The Western Conference has boiled down to just two teams after a memorable first round spilled over into an even better Round 2 which featured a Game 7 and a back-and-forth series that ended in six games. After the final horn sounded and the smoke cleared, the Chicago Blackhawks stood tall in the Central Division bracket while Los Angeles won the Pacific Division, setting up a Western Conference Finals rematch from a year ago.
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The defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks rallied back from a 2-0 series deficit in Round 1 and ended up defeating the St. Louis Blues in six games after winning four straight. Chicago then went on on to top the Minnesota Wild in six games in Round 2, handing the Wild their first home playoff loss this postseason in the deciding game.
The Kings make it to the Western Conference Finals for the third straight season and have shown character and ability to bounce back all postseason long. Los Angeles rallied back from a 3-0 series deficit in Round 1 against the San Jose Sharks to win four straight games to advance to the second round, where they bounced back from a 3-2 series deficit and eliminated the Anaheim Ducks in yet another Game 7.
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Western Conference Finals: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Los Angeles Kings:
The Blackhawks are in the Western Conference finals for the third time in the last five years, and after making it to the Cup finals and winning the Cup in 2010 and 2013, the team will look to do it again. The Kings enter the Western Conference Finals for the third straight season and won the Cup in 2012 for the first time in franchise history.
Chicago, which is looking to become the first team in 16 years to repeat as Cup champion, took the WCF from Los Angeles last season in five games and defeated them in all three regular season meetings this season.
Forward Marian Hossa and defenseman Brent Seabrook have paced Chicago on the scoreboard with 11 points apiece through the first two rounds off of two goals and nine assists each. The nine assists rank them tied for third in the entire NHL this postseason.
Patrick Kane and Bryan Bickell are tied for the team playoff lead with six goals apiece to tie for second in the postseason in goals scored. Kane has added four helpers for 10 points while Bickell has contributed three assists to give him nine points in the postseason. Captain Jonathan Toews is tied with Kane for second on the team with 10 points while lighting the lamp five times and adding five assists through 12 games.
Two players on the Kings offense pace the entire playoffs as Anze Kopitar leads the NHL in points (19) and assists (14), and is tied for the lead in plus-minus (plus-8) while Marian Gaborik leads the entire playoff field with nine goals, while adding six assists for 15 points.
Justin Williams (five goals, six assists) and Jeff Carter (four tallies, seven helpers) have each played a huge role for Los Angeles thus far in the playoffs.
On defense, Joel Quenneville's team is flanked by a top unit of Seabrook and Duncan Keith while Daryl Sutter's group has dealt with some injuries to its blueline, but is anchored by Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin.
On special teams, Chicago's power play is converting at an 18.2 percent clip and its penalty kill is succeeding at a rate of a postseason-best 91.3 percent. Los Angele's man-advantage has clicked at 22.9 percent while its penalty kill has stood tall 83.9 percent of the time.
In net, the Blackhawks turn to Corey Crawford, who is 8-4 this postseason while ranking first in the league with a 1.97 goals-against average and tied for first with a .931 save percentage. The Kings counter with Jonathan Quick, who is 8-6 with a 2.72 GAA and a .914 save percentage.
Final Thoughts: The Blackhawks are hoping to become repeat champions for the first time in 16 years and to hoist the Stanley Cup for the third time in five years while the Kings look to get back to the Cup for the first time since 2012. Chicago has a deep team and gets contributions from each line on most nights while Los Angeles has shown an unbelievable ability to overcome adversity and stage comeback after comeback this postseason. While both teams are solid, the travel schedule and two Games 7s may catch up to the Kings. Los Angeles is out for vengeance, but the deep Chicago unit will stand tall to set up an Original Six Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens or New York Rangers.
The Pick: The Blackhawks over the Kings in six games.
Chicago and Los Angeles kick off their series Sunday afternoon and when it's all said and done, one team will go home with its dream dashed while the other will enter the final stage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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