, there is reason for optimism as they only gave up 1.75 GPG in the Minnesota series, including a shutout in game 3 of the series where Corey Crawford was 30/30 on save opportunities. 
It is hard to argue with his reasoning, and the results thus far back up his conclusions. If the Blackhawks want to make it 3 cups in six years, they will have to make it through the Ducks who feature two of the games' best in Perry and Getzlaf. They've been successful thus far as they have dominated Anaheim on both occasions this year. Take this to the bank, whoever wins the Western Conference final is bound to win the cup because the Eastern Conference in Hockey is the equivalent of the Eastern Conference in the NBA. Let's go Hawks!



-Rhett

2 comments:

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  2. So after the opening Anaheim home stand what do we know now?

    1) The physicality of the Ducks may be a game changer. The Ducks' game plan is to lay 40+ hits per game, and so far they are pounding the Hawks. The 'Big 4' defenders for the Blackhawks, amassing a tremendous amount of TOI (time on ice), are paying a huge price and you have to ask yourself if they can hold on. The Blackhawks must maintain the speed and pace of the game. The speed and transition game of the Blackhawks is how they can overcome the physicality of the Ducks.

    2) The Big 4 Blackhawks defenders were clearly not enough in game 1. With the injury to a key 5th defender (Michael Roszival) in the series with the Wild, the Blackhawks called up David Runblad. He proved to be disastrous in Game 1. Young Kyle Cumiskey was called on for Game 2, and while better, the verdict is still out if he will be enough.

    3) The Ducks depth is proving to be formidable. The Ducks 4th line was the best line in Game 2. The offensive depth of the Ducks has been surprising.

    4) Captain, my captain! Jonathan Toews is doing his job...and doing it well. Kesler and Getzlaf (the Ducks dynamic duo) have been relatively held in check and have not been able to execute their game plan or run the Hawks.

    5) Calling Patrick Kane!?! Kaner has been totally silent in the series. The Ducks are doing a great job of taking time and space from the star. But watch out, under pressure and in a jam, Kaner will make you pay. Look for him to be the hero in games to come.

    6) Corey Crawford is. and must remain, in the Stanley Cup zone. He stood on his head in Game 2, and he must remain sharp to win the series. When he's on, he's a brick wall. Anderson is doing his part for the Ducks, Crawford has to continuously be better. He can, but will he?

    7) The Hawks still find ways to win! When it's close late, they can make it happen. They're patient and never panic. That showed up in Game 2 and the value of that veteran status cannot be understated. Stealing one in Anaheim is huge!

    Blackhawks players showing a playoff 'bump' that you can continue to count on...Desjardins, Teräväinen, and Shaw. Blackhawks players that need to contribute a bit more...Bickell, Sharp, and whoever plays D beyond the Big 4.

    Sticking to it: Blackhawks in 6!

    Go Hawks!

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