Five Blackhawks Players to Watch in NHL Playoff Conference Final

The Anaheim Ducks have had a relatively simple road to the Western Conference Final, losing only once as they dispatched the Jets and the Flames, but the road will get a lot tougher starting on Sunday afternoon when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 at the Honda Center.

Before the game gets underway (puck drop is scheduled for noon), we have five Blackhawks players that the Ducks will have to focus their efforts on if they want to be successful in this series.

Niklas Hjalmarsson

There is plenty of attention paid to the Blackhawks’ top forwards, but an underrated part of their offensive success is their ability to start plays in transition. Hjalmarsson is a big part of that push forward up the ice, as his stretch passes and ability to effectively steal the puck deep in the defensive zone really help put teams on edge.

The Ducks have to be cognizant of his ability to get the play going the other way, and they’ll have to make sure to play just a bit more conservatively when the talented defenseman is looking up ice to make a play.

Patrick Kane

As the legendary Dan Patrick axiom goes, “you can’t stop him. You can only hope to contain him.”

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Kane has been romping through the playoffs so far this year, scoring seven goals (including tallies in five straight games coming into this series) and looks to be fully healed from the collarbone injury that ended his regular season back in late February.

Kane’s speed is one thing to defend, but his ability to fire off quick and accurate shots in space is another. The Ducks are going to have their hands full in this series with him, and the only way to really be successful is to try to limit the amount of time he has to react with the puck and to try to force him to the outside of the ice.

Duncan Keith

The Blackhawks have talented players all over their roster, but Keith is arguably their top Conn Smythe candidate during this postseason. With the Hawks’ lack of defensive depth, Keith has been rock steady on the blue line despite having to play extra minutes, and he has also been a huge help on the offensive side of things, scoring twice and dishing out eight assists in the postseason.

The only real hope that the Ducks have of stopping Keith is to be as aggressive as possible with their forecheck through the neutral zone, and to get him skating as much as possible when on the attack. Keith is a workhorse but a prolonged series and tons of work could make him vulnerable, so the Ducks will have to try their best to outwork him.

Brandon Saad

When talking about the Blackhawks, the first two guys that come up are inevitably Kane and Toews, but Saad is proving this postseason that he can be just as viable a weapon. His speed is dangerous, his vision has proved problematic for the Wild and Predators and he plays some of the most responsible defense that fans are liable to see from a forward of his youth.

Just like with Kane, the Ducks will have to make sure that they keep Saad to the outside of the ice as much as possible, and they also have to focus on disrupting his zone entry whenever possible. He is capable of creating havoc when he brings the puck into the offensive zone, so challenging him at the blue line will be critical for the Ducks in this series.

Jonathan Toews

The Blackhawks’ success over the past six seasons has come as a direct result of Toews’ maturation into a dynamic leader and a stellar player at both ends of the ice. He can win faceoffs, score highlight reel goals, play Selke-caliber defense, and never seems to lose his cool even when the pressure is at its highest.

The Ducks will have an interesting time trying to decide which line to use to stop Toews in this series, but the responsibility will likely fall to Ryan Kesler and the second line. That group has been solid offensively, but can they handle Toews, Saad, and Marian Hossa? Only time will tell, but that might well be Bruce Boudreau’s best option.

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