Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks Matchup Round 1

#1 Vancouver Canucks (54-19-9) vs. #8 Chicago Blackhawks (44-29-9)
Season series split 2-2

Vancouver is best in the league on home ice (and overall) so home ice is good for them especially because Chicago has also done very well at home. This is of course the 2nd year in a row where the Canucks play the Blackhawks and each time Chicago came out on top. This year with the Canucks winning the President's Trophy with ease, things may seem to be a different. Both teams played pretty well ending off the year. Chicago even had a pre-playoff, playoff game against the Red Wings as they tried to make a last push into the playoffs. The high intensity game went back and forth and the Blackhawks battled back from a couple of deficits but came up just short against the 3rd seeded Wings. However, the Blackhawks looked pretty Sharp (no punn intended) in this warm up battle. Expect another great series out of these two.

Offense: Vancouver:
A wise man once said, "That Sedin guy is really good out there on the ice. It's like there are 2 of them!" The Sedin twins combined had 198 points and 60 goals. Sure, Wayne Gretzky pretty much did this on his own one season but nowadays this is truly sensational. They dominate games along with sidekick Ryan Kessler who enjoyed a fantastic season as well. They lead the league in goals per game at 3.15. They also have depth which is key. I would not be surprised if Raffi Torres has a good series. Torres has been a great secondary scorer and had a good playoff run with Edmonton in '06. He had a solid season for Vancouver and he has several big goals for them. This team is high scoring and high flying and one reason they were the best so far.

Chicago:
After winning the cup, the Blackhawks had a good offensive season also. Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Toews (pronounced 'taves') enjoyed another splendid season and Golden Goal scorer Patrick Kane also played sensational for the Hawks (and this year he didn't beat up a Cab driver). The Hawks also have a great deal of secondary scoring. Overall they scored 3.07 goals per game which is 4th best in the league. Tomas Kopecky had a good year after helping win the cup. I also like Fernando Pisani, also a member of the '06 Oilers team. Hossa of course is back with the team and adds more threat. Many players are returning from last year like Sharp, Brouwer and Bolland. These guys not only won the cup, but beat Vancouver on the way and they'll be confident this year as well. The Blackhawks have arguably the best goal song in the NHL (Chelsea Dagger) and the Hawks are hoping it stays in the Canucks' ears. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3cV688Fi-g

Defense: Vancouver:
Faced many, many injury problems over the year but somehow, this fantastic core is healthy enough going into the playoffs. Alex Edler and Dan Hamhuis just came back from injuries and if they are healthy, are a huge threat on offense as well. Christian Ehrhoff is one of the best offensive defensemen in the league as well as defensive. Sami Salo and Keith Ballard are also great players and this is one of the best defensive lineup in the league. These players and Vancouver's 2.2 goals against per game are just ANOTHER reason why they have been the best.

Chicago:
Two Words. Duncan. Keith. One of the best in the game was key in their cup win last year. Him and Seabrook are a force out on the ice as they both play over 25 minutes a game. Both talented on offense and defense. Each one had a game tying goal against Detroit in game number 82 and they lead by example. Brian Campbell and Niklas Hjalmarsson were also instrumental in winning the cup last year and both very good this year also. Chicago is ranked 12th with 2.68 goals against per game and their defensemen are ready for this postseason.

Goaltending: Vancouver:
Roberto Luongo has been up their with the best goalies for a while. He dazzled everyone when he played with Florida and has been very well in Vancouver as well. He hasn't been THAT great in the playoffs the last couple of years but this year his reliable backup, Corey Schneider, played 25 games to help with the load. Lu had another marvelous year with 38 wins, a 2.11 GAA, and a .928 SV%. Chicago has dominated him in the post season the last two years. He's been waiting for the chance to do some damage in the post season and this year the gold meddle winning goalie seems like he can get it done.

Chicago:
Going into the season, Chicago didn't have their Stanley Cup winning Goaltender Antti Niemi. Instead they were riding on the backs of Marty Turco who had been solid in Dallas. People were expecting great things (I, personally, wasn't one of them) but he didn't play too great and eventually got injured and then lost his job to rookie sensation Corey Crawford. Behind Crawford, Chicago was able to pick up the slack and move back into contention. He played fantastic down the stretch and the Blackhawks are hoping he can help beat the Canucks in the playoffs yet again.

Special Teams: Vancouver:
PP-24.3% (ranked 1st)
PK-85.6% (ranked 3rd)

Chicago:
PP-23.1% (ranked 4th)
PK-79.2% (ranked 25th)

Vancouver dominated all year. However, they still have to be careful because the Hawks have a very good power play system. The Hawks have to stay back from stupid penalties because if they start messing around and end up in the box too often, it will be a quick series.

Bottom Line: Vancouver:
In 2009 the Canucks were battling the Blackhawks hard. However, things fell apart badly for them in games 5 and 6 as the Blackhawks were able to take the series. Last year, the Canucks were riding high after a game 1 win but lost the next 3 and then eventually the series in 6 games again. The last thing the Canucks want to do is lose for the third year in a row against the now-rivals Blackhawks. Also, they saw what happened to last year's President Trophy winners, the Capitals and how they lost to the 8th seeded Canadiens in the first round. This is supposed to be their season and they worked too hard to throw it all away.

Chicago:
At times this season it appeared that they went off track after winning the cup and then losing many players due to free agency. However, they've certainly heated up and have improved their game and somehow slipped into the much fought for 8th playoff spot in the west. The former champs know what it takes to win it all and their returning stars and mature vets will play hard all series. Crawford will have to play spectacular to stop the high flying Canucks but Chi-town feels they can do it again against Vancouver.

Predictions:
Vancouver is too good at too many things to not succeed in the playoffs. It's close to impossible to find a weakness in them. They scored the most goals and gave up the fewest in a spectacular season for the team in British Columbia. This is not the Hawks year as they struggled too often. Crawford will try hard but in the end Vancouver just can not be beat. If Chicago can stay focused and energies all series, it might get interesting but I don't see it happening.
Vancouver wins it in 5.