After a year in which the Chicago Blackhawks earned at least one point in 24 straight games to start the regular season and won the Presidents' Trophy for the league's best record, their playoff journey starts with a matchup against the Minnesota Wild.
The Blackhawks are the clear favorite in the Western Conference. Only the Eastern Conference's top seed, the Pittsburgh Penguins, are in the same class heading into the postseason.
While it appears those teams are on a Stanley Cup collision course, the Los Angeles Kings showed last season that it's impossible to rule any team out at this point. It's a clean slate for all 16 teams.
Chicago last won the Cup at the end of the 2009-10 season. In two trips to the playoffs since, the Hawks were eliminated by the Vancouver Canucks and Phoenix Coyotes in the opening round. They are hoping to end that streak before it becomes a worrisome trend.
Let's take a look at the full schedule for their first-round series against the Wild. It's followed by a complete breakdown of the matchup, including players that must shine for the Blac ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Tim Daniels
Chicago Blackhawks Playoff Schedule 2013: TV Info, Top Lines, Round 1 Prediction
April 30th, 2013 by Tim Daniels Leave a reply »
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