First Round Previews: Chicago vs. Calgary

In most playoff scenarios, the 4-5 matchup is one of the most intriguing to watch, and most difficult to predict. However, in the 2009 Western Conference, with the way that Chicago and Calgary have been playing, it may be one of the easiest series for the higher seed to win. Chicago stumbled a bit in the middle of the season, but behind the solid play of keeper Nikolai Khabibulin, this young squad seems poised to make their first playoff appearance since 2002 a memorable one.

Offense: Chicago puts one of the top offenses in the NHL on the ice every night, with a very balanced attack that features ten different 40 point scorers. Led by the resurgent Martin Havlat and young captain Jonathan Toews, the Blackhawks scored the 4th most goals in the NHL this season. Calgary wasn’t far behind, scoring 251 goals, good enough for 7th in the NHL and 3rd in the West. However, unlike Chicago, Calgary’s attack is much less balanced. Aside from Jarome Iginla and Mike Cammalleri, who both chipped in over 30 goals and 80 points, no one else on the Flames has over 50 points. Even late season acquisition Olli Jokinen went cold at the end of the season, and has not scored in 13 games.

Advantage: Chicago

Defense: This should be an area in which the Flames are much better than the Blackhawks. With Dion Phaneuf, Robyn Regehr and Cory Sarich, the Flames defense is one of the hardest hitting and most physically intimidating corps to play against. Unfortunately, all three of those players suffered injuries late in the season, and it is unclear whether they will be at 100% for the first round. Chicago, on the other hand, has seen its young defenseman develop into top performers this season. Led by Brian Campbell, the Blackhawks’ top three defensemen have combined for 136 points, and helped their team post the 5th best goals against in the league. Calgary is ranked 23rd in team defense going into the postseason.

Advantage: Chicago

Goaltending: Nikolai Khabibulin’s resurgence in the second half of the season is a large part of the Blackhawks’ surge to the top half of the Western Conference, and it should be enough to get them through at least the first round of the playoffs. In 42 appearances, Khabibulin posted 25 wins and a 2.33 GAA, good for 4th in the NHL. In Calgary’s net, Miikka Kiprusoff played 76 games and won 45 of them. However, he posted a 2.84 GAA, 32nd among NHL goalies. His save percentage was a suspect .903, and it appears that multiple seasons of being the only capable goalie in Calgary are beginning to take their toll.

Advantage: Chicago

Special Teams: Neither team has a great powerplay, although Chicago did convert on 19.3% of their opportunities, compared with Calgary’s powerplay rate of 17%. The only decisive advantage either team has over the other is Calgary’s 4th ranked PK unit. The Flames allowed only 58 goals on 349 kills, and they will need to be at the top of their game to keep Pat Kane and the rest of the Hawks’ young snipers off the scoresheet.

Advantage: Calgary

The only drawback to Chicago’s chances is the fact that they are one of the youngest squads in the league, with nearly all their players in their mid-20s. The Flames do have a great deal of playoff experience, with many of their players still around from their 2004 Cup run. If Joel Queneville can keep his young stars focused and take it one game at a time, the Hawks should be fine in this series. Chicago in 6