Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily Picks: Blackhawks try to force Game 7 – CBSSports.com
The Chicago Blackhawks are trying to force a Game 7. (USATSI)
Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily Picks, where CBS hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz get you ready for every game every day of the postseason and share their predictions for each.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Anaheim Ducks, Game 6, 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN
Ducks lead series 3-2
We already have one Game 7 in the conference finals, and now the Chicago Blackhawks are trying to force a second one when they host the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final on Wednesday night.
And if you’re a hockey fan (a non-Ducks fan, anyway) you should probably be hoping it happens because this series has turned into some incredibly entertaining hockey, especially over the past two games. Just when it didn’t seem possible for these two teams to match the third period they played in Game 4, they tried to top it in Game 5 when Jonathan Toews scored two goals in the final two minutes of regulation to force overtime. But thanks to Matt Beleskey‘s goal just 45 seconds into the extra period the Ducks were able to salvage the game and take a series lead back to Chicago.
For the Blackhawks it all basically comes down to two points of concern.
The first is which Corey Crawford is going to show up in goal for them because he has been as volatile as any goalie in the playoffs this postseason. At times he has been brilliant (one shutout, five games with a save percentage of .920 or better). At other times he has been awful (five games with a save percentage lower than .910, including Game 5 of this series, and he has been pulled once).
They are going to need the good Crawford on Wednesday, not only because the Ducks are averaging a league-best 3.71 goals per game this postseason, but also because of the state of the Blackhawks’ defense in front of him.
And that is the second area concern: The workload that the Blackhawks’ top-four on defense has had to face in these playoffs, with all of them averaging more than 25 minutes per game. Not only is it a ton of minutes, they have also been extremely tough and physical minutes in this series against the size and strength of the Ducks’ forwards. So far they have managed to hold their own (Duncan Keith is actually playing at a Conn Smythe level this postseason) but when they have to rely on their depth pairing of Kimmo Timonen and Kyle Cumiskey things get ugly.
While the Blackhawks are trying to keep their season going for at least one more game, the Ducks are looking to clinch their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since the 2006-07 season. Their postseason run to this point has been an impressive one as they not only carry an 11-3 record into Wednesday’s game, they have yet to lose a game in regulation (8-0). Their only three losses, including their two losses in this series, have come in overtime.
Eventually, though, somebody is going to get them in regulation, and it just might happen in Chicago on Wednesday night.
Pick: Blackhawks 4, Ducks 2
Three Stars
1. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks: The Blackhawks’ season is on the line so that probably means it’s about time for Patrick Kane to do something spectacular. He was held off the scoresheet in their Game 5 loss on Monday but still has goals in two of his past three games and is averaging a point per game in the playoffs.
2. Teuvo Teravainen, Chicago Blackhawks: After being a healthy scratch earlier in the series Teravainen has bounced back in a huge way over the past two games for the Blackhawks and was perhaps their best player on Monday. He has three points (one goal, two assists) over the past two games and is now up to six points in 10 postseason games.
3. Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks: Getzlaf has only scored two goals this postseason but he has still been a major contributor to the Ducks’ offense. He has recorded a point in five consecutive games and has a league-leading 17 assists even though the Ducks have only played in 14 games. The only players in the playoffs with more than 10 assists are Getzlaf’s teammate, Jakob Silfverberg (12) and Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith (11).
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