Stanley Cup Prediction: Skilled Blackhawks Just Too Much for Hard-Nosed Flyers to Handle

As most predictions go, mine have had some flaws, and some have been way off. Maybe now, with only two teams left, I can nail it right on the head and pick both the team and the number of games it will take for that team to win and drink from Lord Stanley’s Cup.

The Chicago Blackhawks will host the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals in a matchup that many predicted back in October but never could have imagined in April. The Flyers took the difficult path to get here, but they are in the Stanley Cup finals regardless.

As expected, the Blackhawks, a young team on the rise that lost in the conference finals last season, reached their potential this season, finishing second in the Western Conference and third overall with 112 points. They motored through the playoffs, beating the Predators and Canucks in six games in the first and second rounds, respectively, and sweeping the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference finals.

While their success was predicted, it is surprising that the goaltending — a question mark throughout the season and entering the playoffs — has been a strength to this point. The undrafted and little-known Antti Niemi (12-4, 2.33 GAA, .921 save percentage) is a Conn Smythe candidate and has been a stalwart in net for the Blackhawks. They have also have gotten a Conn Smythe performance from their captain, Jonathan Toews, who leads the NHL in playoff points with 26.

Meanwhile, the Flyers battled injuries (specifically between the pipes) all season and just sneaked into the seventh slot in the Eastern Conference with a shootout win on the last day of the season. But just as the Blackhawks have benefited from strong goaltending and leadership from their captain, so have the Flyers.

Captain Mike Richards is second to Toews with 21 points in the playoffs, and journeyman goalie Michael Leighton, who relieved the injured Brian Boucher in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Bruins, has been huge, going 6-1 since then with a 1.45 GAA and .948 save percentage. Philadelphia upset second-seeded New Jersey in the first round and then became only the third NHL team and fourth pro sports team to erase a three-game deficit in a best-of-seven series when they stunned the sixth-seeded Bruins, and the sports world, beating Boston in seven games. With the surprising play of Leighton (three shutouts) in the Eastern Conference finals, the Flyers carried that momentum to beat the eighth-seeded Canadiens in five games.

Now these two confident squads will collide in the Stanley Cup Finals, and with the blazing speed and finesse of the Blackhawks' forwards against the hard-nosed, physical play of the Flyers and their huge defense led by Chris Pronger, this promises to be an entertaining series. But when all is said and done, Jim Cornelison will outsing Lauren Hart and the video ghost of Kate Smith, and the 49-year Stanley Cup drought for Chicago will be over. The "Madhouse On Madison" will be rocking as the Stanley Cup is paraded around the ice, and Toews will win the Conn Smythe.

Prediction: Blackhawks in 7