The NHL Playoffs are upon us. Let’s welcome the best time of the year by taking a preliminary look at the playoff series that lay ahead.
Central Division: #2 St. Louis Blues vs #3 Chicago Blackhawks.
The St. Louis Blues are a team with a chip on their shoulder. Though they have had great expectations as a team in each of their last few trips to the postseason, they have not been past the first round of the playoffs in the last three years. Four years ago, they were swept in the second round by the Los Angeles Kings.
These two teams met in the first round two years ago. Ryan Miller was the Blues’ goaltender after making a splash at the trade deadline.
Perhaps what is most frustrating for the Blues is their inability to force a longer series. Their last six playoff losses have come in series less than seven games. The last time St. Louis was in a seven-game series was in 2003, but that was only because they blew a 3-1 series lead to the Canucks.
Chicago’s playoff track record speaks for itself, at this point. They have won two of the last three Stanley Cups and visited the Western Conference Final three years running. Ho hum.
Why the Blues will win: Brian Elliott.
Brian Elliott has been the hottest goaltender in the league in this last month. He is 12-1-1 in his last 14 decisions with a three-game shutout streak in March. The Blues are one of the toughest teams to score on the league, boasting the fourth-fewest goals allowed in the league. They also have the third-best penalty kill. If the Blues are going to shut down one of the best offenses in the league, and the league’s leading scorer in Patrick Kane, they will need Brian Elliott to stand on his head. Elliott has not had a playoff decision since the lockout-shortened 2013 season. Jake Allen and Ryan Miller have gotten the last two years’ worth of playoff starts.
St. Louis’ X-Factor: The best defense is a good offense.
As one of the stingiest teams in the league, the Blues are going to have their hands full trying to contain Kane, Toews and the Hawks. St. Louis has allowed only five goals to the Hawks in their last three encounters, though in their first two meets in the year, they allowed nine. When games become a shootout with the scoring getting higher and higher, the Blues have a lot more trouble keeping up. They defend low-scoring games very well. They will need to continually find the back of the net to take it to Chicago early in the series. If they let their opponent dictate the pace of play, they may see another early exit.
Why the Blackhawks will win: Confidence.
It’s a copout of an answer and not exactly one that is easy to back up with tangible evidence, but it makes sense. The Chicago Blackhawks have been to three straight Western Conference Finals. Their core has won three Cups together. Everyone up and down their lineup has not only been there before, but has thrived there. Kane, Toews, Keith, Crawford, Seabrook, Ladd, Hossa, the list goes on and on.
Chicago’s X-Factor: Duncan Keith.
The suspension handed to Duncan Keith was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, Chicago was able to rest their best defenseman for the final five games of the regular season, removing all risk of injury. Which is good, considering there have been plenty of last-second injuries that have put a wrench into teams’ postseason plans, like Ryan McDonagh in New York or Tyler Johnson in Tampa Bay. However, the suspension does spill over into tonight, which could be a major disadvantage. The Hawks are 1-5 in their last six games against teams with a winning record and are 3-8 in their last 11 games in St. Louis. Without one of their key leaders, victory tonight seems unlikely. He will need to be a difference-maker when he returns for Game 2, which is totally plausible. Ya know, the whole reigning Conn Smythe winner thing and all that.
Health will also be a concern, namely that of Marian Hossa, who has been battling various injuries all season long.
Prediction: Blues in 7.
