Tampa v Chicago: Who will win it?
So, the Conference finals have been settled after two games sevens and Chicago and Tampa progressed. Tampa were backstopped by Bishop to a Game 7 shutout in a 2-0 win at Madison Square Gardens. It was the first time the Rangers had lost a Game 7 at MSG. On the other coast the Blackhawks took control of the game and fired past the Anaheim Ducks 5-3 to set up a Hawks - Bolts final.
The Bolts have had a long road having faced off and beaten Detroit 4-3 in seven games in the first before ending a come-back from Montreal in the second to win in six. With their 7 games against the Rangers they have played the second most number of games of teams who advanced to the Conference finals. Behind the Rangers who went to 7 in each round.
In contrast the Hawks have had an easier route. They had to come from behind against the Predators to win the series in six but they had a much easier match-up in the second round sweeping the Wild. The Anaheim Ducks put in a great shift against the Hawks exposing their defence and putting questions at times above Crawford. However, they were strong enough to lean on Toews and Kane to advance them to the Stanley Cup.
The Lightning have a strong forward line right now that has been lead by the Palat, Johnson and Kucherov line so far. Together they have combined for 28 of the 55 goals the Lightning have scored so far. Stamkos took a while to get going but now he is in a groove and has 14 points in his last 12 games. The Lightning's offence is strong because of their depth. They roll more than one line that is able to score which means the defence has to be spread opening chances.
The Blackhawks biggest strength is their attitude and ability to get out of a situation. It's nothing to do with luck and everything to do with skill and belief. So many times now they have been able to lean on their top players, in no part due to the superb supporting cast. A lot of teams would go behind in a series after five games and think that they are done. But not the Hawks who keep pushing and seem to find something from nowhere. Like the Lightning they too have a strong offense.
If I had to pick a weakness for each team then for the Lightning it would be inconsistency in their defence. More often than not they will put in a good shut-down performance and limit their opponent to less than 3 goals. In fact, in the 20 games they have played so far the opponent has scored less than 3 goals in 13 of them. The problem is when they have an off night they seem to let their side down. The series against the Rangers was the most expensive with 21 goals conceded compared to the 15 in the Detroit series and 13 in the Montreal series.
The biggest weakness I would have for Chicago if I had to find one would be their reliance on Keith and the situation of their defence. They have relied heavily on their top four defence after Rozsival was injured in the series against the Wild. Keith has been the main victim of increased minutes playing over 30 minutes on average in the series. This can take its toll on players and they'll be thankful for the rest period before the series starts.
My prediction for the series. I think that the Bolts will push the Hawks far and I would prefer to see them win as I think it would be great for hockey in Florida and it would be nice to see a "different" team win it. However, I think the Hawks will be too strong and win in 6.
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