The Western Conference finals are upon us and they will pit the young, up-and-coming Chicago Blackhawks against the playoff savvy Detroit Red Wings. The Hawks captured their best-of-seven series against the Vancouver Canucks in six games, while the Wings went the distance with the Anaheim Ducks, dispatching them in seven.
As previously mentioned, the match-up looks like this:
Detroit Red Wings (2) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (4)
This is Detroit's third straight appearance in the West finals, while Chicago is back to battle for the first time since 1995.
The scheduled can be perused here:
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=422796
Here are the team's projected line combinations, but keep in mind they are subject to change shift-to-shift and game-to-game.
DETROIT RED WINGS
Johan Franzen – Henrik Zetterberg – Daniel Cleary
Valtteri Filppula – Pavel Datsyuk – Marian Hossa
Jiri Hudler – Darren Helm– Mikael Samuelsson
Justin Abdelkader – Kris Draper – Tomas Holmstrom
Kirk Maltby
Nicklas Lidstrom – Brian Rafalski
Niklas Kronwall – Brad Stuart
Jonathan Ericsson – Brett Lebda
Derek Meech – Chris Chelios
Andreas Lilja
Chris Osgood
Ty Conklin
WHO'S HOT
Johan Franzen has lived up to his nickname – "Mule" – in the playoffs, as he has carried the offensive load for the club. His eight goals and 15 points in 11 contests leads Detroit in both categories. He notched six markers and three assists in the Wings' seven-game series against Anaheim. Henrik Zetterberg recorded a point in every game against the Ducks, posting three goals and seven helpers
WHO'S NOT
What's wrong with Pavel Datsyuk? The Hart Trophy nominee has registered just one goal and four assists over 11 games in the post-season. The silver lining is that he has created plenty of chances for himself, firing 36 shots on goal, and is sure to get some bounces soon, but his lack of offense is a tremendous disappointment. Tomas Holmstrom has not looked nearly as dangerous and was demoted to the fourth line in game seven against the Ducks as a result. He did not record a single point in the Western Semifinals and has only two goals and two assists to his credit in 11 playoff games.
NOTES
The Red Wings lost forward Tomas Kopecky in game four after he sustained facial fractures in a fight with Anaheim rearguard Francois Beauchemin. He underwent surgery on Monday and is out indefinitely. Wings' defenseman Andreas Lilja is also out indefinitely with a bleeding vein in his head. He has resumed skating, but is still suffering from headaches.
Justin Abdelkader replaced Kopecky in the Detroit lineup and veteran center Kris Draper returned in game seven, albeit in a limited role. Draper had been sidelined for the entire playoffs with an undisclosed upper-body injury. Kirk Maltby served as a healthy scratch in the last game to make room for him. Their lineup is likely to change heading into game one with the Blackhawks.
Detroit's power play is clicking at 26.4%, which is second in the 2008-09 playoffs, but their penalty kill continues to be a sore spot, sporting a 72.5% and a 14th overall ranking.
The veteran Wings have been here before and have home-ice advantage, which gives them a slight edge in the series. Detroit appears set to advance to the Cup finals to defend their championship in a tough seven-game series with the Hawks.
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Patrick Kane – Jonathan Toews – Patrick Sharp
Martin Havlat – Dave Bolland – Andrew Ladd
Dustin Byfuglien- Samuel Pahlsson – Kris Versteeg
Ben Eager – Adam Burish – Troy Brouwer
Colin Fraser
Duncan Keith – Brent Seabrook
Brian Campbell – Cam Barker
Niklas Hjalmarsson – Matt Walker
Aaron Johnson – Jordan Hendry
Brent Sopel
Nikolai Khabibulin
Cristobal Huet
WHO'S HOT
Chicago superstars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane came up large in game six against Vancouver. Their five goals and one assist helped the Hawks eliminate the Canucks from playoff contention. Kane finished the series with six markers and two helpers, capping off the second round with his first career hat-trick. Chicago also received outstanding performances from two-way forward Dave Bolland and big Dustin Byfuglien. Bolland netted four goals and added two assists in the six-game series, while Byfuglien was a constant thorn in Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo's side, crashing the crease and contributing three points. Martin Havlat concluded the second round with a four-game scoring streak, collecting two goals and four assists over that span.
WHO'S NOT
Patrick Sharp managed just two goals and one assist in six games against Vancouver after registering three markers and three helpers in six contests against Calgary in the opening round. While his production in round two is not overly troubling, it does display some inconsistencies in his game. Kris Versteeg also regressed, recording one goal and two assists against the Canucks compared to two goals and five assists against the Flames.
NOTES
Brent Sopel is still sidelined with a suspected elbow injury that has kept him on the shelf since December 30. He hopes to return at some point in the playoffs, but with the Hawks playing so well it is unlikely he will get back into the lineup unless he is fully healthy and injuries creep up. Jonathan Toews has repeatedly denied claims that he is suffering from a shoulder injury. The young Hawks' captain was said to be suffering with a bout of the flu, but is over that now and he should be in top form against the Wings.
Chicago owns the top ranked power play in the post-season, operating with a proficiency rating of 29.4%. Their penalty kill can be exposed, though, as they currently sit 10th in the playoffs with a rating of 79.6%.
The Blackhawks will come full throttle at the Red Wings and will likely push them to the limit. It is hard to bet against this young and energized Chicago club, but their lack of experience may finally catch up with them against Detroit.