Blackhawks and Canucks Preview Main Event II

CHICAGO, Ill. – We have all heard the saying, “I went to a hockey game a fight broke out.” Well this battle for the Western Conference can be considered a battle with many under-cards. You can imagine that there is no love lost between these two teams who battled to a tough six games in last season’s playoff match up.
 
Chicago won the playoff series in Event I by taking Game Six by a score of 7-5. Watch for Vancouver to keep an eye on Patrick Kane who was the David to their Goliath as he scored a hat trick to lead the scoring in that game.
 
The next battle will place Chicago versus the Wonder Twin Power Sedins. In the regular season Henrik was the season’s point leader with 112 but Daniel wasn’t that far behind with 85.
 
Andrew Ladd Vs Ryan Kessler – Kessler might be a friend and Silver Medal USA Olympic linemate to Kane, but when it comes to playoff hockey, all friendship are left at the stadium door. The two battled it out in a game back in January. It ended up with Kessler calling Ladd a “coward.”
 
Roberto Luongo vs Dustin Byfuglien – Corner Coach Joel Quenneville has now placed Byfuglien back on the wing as the pest to Vancouver’s netminder. He has gotten so far deep that it looked like Luongo was in Byfuglien back pocket where there might have been a few accidental takedowns.
 
The Cage Match – The Blackhawks barely escaped the sleeper hold of the Nashville Predators in Round One. The series overall was a fairly defensive match up but offensively will keep you on edge and falling off your seat. Look for every aspect in this series, you will have the high powered offense that the Blackhawks and the Canucks as they were one and two in the conference to the defense where they both had the top two goal differentials in the conference.
Unlike the Nashville series where there was barely a penalty called, look for rounds where hookups will send players to their corners. Both Quenneville and Vancouver’s Alain Vigneault knows the animosity between the teams and both are trying to keep there players out of the penalty box, they need to use their heads and not their fists and forget about any retaliation.
 
Main Event II Chicago Blackhawks vs Vancouver Canucks – Will Vancouver be too bent up trying to be physical against Chicago? Will individual “hatred” get in the way of team play? In the regular season series the two teams faced each other four times splitting the season and each winning one game at home and away. You can’t get any closer than that. On paper both teams match up very evenly as their records show for the season.
This series might just come up to the goal tending. Will Luongo’s experience prevail or will pressure affect him like it did in the Winter Olympics. Does the Blackhawks Antti Niemi bring it up a notch having no playoff experience in the playoffs until now? Time will tell how these two teams will play out in the series.
 
Western Conference Semifinals (best-of-7) W2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. W3 Vancouver Canucks Game 1 – Saturday, May 1 – Vancouver at Chicago, 7:00pm   Game 2 – Monday, May 3 – Vancouver at Chicago, 8:00pm Game 3 – Wednesday, May 5 – Chicago at Vancouver, 8:30pm Game 4 – Friday, May 7 – Chicago   at Vancouver, 8:30pm *Game 5 – Sunday, May 9 – Vancouver at Chicago, 7:00pm *Game 6 – Tuesday, May 11 – Chicago at Vancouver, 8:30pm *Game 7 – Thursday, May 13 – Vancouver at Chicago, 7:00pm
 
* if necessary; All times Central
  Contact Matt.Chin@prohockeynews.com