Western Conference Semis - 'Nucks vs. Hawks

Tonight the 2nd round of the nhl playoffs gets underway with the start of the Vancouver Canucks vs. the Chicago Blackhawks. I expect this to be the better of the two match-ups (Ducks - Wings preview coming later) in the west this round, then again, I also thought that the Blues would put up a better fight against the 'Nucks, but we all know how that went down.


One of the major things that stand out to me in this match, is how both teams enter it. The Canucks easily swept through the first round without much of a problem. Chicago had to battle back and forth against the Flames in a series that went 6 games.

This is going to be a major telling point. Chicago is a group of young inexperienced group of kids- Toews, Kane, Sharp, Versteeg, and more- and they are fired up. They played more of a series to advance and they also haven't had the kind of layoff that Vancouver did. I think they might be able to steal game 1 in Vancouver, catching them half asleep. If the Hawks can bring a 1-1 split in the series back to a reinvigorated Chicago crowd, this series will be that much more tough for the Canucks.


But what I think this series is going to come down to, much like many other playoff series, is experience and goaltending, and I have to give the advantage of both to Vancouver.

The Brother's Sedin have been here before, and with the addition of Mats Sundin at the deadline in February that only adds to their veteran depth. Even with how great Toews and Kane may be, and they'll get their turn in the near, very near, future, I think they may get caught up in the awe of it all.

There is little doubt as to whom is the best goaltender in this series is. Roberto Luongo can be the best goaltender in the world on any given night, and he was just about unbeatable against the Blues (1.16 GAA and .962 SV%). Nikolai Khabibulin can do it, though. He carried the Tampa Bay Lightning to a cup in 2003-04...but that was also 5 years ago, and father time doesn't stop for anybody. He was solid in the regular season and again in the playoffs, but in a goaltenders duel, I'll take Luongo any day of the week.

In all, I see Vancouver taking this series in 6 and moving onto the Western Conference finals. They have the firepower to match up against the young gunners of the Hawks, but they have been here before, where Chicago has not.