The Minnesota Wild aren’t a new foe for the Chicago Blackhawks. The ‘Hawks successfully dispatched the Wild in five contests in the first round en route to a Stanley Cup win in 2013; they met them again in the second round in 2014 and that time prevailed over a six-game series.
A quick glance at the box score from Game 1 of this year's meeting between the two teams might suggest history is about to repeat itself. Chicago skated to a 4-3 victory on Friday.
But according to Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville, this year’s edition of the Wild is superior to either of those that the Blackhawks have beaten over the last two seasons. He marveled at the speed of the game to NBC commentator Pierre McGuire:
This is fast. They’re fast, they’re quick, there’s not a lot of time and you’ve got to take advantage of your own speed. You’ve got to make their D turn and it’s an active group against you but it’s certainly a lot quicker… I think they’ve improved over the last two years. They’re a little deeper and they’ve got talent o ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Jonathan Willis