Western Conference finals: Blackhawks-Sharks
The San Jose Sharks have shed the choke artist title with their success in the playoffs so far this year, but the Chicago Blackhawks stand between them and a chance to play for the Stanley Cup.
The Sharks are the top seed in the Western Conference, edging the Hawks by one point during the regular season. That one point now gives San Jose home-ice advantage throughout the series.
Home-ice might not be an advantage in this series, though, as Chicago is 5-1 on the road during the playoffs. The Blackhawks dropped their first road game of the playoffs in Nashville but have won five in a row since. As good as the Blackhawks have been on the road, their home record is quite the opposite. The team has a 3-3 record and has been outscored 19-14 at the United Center.
The Sharks have been unstoppable at HP Pavilion during their playoff run. Just like the Blackhawks on the road, the Sharks dropped their first home game and have not lost since.
The two conference foes have played each other four times during the regular season, with the Blackhawks taking three of four. Three of the four games were one-goal games and two of those needed overtime to decide a winner. Brent Seabrook and Troy Brouwer provided the overtime goals for Chicago. The Blackhawks outscored the Sharks 17-11 during the regular season.
The big players showed up to play when these teams faced off during the regular season. Dany Heatley had five points, Joe Thornton had four and Joe Pavelski had five against the Blackhawks in those games. Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa tallied five points apiece against San Jose, while Jonathan Toews added four of his own.
Evgeni Nabokov has played well in the playoffs but not spectacularly. Nabokov’s goals-against average is the same in the playoffs at this point as it was during the regular season, 2.43. His save percentage has taken a dip during the postseason. Nabokov finished the regular season with a .922 save percentage, but during the playoffs his save percentage is .907.
Neither Detroit nor Colorado had a presence like Dustin Byfuglien in front of Nabokov. While Byfuglien only has four goals and six points in the playoffs, he has done his fair share of blocking goaltenders’ view and stirring things up.
Antti Niemi still hasn’t given Chicago an answer whether he's the goaltender that can bring the Stanley Cup to Chicago. Niemi has two shutouts, both coming in the first round against Nashville.
The key to beating Niemi is crashing the net. Niemi kicks a lot of rebounds to the middle of the ice, giving opponents grade-A opportunities in front of the net. If the Sharks want to be successful early on, they have to get to the net and be ready for a rebound.
Pavelski proved he could put pucks past Chicago goaltending with three goals in four games against the Blackhawks and that scoring ability is more important now than ever. Pavelski has nine goals and 15 points to lead the Sharks in both categories in the playoffs, but he has not scored in his last three games. Pavelski has eleven shots and one assist during the past three games, so he needs to get his offense going to provide a spark for the Sharks early on against the Blackhawks.
Prediction: Chicago in 7
