After rallying back from a 2-0 series deficit to eliminate the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Chicago Blackhawks’ journey continues as they face off against the Minnesota Wild for the second year in a row.
Last season, the defending Stanley Cup champions handled Minnesota with ease after at 4-1 series win sent the Wild packing. This year, Hawks fans shouldn’t expect the North Star State to go quietly.
Minnesota shocked the hockey universe by conquering the Colorado Avalanche with a Game 7 overtime goal by 21-year-old forward Nino Niederreiter. As the franchise prepares to advance to the second round for the first time since 2003, they have proven themselves to be a worthy opponent for the Blackhawks in this Western Conference semifinal matchup.
Wild versus Blackhawks
On the offensive front, Chicago will be looking to their veteran superstars to be at the top of their game throughout the entire series. Hawks captain Jonathan Toews and elite playmaker Patrick Kane will need to be the dynamic duo they’re capable of being. While Toews leads the team with seven points in six postseason games (three goals, four assists), Kane has yet again shown his true value with his ability to perform at the highest level when it counts the most. His six points (three goals, three assists) ranks second on the team.
Additionally, a few young role players have stepped into the spotlight as well. Both Andrew Shaw and Brandon Saad have recorded four points each, which is something that will need to continue in order for Chicago to sustain any type of secondary scoring throughout their lineup.
Despite the majority of success amongst Blackhawks forwards, certain players such as Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp have found themselves struggling quite a bit at this point in the postseason. Over the course of the 82-game, regular season campaign, the two players combined for a total of 138 points with Sharp leading the team with 78. Astonishingly, they have only combined for three points in these playoffs.
For the Wild, their offensive game is led by Minneapolis native Zach Parise who has undoubtedly paved the way for his team’s recent success. Accumulating an incredible 10 points in seven games (three goals, seven assists), Parise has an uncanny ability to singlehandedly take over a game and alter the outcome. He will be the main point of emphasis for the Hawks defense as the series unfolds.
Following behind him is the team’s captain, Mikko Koivu, whose six points (one goal, five assists) have all come at critical times for Minnesota.
Their greatest strength is the current balance throughout their roster in terms of offensive production. Experienced players like Danny Heatley, Jason Pominville, and Kyle Brodziak as well as newcomer rookies Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund have all been putting up consistent numbers this postseason.
When it comes to these two teams defensively, they both have very strong cores. On the Blackhawks blue line, top-pair tandem Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have continued to be the go-to-guys for head coach Joel Quenneville. Keith’s dynamic play has been showing the rest of the hockey world why he’s the lead candidate for the 2014 Norris Trophy, which is awarded every year to the best defenseman in the league. Averaging around 30 minutes of ice time a game during the first round, he’s been an explosive force for the Hawks on both sides of the puck posting seven points along with a plus-six rating.
On the Wild’s back end, 29-year-old Ryan Suter is the unbreakable chain that holds his team together. However, he hasn’t yet played to his true potential in these playoffs. His four points and a minus-three rating isn’t what Wild fans have come to expect from the veteran defenseman. Be on the lookout for that to change quickly.
Easily the most intriguing aspect to this postseason rematch is the men between the pipes. For Chicago, proven Stanley Cup winner Corey Crawford will tend the cage. His 1.98 goals against average paired with a .935 save percentage ranks him among the top three goalies at this point in the playoff season.
In Minnesota’s crease, trade deadline acquisition Ilya Bryzgalov will start the series. The Wild’s presumable No. 1 net minder, rookie Darcy Kuemper, was injured during Game 7 of their first round series when Colorado forward Matt Duchene collided with him behind the net. Kuemper is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Whether or not he will return to the lineup this series still remains unclear.
