The upcoming Western Conference Finals matchup between the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks should give us one of the best matchups in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Ducks have turned up the heat in the playoffs as the postseason’s best offense thus far. But can they keep riding their attack against perennial Stanley Cup favorites, the Chicago Blackhawks in the conference finals?
The Blackhawks have looked every bit like the Stanley Cup favorites in the postseason. It’s going to take something special to stop them. Read on as the experts sound off on their picks for this exhilarating series.
Delve deeper into the Western Conference Finals. Check out our complete preview for Game 1 here as well as the complete series breakdown here.
[sc:NHLArticles ]Expert Picks for the Anaheim Ducks vs. Chicago Blackhawks Western Conference Finals Series
A slew of experts across the internet are picking the Chicago Blackhawks to book their second Stanley Cup Finals appearance in the past three years. The Blackhawks are -115 to win this series.
WGN Radio
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Dave Eanet | Blackhawks in six |
| Andrea Darlas | Blackhawks in six |
[sc:NHL240 ]Dave Eanet and Andrea Darlas from Chicago’s WGN Radio picked the Blackhawks to win the series in six games, but expect the Ducks’ physicality to cause Chicago’s smaller players problems.
It’s going to be interesting to see Anaheim’s hulking defensemen Simon Despres, Francois Beauchemin and the like delivering big hits on the Blackhawks’ smaller stars in Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp. Meanwhile, the Ducks’ frontline duo of Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf could bully their way toward the net.
International Business Times
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Greg Price | Blackhawks in six |
But Anaheim’s physicality may not play that much into this series due to the Blackhawks’ rich playoff experience. Greg Price of International Business Times notes for anyone that may have forgotten: Chicago has won two Stanley Cups over the past five years.
The Blackhawks are making their third straight appearance in the conference finals whereas Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau is making just the first conference final of his career.For Price, Chicago’s combination of big game experience and the presence of battle-tested stars should give the Blackhawks the series in six games.
Bleacher Report
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Timothy Rapp | Blackhawks in seven |
| Jonathan Willis | Blackhawks in six |
Anaheim should still be a formidable challenge for the Blackhawks. While most of the experts here agree that the Blackhawks would win in six games, Timothy Rapp of Bleacher Report believes the Ducks could take Chicago the full distance through the strength of their special teams.
The Ducks lead the postseason in power-play goals (nine) and power play percentage (31 percent). Their penalty kill sits at 87.1 percent, tops in the entire Western Conference Playoffs. Anaheim also has home ice advantage to give Chicago an additional challenge to overcome.
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NESN
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Nicholas Goss | Ducks in seven |
The excellent Ducks power play may just be good enough to actually win Anaheim the series, Nicholas Goss of NESN believes. The Blackhawks’ 72.7 penalty kill percentage ranks 12th among the 16 teams in the postseason, which should play right into Anaheim’s excellent power play.
Chicago has allowed at least one power-play goal in eight of its 10 playoff games. The Ducks are also quite dominant in 5-on-5 play owning 54.4 percent of shot attempts per game in the postseason.
Goss also mentions that Anaheim’s second line center Ryan Kesler could play an important role in this series. Kesler has posted nine points (four goals and five assists) in nine games in the playoffs. He’s taken important faceoffs in the playoffs and has been a prominent player on the power play and penalty kill.
Meanwhile, goalie Frederik Andersen has been solid between the pipes, allowing two goals or fewer in seven of Anaheim’s nine playoff games. But he’s only been forced to make more than 30 saves in one of those games. It’ll be interesting to see how Andersen fares in his first conference finals appearances, especially against Chicago’s vaunted frontline with Jonathan Toews, Kane, Sharp, Marian Hossa and the like.
Considering they get past Chicago, the Ducks are +225 to win the Stanley Cup.
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