GDHQNHL15_2pg-Chicago Blackhawks 2

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Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya. Hjalmarsson is known for his shot-blocking prowess as he got in front of 157 shots last season while Oduya averaged slightly over 20 minutes on the ice as they form a solid and steady defensive pair. Goaltending As a tandem, Corey Crawford and Antii Raanta combined to allow an average of 2.58 goals per game in the 2013-14 season. Crawford outperformed those numbers during the regular season as he impressed the Western Conference with a 2.26 goals-against average, good for ninth best in the NHL, leading to 32 wins that placed 10th among all goaltenders. The concern for the Blackhawks regarding Crawford is how he played in the postseason. His save percentage decreased as he went from .917 in the regular season to .912 in the playoffs. His goals-against average also jumped up almost a quarter of a goal as it rose from 2.26 to 2.53. His play against the Los Angeles Kings was especially concerning. In that series, he had a save percentage .900 or above only twice in the series, with the low coming at .800. Crawford will have to prove he is over these struggles if the team is to contend for another Stanley Cup this year. Raanta proved to be a capable backup as he is expected to continue in that role in the upcoming year. He posted a respectable 2.71 goals-against average while coming away with 13 wins in the 25 games he played (22 starts) last season. Power Play With a team loaded with as many superstar players as the Blackhawks are, you would imagine that whey would consistently have one of the top power-plays in the league. The team improved in that facet last year as they jumped up from 19th in the league with a 16.6 percent success rate in the 2012-13 season to 10th last season by scoring on 19.5 percent of their opportunities. With Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane leading the way on the powerplay, as each player put the biscuit in the basket with the man-advantage ten times, the Blackhawks are primed to be an elite power-play team. With the addition of Brad Richards, this group will have another player that has flourished on the point in the man-advantage situation. Whether he plays on the first or second power-play unit has yet to be determined, but he will make a difference. Penalty Kill If there is one glaring weakness that the Blackhawks have had in three of the last four seasons is their play on the penalty kill. Last season the team finished 19th in the NHL after finishing third during the 2012- 13 season, despite having one of the better defensive forwards in all of hockey in Jonathan Toews. (57) Not all is lost though for the team from Chicago. While the team has had its difficulties on the penalty kill, the team has the ability to turn the tables on the opposition in a blink of an eye. With Toews and Marian Hossa on the kill, both scored three goals each to be among the league leaders in that category. Toews had five points in total while his team was shorthanded, tied for fourth in the league. Prediction A team with this much firepower will almost assuredly make the playoffs. How deep they go will be determined by the play of goaltender Corey Crawford and the performance of their special teams units. A potential run to the Stanley Cup finals is not out of the question with this all-star cast. Scoreboard 2013-14 2012-13 2011-12 2010-11 2009-10 PLAYOFF FINISH Conf Finals Stanley Cup Champions Conf QF Conf QF Stanley Cup Champions REGULAR SEASON 46-21-15 36-7-5 45-26-11 44-29-9 52-22-8 POINT TOTAL 107 77 101 97 112 SHOOTOUT RECORD 6-8 7-5 7-7 6-5 9-6 GOALS SCORED 267 155 248 258 271 GOALS ALLOWED 220 102 238 225 209 POWER PLAY % 19.5 16.6 15.2 23.1 17.7 PENALTY KILL % 81.5 87.2 78.1 79.2 85.0 Duncan Keith Richard W. Rodriguez/Fort Worth Star/Getty Images


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