Blackhawks News: Stanley Cup Playoffs Then There Were Four

Well, the playoffs have been great, and now there are four teams remaining. Let’s talk about the four teams still vying for the Stanley Cup and how it all relates to the Chicago Blackhawks.

The list of former Blackhawks still in the postseason is not as long as it used to be, but there are still some options to cheer on. The NHL is down to just four teams: the New York Islanders, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Vegas Golden Knights.

So the four teams remaining all have a few things in common. They are deep lineups, they have great goaltending, and for a team like New York, in particular, their defensive game is amazing. The Blackhawks could learn a lot from these teams for how they want to build their next championship roster.

How the four teams got to the conference final:

Vegas Golden Knights: 

Beat the Minnesota Wild in seven games and the Colorado Avalanche in six games. Colorado had a 2-0 lead on the Knights before the Knights won four straight games. William Karlsson leads the team with 11 points including four goals. I would like to say there is some obvious flaw for this team but there really isn’t they have scored a lot of goals and they have two great goalies.

Montreal Canadiens: 

Montreal has won seven straight hockey games, and they should be taken more seriously. After winning three straight against the Toronto Maple Leafs they swept the Winnipeg Jets who just got out of a sweep themselves. I think of a few players when talking about Montreal, Phillip Danault and Carey Price. Danault has been the shutdown centermen that a playoff team needs to win, and Carey Price is as close to the Stanley Cup as he has ever been before.

New York Islanders:

The Islanders are not just a great team, but they have a lot of star payers in their lineup. Kyle Palmieri has seven goals thus far, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau has 13 points through the first two rounds. The Islanders are well-coached and they definitely won’t be taken lightly by their opponent in round three.

Tampa Bay Lightning:

When it comes to championships usually in the NHL we have to talk about how hard it is to win back to back, but for the Tampa Bay Lightning, it really looks like a no-brainer that this franchise could win it all again. The lineup is basically the same and they made quick work of the Carolina Hurricanes one of the hottest teams around.

"Chicago Blackhawks fans might disagree with coach Jon Cooper"

What’s next?

I was going to give a pick or two on who I think will make it out of the next round and what happens next, but the way the playoffs have been going so far anything can happen!