The State of Hockey should be pretty ecstatic right about now. The Minnesota Wild just upset the Central Division champion St. Louis Blues 4-2 in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs. But as we all know, the West is a wild place to be in. Minnesota next takes on perennial Stanley Cup favorites, the Chicago Blackhawks, in the second round.
Can the Wild pull off another upset? Read on for a complete preview for this exciting Western Conference Playoff matchup.
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Minnesota Wild vs. Chicago Blackhawks Game 1 Preview
Series Scores and Schedule
Game 1 – May 1, 9:30 PM ET, Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks – view all NHL lines
Game 2 – May 3, 8:30 PM ET, Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks
Game 3 – May 5, 8:00 PM ET, Chicago Blackhawks at Minnesota Wild
Game 4 – May 7, 9:30 PM ET, Chicago Blackhawks at Minnesota Wild
Game 5* – Time and Date TBD, Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks
Game 6* – Time and Date TBD, Chicago Blackhawks at Minnesota Wild
Game 7* – Time and Date TBD, Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks
*If necessary
Betting on the Minnesota Wild
Zach Parise is Minnesota’s game changer. He led the Wild with seven points (three goals and four assists) in their grueling 4-2 first round series win against St. Louis. Parise scored two of his three goals in a crucial 4-1 Game 6 victory to send his team past the Blues.
[sc:NHL240 ]The rest of Minnesota’s frontline has been just as excellent to give Parise some much needed support. Jason Pominville and Michael Granlund each have five points. Nino Niederreiter has three goals and Mikko Koivu has three points. The Wild’s attack need to get on the board fast and early, especially with Corey Crawford back in net for Chicago.
The Wild’s offense has been excellent and all, but they wouldn’t be in this position if not for excellent goaltending from Devan Dubnyk. He held St. Louis’ potent offense to two goals or fewer, including one shutout, in all four of the Wild’s first round wins. Dubnyk was between the pipes in Minnesota’s two regular season wins against Chicago, stopping 56 of 57 shots.
The total has gone under in five of the last seven meetings.
Betting on the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago had to fight off the feisty Nashville Predators to get to the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs. The Blackhawks took the series in six games, but also played in a pair of tightly contested overtime games. The Blackhawks now face Minnesota, who they’ve eliminated in each of the past two seasons.
But if Chicago is to bounce the Wild out of the playoffs again, it’ll need better defense. The Blackhawks allowed the Predators to score 21 goals in six games. Most concerning are their early missteps, allowing three goals in the first period of Games 1 and 6.
It may not help that Corey Crawford will be back in net for Chicago. While Crawford did have one of the best regular seasons of his career (32-20-5, 2.27 GAA), he was less-than-impressive in the two playoff games he started against Nashville. He gave up three goals before being pulled in the first period of Game 1 and allowed a whopping six goals in Game 2.
But all is not lost with Chicago’s star netminder. Crawford did stop all 13 shots he faced in relief of Scott Darling in the Game 6 series-clinching victory over Nashville.
The Blackhawks can lift the pressure off Crawford if their offense continues to impress. Chicago ranks third with 3.17 goals per game in the playoffs thus far. They have their stars to thank for that. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook combined for 12 goals and 36 points in their first round series with the Predators.
The Blackhawks have won eight of their last 10 home games against Minnesota.
Writer’s Prediction
Minnesota shocks Chicago with a tight 3-2 win in Game 1. The Wild go on to win the series in seven games.
Can the Wild shake things up in the West? Create a betting account now and get in on one of the dark horses to win the Stanley Cup.
