The Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild played in a fantastic six-game series last year at this stage of the playoffs. Now, with a new goaltender on their side, the Wild are going to hope to reverse that series result and move on to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.
SERIES SCHEDULE
Game 1: Minnesota @ Chicago (5/1, 9:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN)
Game 2: Minnesota @ Chicago (5/3, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN)
Game 3: Chicago @ Minnesota (5/5, 8:00 p.m. ET, NBCSN)
Game 4: Chicago @ Minnesota (5/7, 9:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN)
Game 5: Minnesota @ Chicago (5/9, Time & Network TBD, If Necessary)
Game 6: Chicago @ Minnesota (5/11, Time & Network TBD, If Necessary)
Game 7: Minnesota @ Chicago (5/13, Time & Network TBD, If Necessary)
ODDS ANALYSIS
You're not going to find more of a coin flip scenario than this one in these playoffs. The Blackhawks are perceived to be the better of these two teams, but the Wild might be the hottest team in the NHL at this point. Chicago, thanks to home ice advantage, is the -130 choice of the oddsmakers, but seeing any result wouldn't be surprising in the least.
KEY PLAYERS
We just don't know if Corey Crawford is set to get back involved in these playoffs or not. He sat and watched as Scott Darling put on the performance of his life against Nashville game in and game out in that series, but now, Joel Quenneville is turning back to the man who has already won him a couple Stanley Cups. Crawford has an ugly 4.19 save percentage in these playoffs, numbers which he obviously has to improve upon to keep his job.
The Blues had no answers whatsoever for Zach Parise in the opening round of the playoffs. The vet had seven points in the six games, and he even managed a shorthanded goal in the process as well. Parise was brought here to Minnesota to help the Wild win games like these, and so far in his career with the team, he has eight goals and 14 assists through 24 games.
KEY STATS
.765: Chicago's record under Quenneville in potential series close-out games. Quenneville has 103 postseason wins to his credit, many of which came in this great run over the course of the last several years with the Hawks, and he has specialized in closing out series when there for the taking.
8: The number of different players who scored a goal in the opening round of the playoffs for the Wild. This is going to be a stark contrast from what we're going to see out of Chicago, a team which is going to rely heavily upon its stars to succeed. If Minnesota is going to win this series, it’s going to do so by getting good contributions from its third and fourth lines.
ANALYSIS & PREDICTION
The Wild are probably going to fall just short once again in this one. However, after taking Chicago to five games in 2013 and six games in 2014, this time around, they’re going to get to Game 7 and be in it with a fight.
We expect to see Crawford rebound from his atrocious start to the postseason by posting a sub-2.00 GAA in this series, and that parlayed with just enough star power should see Chicago through to the Western Conference Finals.
Chicago Blackhawks in 7 games
The NHL spreads for all of the games in this series will be first available at BookMaker Sportsbook. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for the NHL playoffs using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The series between the Minnesota Wild and the Chicago Blackhawks will start on Thursday, May 1, 2015 at 9:30 p.m. ET. Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 will be played at the United Center in Chicago, IL, while Games 3, 4 and 6 will take place at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN.
