Blackhawks Playoff Preview

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Apr 15, 2010 5:20PM

Last year, a young Blackhawks team surprised some by making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals as the fourth seed before being bounced by the Detroit Red Wings in five games. This time around, the Hawks are among the favorites to bring home the Stanley Cup come June. Slumping throughout March, the Blackhawks finished strong by winning six of their last seven games but a loss in the regular season finale prevented the Hawks from claiming the top seed in the West. As the second seed, the Blackhawks will open the playoffs this Friday against the seventh seeded Nashville Predators at the United Center.

Series Schedule:
Game 1: Friday, April 16, 7:30 p.m., United Center (CSN)
Game 2: Sunday, April 18, 7:30 p.m., United Center (CSN)
Game 3: Tuesday, April 20, 8 p.m., Bridgestone Arena (CSN)
Game 4: Thursday, April 22, 7:30 p.m., Bridgestone Arena (CSN)
Game 5*: Saturday, April 24, 2 p.m., United Center (NBC)
Game 6*: Monday, April 26, TBD, Bridgestone Arena (CSN)
Game 7*: Wednesday, April 28, TBD, United Center (CSN)
* If necessary

The Blackhawks and Predators faced each other six times during the regular season, with the Hawks winning four of those meetings. But all their meetings were concluded by December 27, so it's been a while since the two squads shared the ice. Few expect the Hawks to have too much trouble sending Nashville home for the summer. As a two vs. seven, the Hawks are the better team in just about every way. ESPN breaks down four reasons the Blackhawks will win.

So how do the two teams match up now?

Nashville clearly has the weaker offense, but perhaps the biggest question for Chicago is the lack of playoff experience for goalie Antti Niemi. As the Trib's David Haugh spelled out,

To say Niemi is the biggest factor in how long the Blackhawks' postseason lasts is like saying April showers are key to May flowers. Nothing has been more obvious about this 112-point season since coach Joel Quenneville installed Niemi as the goaltender March 28 after Cristobal Huet lost his confidence, then his job.

The rest of the Hawks just need to stay even keeled, and hope the experience gained by the rest of the team last year rubs off on rookie goalie Niemi. (As for injuries, the Hawks expect to have Brian Campbell back sometime in the first round, but not in time for Game One.) If that's the case, the Blackhawks should continue their march toward Lord Stanley's Cup.

If you want to attend the first round in person, there are still a few tickets available.