Chicago Blackhawks: 5 Reasons They’ll Beat Nashville In Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Chicago Blackhawks played out a few meaningless games (outside of Artemi Panarin‘s bonus potential) this week, after which they learned their first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs opponent

Now that we finally know the Chicago Blackhawks will be taking on the Nashville Predators in the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s time to take a dive into the matchup and see how the Blackhawks look against the Preds.

The following are five reasons why the Blackhawks will beat the Preds and move on to the second round.

1. Experience

OK, so I know the Blackhawks have a lot of rookies in their lineup and they’re younger than they have ever been in the past few years, with the exception of a few players who keep the average age rather high (looking at you, Marian Hossa, Michal Rozsival, Brian Campbell and Johnny Oduya). But the experience this team has when it comes to playoff hockey is second to none.

Take away the rookies experiencing the postseason for the first time and you have veteran players there to lead them every step of the way in Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Corey Crawford and Niklas Hjalmarsson, to name a few.

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With the exception of maybe the Penguins, there’s not a team that can come close to the experience the ’Hawks have in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and there’s no reason to bet against a team with that much experience in April, May and June.

2. Goaltending

It seems to me like the goaltending for the Blackhawks is always the biggest question mark heading into any playoff series. But more often than not, the goaltending has stood tall and answered any questions raised regarding it.

The Blackhawks clearly have the best of both worlds with Crawford as their starter and Scott Darling on the bench. I hope it won’t happen, but we’ve seen it before where Crawford has struggled in the playoffs and Darling has stepped in.

With a starter as strong as Crawford and a backup as solid as Darling, the biggest advantage the ’Hawks have is in their goaltending.

3. Previous playoff history with Nashville

The Preds team this year is different than teams from previous years, but it’s fun to look at previous playoff history to see what it tells us. If you’re the ’Hawks, you’ve got to love what history has to offer.

This will be the third meeting for the ’Hawks and Preds in the postseason, with the first coming in 2010 and the most recent in 2015. In both of those years, the ’Hawks knocked off the Preds in the first round and eventually went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Coincidence? Probably. But history tells us a first-round matchup against the Preds has always ended in a parade for Chicago.

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4. Regular-season history

In reality, the regular season means nothing once the playoffs roll around, but it’s still worth considering in the grand scheme of things.

The Blackhawks played the Preds five times and posted a 4-1-0 record for the 2016-17 season. For the most part, the Blackhawks have always matched up well against the Preds, and the success they had in the regular season should hopefully give them the confidence they need to keep that type of success going in the playoffs.

5. Depth

If I would have said at the beginning of the season that the depth of the Blackhawks would be the reason they would win a playoff series, you might have thought I was crazy. The Blackhawks weren’t supposed to be where they are. This was supposed to be a down year for them while they figured everything out with a bunch of new young guys in the lineup.

Instead, the Blackhawks are rolling three solid lines, and with the mix John Hayden and Marcus Kruger emerging lately, the fourth line has looked better. Not to forget, Artem Anisimov is healthy and reportedly will be ready to go for Game 1 of the series.

While the Blackhawks’ top two lines are still the most consistent, the potential for the third and fourth lines to spark and catch fire could help push the team to a playoff victory. Furthermore, the addition of Oduya has allowed the Blackhawks an added layer of protection on their defense that can prove extremely beneficial in the playoffs.

Next: Blackhawks, Predators Will Square Off In First Round

So there you have it — five of the top reasons why the ’Hawks have a great chance to beat the Preds in the first round and move on in their quest for yet another Stanley Cup. While the full playoff schedule is set to be released by the NHL today, it seems likely that the ’Hawks will face off against the Preds in the first round beginning on Thursday.