Ducks-Blackhawks will be a heavyweight battle
When Corey Perry delivered the game-winning goal in overtime of Game 5 against the Calgary Flames on Sunday, it sent the Anaheim Ducks ahead to the Western Conference Finals for a matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks have been patiently awaiting their next opponent after dispatching the Minnesota Wild in four games.
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This will be quite the heavyweight matchup. The Ducks finished with the top seed in the Western Conference with 109 points. Anaheim has rolled through the postseason, racking up an 8-1 record through two rounds to go with a goal differential of +17. Perry has been a monster in these playoffs, notching seven goals and eight assists. His 15 points is tops in the NHL in the postseason.
The Ducks have two other players with double-digit points in the playoffs in Ryan Getzlaf (two goals, 10 assists) and Jakob Silfverberg (three goals, eight assists), with Ryan Kesler not far behind with nine points.
Anaheim’s trip to the Western Conference Finals is its first since winning the Stanley Cup in 2007. Meanwhile, Chicago is making its fifth trip to the Western Conference Finals in the last seven years. That stretch includes two Stanley Cups, and the Blackhawks were on the verge of going to the Stanley Cup Final once again last season before losing at home to the Los Angeles Kings in overtime of Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.
Chicago finished with 102 points this season, with an injury to Patrick Kane leading to a late-season swoon. However, Kane made a surprise return at the start of the postseason, and he has led the Blackhawks through the first two rounds. Chicago beat the Nashville Predators in six games before sweeping Minnesota.
Kane has 13 points in the playoffs, including seven goals. Like the Ducks, the Blackhawks have three players with double-digit postseason points. In addition to Kane, Jonathan Toews (four goals, seven assists) and Duncan Keith (two goals, eight assists) have reached that mark. Patrick Sharp has nine playoff points.
The official schedule for the series hasn’t been released yet, but it’ll likely start this weekend. In terms of the favorite, this series is considered to be pretty even. Both the Ducks and Blackhawks have 21/10 odds to win the Stanley Cup, per Bovada. So yeah, this should be a good one.
