Chicago Blackhawks Morning Links- Blues Fest

Good morning Chicago Blackhawks fans! The Chicago Blackhawks season came to an end last night in Columbus, and now it’s full steam ahead towards the Stanley Cup playoffs.  Now we know who the Chicago Blackhawks will be playing in the opening round of the playoffs after Saturday’s night games were completed.

So now we know it is the St. Louis Blues for the 2nd time in 3 years in the opening round for the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup playoffs.  The good thing about the new divisional format is that we get these kind of matchups a lot which builds up rivalries, and it makes that win by the Blues on Thursday night a pretty big one with them locking up home ice in the first round of the playoffs.

Of course 2 years ago, the Hawks spotted the St. Louis Blues the first two games and then came back to win 4 straight games to take the series.  The Hawks fans were calling for the St. Louis Blues which always makes me pretty nervous like when the Hawks fans were calling for the Detroit Red Wings in the 2013 playoffs and Detroit almost upset them.

The regular season was fun, but with this group of Blackhawks everything is about the playoffs and they are right around the corner.  Here are some morning links to kick off your Sunday morning.

See and hear what Joel Quenneville had to say after the Chicago Blackhawks overtime loss in Columbus (Blackhawks)

The best part of the Chicago Blackhawks game Saturday night was the fact that Corey Crawford saw some game action before the playoffs kicked off (Madhouse Enforcer)

More from Blackhawks News

• Blackhawks vs Flames: Date, Time, Lineup, Betting Odds, More
• Three Takeaways from the Blackhawks’ Win vs Vancouver
• Blackhawks: Why Derek King is the Right Coach moving forward
• Marc-Andre Fleury Carries the Blackhawks to a 4-2 Win vs Seattle
• Instant Reaction: Blackhawks top Kraken for first time in history

Chicago Blackhawks prospects Nick Schmaltz and Luke Johnson took home the NCAA Championship last night winning it for North Dakota (CSN)

Tyler Motte says that the opportunity to turn pro and play for Rockford this year was just too big to pass up (Second City)

No matter the outcome, just getting Corey Crawford on the ice was a win for the Blackhawks (Tribune)

Just for fun, here is a real early mock draft for the 2016 NHL Draft (Bleacher Report)

More from Blackhawk Up

• Blackhawks: Three Noticeable Improvements in Comeback Win vs Blues
• Blackhawks: Key Takeaways from 3-2 win over the Blues
• Blackhawks: Grading Connor Murphy and a position comparison
• Blackhawks: Shuffling the lines to try and spark offense at 5 on 5
• These Lineup Changes could Solve the Blackhawks’ Scoring Problem

The Nashville Predators sat their stars which helped the Dallas Stars claim the Central Division crown (On The Forecheck)

Next: Blackhawks lose an entertaining season finale

The St. Louis Blues didn’t finish the season off well, losing to the Washington Capitals and punching their ticket to a opening round series with the Chicago Blackhawks (Bleedin Blue)