Internet Hotstove is a series where Last Word On Sports asks the opinions of respected bloggers from around the internet about their team’s chances in the 2013-14 NHL Playoffs. The goal is to get a broad view of opinion from around the league as an alternative to other playoff previews.
As incredibly difficult as it is to win the Stanley Cup, it is even harder, in the modern era, to do it twice in a row. The LA Kings came close last year, but ultimately bowed out at the hands of the defending Stanley Cup Champion, the Chicago Blackhawks. Now the Hawks will have their shot at doing what nobody has done since the Wings in 1997 and 1998 and repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. But ahead of them is an incredibly difficult task, even the first round presents a huge roadblock in the form of the St. Louis Blues. The Hawks have the talent to repeat, but it’s not getting any easier this time around.
Meet the Bloggers:
Jeffrey Bartl- Editor/Founder of CheerTheAnthem.Com @CheerTheAnthem
Tab Bamford- Owner & Managing Editor of CommittedIndians.Com @The1Tab
1. Who is the Blackhawks X-factor in the playoffs?
Bamford: Corey Crawford. If he’s the guy that pushed Vancouver to seven games in 2011 and won the Cup in 2013, the Hawks are in good shape. If he’s the guy that looked lost against Phoenix in 2012, the Hawks will need to score 4 goals every night.
Bartl: There are a number of guys who need to step up their game – Brent Seabrook, Kris Versteeg and Bryan Bickell, to name a few – in order for the Blackhawks to win this series, but I’m going with Patrick Sharp. Though Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane say they’re 100 percent after missing the last part of the regular season, the ‘Hawks are going to need plenty of offense to penetrate the solid St. Louis blue line and test Ryan Miller. I’d like to see Sharp be aggressive and pot a few goals.
2. Which teams are the biggest threats to the Blackhawks Cup repeat attempt?
Bamford: In the Western Conference, Colorado and Dallas are the two teams that I think present some unique match-ups and could give the Blackhawks headaches; Colorado, to me, is like the Hawks looking in the mirror at their 2008-09 team. In the Eastern Conference, obviously Boston is the favorite but the Rangers could give the Hawks issues if they met in the Final.
Bartl: The last thing anyone should do is look past the Blues right now. If they ‘Hawks had won the division and were playing a team like Minnesota or Dallas, the answer to this question would be a team other than their first-round opponent. But at this moment, St. Louis is the biggest threat.
3. Kane and Toews were injured down the stretch, what did you think of the team’s play without them?
Bamford: It was inconsistent, but that’s to be expected when two of your better players are out. I was pleased to see some younger players – specifically Jeremy Morin and Ben Smith – step up, and Andrew Shaw played well while they were missing as well. It also provided a nice reminder of how great Marian Hossa is on every inch of the ice.
Bartl: Kane’s last regular-season game actually was against St. Louis on March 19, and the Blackhawks lost four of their next six without him. Then Toews went down against Pittsburgh on March 30 and they proceeded to win four straight before dropping a pair of meaningless games to close the season. I’d characterize the team’s performance without both of them as “average,” so having them back surely will be a nice boost coming into this series.
4. What is the weakness of this team?
Bamford: Complacency. If they take a period off in the playoffs, they’ll get smoked. There were times since the Olympics that they came out flat and got their lunches handed to them in the first period against a team they should have handled.
Bartl: Right now it has to be the power play. And given St. Louis’ aggressive nature and propensity to make a conga line to the penalty box at times, this will need to improve. The Blues were second in the league in penalty minutes, and the Blackhawks converted 5 of 14 (35 percent) power plays during the five-game season series. The ‘Hawks, though, went just 3 for 35 (8.6 percent) with the man advantage over their last 12 regular-season games. That type of production can’t happen in this series.
5. Do you think the Blackhawks will repeat as Stanley Cup Champs?
Bamford: Can they? Absolutely. But health will be the determining factor. If Toews and Kane are close to 100 percent for the next eight weeks, the Hawks are as good and deep as anyone in the game.
Bartl: No, and I hope I’m wrong. They’ll likely have to start each series on the road in the gauntlet of the Western Conference, and I just don’t see them being able to get through it. The potential of having to face St. Louis, Colorado and Anaheim just to reach the Final seems a bit much.
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