Western Conference Final
by Eric Berkenpas
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? You get a Western Conference final between the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks. In my mind, this is the most intriguing matchup thus far in the playoffs and the Pens and Hawks is the only series that could top it. The Kings didn't have a season even close to comparable to the Hawks but come playoff time, LA looks like the team to beat in the West after Chicago struggled with the old bearded men of Detroit. You can immediately dismiss the seeds of either of these teams because they are neck and neck. If I had to put odds on this game, they would be the same for both teams. Let's get into it!
Season Series
1/19/2013 CHI 5 @ LAK 2
2/17/2013 LAK 2 @ CHI 3
3/25/2013 CHI 4 @ LAK 5
#5 Los Angeles Kings
I know, I know, you are probably yelling at me in your head about putting the seed in front of LA. Well, I did so deal with it. The Kings had the tougher road to get to where they are now. Jonathan Quick was a huge question mark at the start of the playoffs because of the shaky season he had. It did not take long at all to see which Quick hit the crease. From the start of the playoffs, Quick has been lights out between the pipes. He has been by far the best goalie, posting a 1.50 GAA in 13 games including 3 shutouts. He has put this team on his back and that very fact should be very disconcerting for any opponent. Mike Richards who was virtually invisible through the season has stepped up in a big way and leads his team with 10 points in the playoffs. Jeff Carter is doing his usual thing in scoring goals and leads the team with 5. The goal scoring has been the issue though. Yes, Quick built a brick wall in front of the net, but that wall will only get this team so far. Quick needs to get some support and while the support has been enough through the first two rounds, it won't be enough this round. Anze Kopitar needs to get going. A player of his caliber should not be carrying only 2 goals and 5 assists at this point in the playoffs. Dustin Brown who was the man last year has been sleeping on the job. Getting Jarret Stoll back will be huge for the Kings as that means they can re-insert Brown into that top line and renew chemistry all over the place.
#1 Chicago Blackhawks
Regardless of how the Hawks are playing or what the series is looking like, they always find a way to win and score when they need to, and this is what makes the Hawks so gosh darn hard to beat. They have depth all over the ice which is evidenced in the fact that their fearless leader, Jonathan Toews, has registered only 7 points in 12 games and Kane only has 9 points. Hossa and Sharp are leading the way with 11 a piece but the Hawks are getting solid contributions from the likes of Shaw, Keith, Bickell and Handzus. Corey Crawford should have shaken all the doubters by now as he has been phenomenal for the Hawks and stood up in big moments to make big saves. He seems focused and ready to lead his team to the finals but due credit must be given to the dynamic set of defensemen in front of him. Oduya, Hjalmarsson, Keith and Seabrook particularly have been playing a solid defensive game in front of Crawford, making his job easy. The power play has not been good but that comes as no surprise to anyone given that the power play wasn't good in the season. It doesn't really matter so long as you can score the 5 on 5 goals which the Hawks have proven by now that they can do. The penalty kill has been the thing that has helped Chicago to win the special teams battle. They have surrendered only 1 PPG so far and are clicking at 97.6%. That is amazing and will be crucial as the Kings have been one of the better teams on the power play in the playoffs thus far.
Los Angeles is going to try to get very physical against Chicago to wear them down and disrupt their pace that they like to play at. Brown will be much more involved this series. Being the captain, he is going to have to exemplify that physicality and grit all over the ice which is his bread and butter. Matt Greene is another guy who is going to have to be very active. The last time he played against the Hawks it was game 1 of the season and he had season ending injury. He needs to make his presence felt and with the Hawks powerplay being as bad as it is, he and the rest the team can afford to play on and maybe a little over the edge. Chicago is a very fast team and plays more of a finesse style of hockey but they get it done very efficiently. That flow and order is going to have to be disrupted or Quick may face a serious challenge that he might not overcome. For Chicago, they need to stick to their game plan. Sharp cooled off against Detroit but may be getting back on his game. Hossa has been a horse all playoffs and Kane and Toews need to do their thing. The Kings will be physical so Chicago may have to up their toughness a notch. Crawford will have to be sharp as the Kings have a wide variety of guys who can really bury the puck. Home ice will be a huge factor as well. The last home game the Kings have lost was March 23 but Chicago has always been a very tough team to beat in Chicago and this year is most definitely no exception. The first team to take a game on the road may well find themselves winning the series.
Chicago will win the series if they can implement their game plan and control the tempo on the ice. Toews will have to step it up and Crawford will need to continue his stellar play. Los Angeles will win the series if Quick continues his dominance and the offense can get ignited. The Kings will also need to establish their toughness and grit or the Hawks will be skating circles around them by the end if the series goes long.
Now for the fun part; the prediction. Sharp gets back on his groove and Toews leads his team with 7 points in the series. Quick plays well but not well enough. Hawks in 7.
Eric Berkenpas is the newest member of Sports Eye View and can be reached at ejberkenpas22@gmail.com
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| photo cred: www.zimbio.com |
1/19/2013 CHI 5 @ LAK 2
2/17/2013 LAK 2 @ CHI 3
3/25/2013 CHI 4 @ LAK 5
#5 Los Angeles Kings
I know, I know, you are probably yelling at me in your head about putting the seed in front of LA. Well, I did so deal with it. The Kings had the tougher road to get to where they are now. Jonathan Quick was a huge question mark at the start of the playoffs because of the shaky season he had. It did not take long at all to see which Quick hit the crease. From the start of the playoffs, Quick has been lights out between the pipes. He has been by far the best goalie, posting a 1.50 GAA in 13 games including 3 shutouts. He has put this team on his back and that very fact should be very disconcerting for any opponent. Mike Richards who was virtually invisible through the season has stepped up in a big way and leads his team with 10 points in the playoffs. Jeff Carter is doing his usual thing in scoring goals and leads the team with 5. The goal scoring has been the issue though. Yes, Quick built a brick wall in front of the net, but that wall will only get this team so far. Quick needs to get some support and while the support has been enough through the first two rounds, it won't be enough this round. Anze Kopitar needs to get going. A player of his caliber should not be carrying only 2 goals and 5 assists at this point in the playoffs. Dustin Brown who was the man last year has been sleeping on the job. Getting Jarret Stoll back will be huge for the Kings as that means they can re-insert Brown into that top line and renew chemistry all over the place.
#1 Chicago Blackhawks
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| photo cred: www.thejerseychaser.com |
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| photo cred: www.cbc.ca |
Chicago will win the series if they can implement their game plan and control the tempo on the ice. Toews will have to step it up and Crawford will need to continue his stellar play. Los Angeles will win the series if Quick continues his dominance and the offense can get ignited. The Kings will also need to establish their toughness and grit or the Hawks will be skating circles around them by the end if the series goes long.
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| photo cred: www.bleacherreport.com |
Eric Berkenpas is the newest member of Sports Eye View and can be reached at ejberkenpas22@gmail.com
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