Arizona Coyotes Fan Perspective: Big, Strong Ducks Meet Swift, Skillful Blackhawks To Decide Western Conference Champ
My fellow editor, Nadia Archuleta of Mile High Sticking, has the Ducks in her Playoffs bracket, and she’s sticking to her guns (feathers). More on that later…I, on the other hand being born and raised in the Windy City, will predict that the Blackhawks will prevail. It’s true that I think the winner of this quarterfinal series will have a good chance to hoist the Cup next month.
LET THE ARMCHAIR EDITOR CHALLENGE BEGIN ! !
Chicago has gone 8-2 thus far in the playoffs, and the Ducks are one up on them with a 8-1 postseason record.
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It is definite that two starkly different styles of play will be displayed in this series. The Blackhawks are excellent at getting to the puck, and then maintaining possession. The Ducks, conversely are HUGE, and physical similar to the arch enemy of the Arizona Coyotes — Los Angeles Kings. The Ducks surely want to show that the past playoff failures are behind them, and respect Chicago’s playoff success — two Cups in ’10, ’13, and another Conference Final appearance in ’14.
Now here’s Nadia’s take on the upcoming series which begins this Sunday (get your popcorn, and favorite beverages ready fans).:
On a personal note: As I awaited for Nadia’s comments, I was in my cardiologist’s office being administered a “nuclear stess test.” This is a test they use to take pictures of your heart activity, looking for blockages, etc. Since I had heart valve repair surgery about nine years ago, the test is customary. What is not customary as the patient, is you are injected with radioactive isotopes so the images can appear. I joked with the nurse that I would be “radioactive” and started singing the song by Imagine Dragons. I shared this with Nadia, and she sent me this youtube video of the Av’s singing the song. It is awesome! Has some highlights of the Avs’ season… watch it, and be entertained my avid readers:
“The Chicago Blackhawks vs Anaheim Ducks series looks to be the most exciting match of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs to date. The two teams are very well matched.
Chicago is a team built to succeed in the playoffs. They play the regular season almost as if it’s just something they have to get through to get to the playoffs. However, come the big games, their big guns shine. Witness how Patrick Kane “owned” the Minnesota Wild — to the point that Wikipedia jokingly placed his name under “owner” of the team!
However, this Ducks team is built to take them to Stanley Cup victory. They have lost only one game in the playoffs. They have a solid four lines to roll, yet their big stars are coming up big. To Patrick Kane, I counter with Corey Perry. He struggled in the regular season, but he has become a playoff machine.
Defense and puck possession are also strong points for the Ducks. And Frederick Andersen has been cleaning up in net.
In short, the Ducks have the aggravating ability to slow down the Chicago Blackhawks. However, even if play opens up, as the Hawks would want, the Ducks can keep up with them. Anaheim’s not going to have as easy a time with Chicago as they did with Winnipeg and Calgary. However, I predict they take the series in 6.”
Puck Prose
So, let me retort back to my friend, Nadia:
I too agree it will be a well-matched and exciting series. You just have the WRONG team going on to the Cup Finals… (could be that snowball you took to the head last winter… I’m just saying’) And, I also agree that Chicago is a team built to succeed in the playoffs, if you have Patrick Kane AND Jonathon Toews on your team, there’s always a shot at going all the way.
True, the Ducks have played much better this postseason than others where they came up short, and they are strong on defense and goaltending (Crawford makes me nervous at times, must admit). It is well based that the Ducks are BIG and STRONG, and let’s not soon forget that they are the comeback team of this past season.
Don’t take a lead into the third period unless you intend to keep it, because the Ducks will steal it from you faster than you can say “Patrick Kane.” You must put them away, and put them away early, and then pray you can keep them at bay till the final buzzer sounds.
It won’t be easy, but since when do the Blackhawks do it the easy way? Close games are their specialty, let’s see if they continue that trend.
Will both teams be kinda super-rested? You bet, the Hawks will have a total of ten days off before the puck drops Sunday afternoon in Anaheim. The Hawks need to motor around the Duck pond, or the Ducks could seem like killer sharks if you allow that to happen.
MY PREDICTION: BLACKHAWKS IN SEVEN….
YOUR RESPONSE NADIA — IS WELCOME…
Next: Arizona Coyotes Playoff Memories: 2011-2012 vs L.A. Kings
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