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Hockey Sat Jun 01 2013
3 Things The Blackhawks Can Continue To Do Vs. Kings
The Kings are completely different from the Detroit Red Wings. The Kings are a big and physical team that plays with an edge. Their biggest strength comes from their goaltender Jonathan Quick. Quick is the National Hockey League's best goaltender. He is a shutdown goalie that can change a series at a moment's notice. At this point, you may be asking yourself how the Blackhawks can win this series.
There are three things the team can use to carry over from the Detroit series:
Keep Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook together
When Coach Joel Quenneville put Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook back together before game five of the Red Wings series, things weren't going so well. Things dramatically changed for the better as the pair helped the Blackhawks evened the series with Detroit. Towards the end of game seven, Duncan Keith saved the season with block right in front of Corey Crawford. Then in overtime, Brent Seabrook scored the game winning goal. The team's top blue line tandem has to stay together in order for the Blackhawks to get to the Stanley Cup finals.
Get Viktor Stalberg involved somehow
Viktor Stalberg hasn't really helped out the team since he came back from being a healthy scratch for a couple of games. The first game he came back against Detroit, he took a header into the boards. He hasn't been the same since. Stalberg is one the fastest players in the NHL. That speed can help the Blackhawks overcome the upcoming physical play that the Kings are going to provide. This is also a contract season for Stalberg. This postseason is his last chance to why the team should spend big money on him.
Continue to work on the power play
As much as the penalty kill has been top notch, the power play has been downright awful. Even though the team finally broke through with two power play goals in game six of the Detroit series there is still much to be desired from the special teams unit. During one of the power play opportunities in game seven, the team didn't even a shot off. That cannot happen against a team like Los Angeles who wants to keep the Stanley Cup on the West Coast.
My prediction: Blackhawks in seven
