A Pair of Original Six Teams Square Off for Lord Stanley’s Cup

Tonight the Boston Bruins visit the Chicago Blackhawks, two of the original six teams in the NHL, to begin play in the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals. The Bruins have won the Cup six times in their history, most recently in 2011. The Blackhawks have won four Cup, their most recent 2010. Ironically the two teams with some 85 plus years between them have never played each other for the Cup, until now.

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The Boston Bruins are riding a wave of confidence, after pulling victory from the jaws of defeat againstToronto; they beatNew Yorkin five games and sweptPittsburgright onto the golf course. They are a big strong team that hounds the puck and plays a very solid team defense. Goalie Tuukka Rask is giving up just 1.75 goals a game and is stopping .943 of the shots he faces. Through the Eastern Conference Playoffs their aggressive style helped them create turnovers and opportunities, which they capitalized on. The Boston Bruins are going to be a tough team to beat for the Cup.

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The Chicago Blackhawks started the season by running over the NHL getting points is the first 24 games, an NHL record. Had they not woke-up againstDetroit, and won the last three games of the series, they would be playing golf right now. Instead they won that series and knocked out last years Cup winner,Los Angeles, in five games. The Blackhawks are a puck possession team and can skate with anyone. They like to move the puck quick and create opportunities on the rush. If you let them do this, you will find yourself behind fast. They also have a solid man in net. Corey Crawford is only allowing 1.74 goals a game and is stopping .935 of the shots he faces. The Chicago Blackhawks have been the best team this season and will be a tough team to beat for the Cup.

So who wins? To me this series comes down to this. Can the Bruins put enough pressure on the Blackhawks puck carriers to keep them from making plays and create a few chances for the Bruins to score. If they can do that and keep the game low scoring they can win, but that isn’t how I see this series playing out. The Blackhawks got a scare from Detroit and are now playing some of their best hockey of the season, plus they start the series at home. I say Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in seven games. This is going to be a great series, enjoy.