Can the ‘Hawks advance to another Stanley Cup?
For the fifth time in the past seven years, the Chicago Blackhawks stand just one series win away from playing in the Stanly Cup finals. The only thing standing in their way? A red-hot Anaheim Ducks team lead by Correy Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Ryan Kesler. The Ducks have been far and away the most impressive team in the playoffs thus far, sweeping the Winnipeg Jets in round one and winning in five games against the Calgary Flames. Ducks goalie Frederik Anderson has been rock solid, allowing only 1.96 goals/game and leading the ducks to their 8-1 record in the playoffs thus far.  As the two teams meet in the postseason for the first time in franchise history, it’s certainly safe to expect a series to remember.  Here is what I believe the Hawks will have to do to continue on their quest for the cup. 
 
Tighten up Defense: With Michael Rozsival out for the remainder of the season after suffering gruesome ankle injury against the Wild, the Blackhawks will have to rely on 24 year-old David Rundblad to take his place. While Rundblad played well during the regular season for the Hawks, he is inexperienced and unproven in comparison to Rozsival. Rundblad is an offensive-minded defenseman who likes to take risks, but against a dynamic Ducks offense this could spell disaster. I look for Quinneville to rely even more so on his top 4 defenseman (Keith, Seabrook, Oduya, and Hjalmarsson) for the first couple of games until Rundblad can prove he can be successful in playoff hockey. 
 
Goaltending: Hawks Goaltender Corey Crawford played lights out in the series against the Minnesota Wild, and he is going to have to keep this play up for the Hawks to stand a chance of advancing. In the regular season, Crawford lead the Hawks to two 4-1 victories in Anaheim, while the Hawks lost their lone home game early in the season to the Ducks with Scott Darling in net. If Crawford plays anywhere near the way he did last series against the Wild, the Hawks should have no problem beating a surging Ducks team. 

Using speed to make plays: The Chicago Blackhawks are going to have to play to their strength this series and use their pure speed and allusiveness to get shots on net. They cannot allow the series to get physical as the ducks undoubtedly have the advantage in that category. Guys like Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp have the ability to swing the series in the Hawks favor if they can convert on fast break opportunities provided. 
 
My Prediction: Chicago Blackhawks in 7. I look for the Hawks to win the final 2 games of the series and advance to the Stanly Cup Finals to face off against the New York Rangers.
 
Sources
– http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/ct-blackhawks-david-rundblad–20150510-story.html
– http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/columnist/allen/2015/05/15/anaheim-ducks-chicago-blackhawks-western-conference-final-preview/27359561/