Doesn't it seem like all of my "5 Reasons" posts seem to be about the Canucks and the Blackhawks? I love this rivalry, and after the last two games (OT loss to Buffalo and first regulation loss to Pittsburgh in 10 years), I'm ready for a big win. So, without hesitation, here are my five reasons the Canucks will beat the Blackhawks tomorrow night:
1. Daniel is greater than Patrick: While P-Sharp may be the sharpest tool in the Hawks offensive shed, he is no Daniel Sedin. Our beloved #22 has 12 goals and 24 points this season, edging out Sharp's team leading 11 goals and 21 points. Daniel is a +2 on the ice this season, and Jon's friend Patrick is a staggering -10! A -10 rating for your top scoring player? Ouch. Let's not even get into Daniel's FAR superior shooting percentage. The view is better at the top, my friends.
2. What have they done for Jon lately?: In the month of November, the Chicago squad has been pretty bad. They are 3-4-1 this month, and if you look at their wins, it's even less impressive. They needed a shootout to beat a sub-.500 Atlanta team, needed OT to beat an overrated Anaheim squad, and only beat the lowly Oilers in regulation during the entire month. Meanwhile, their losses this month have come at the hands of some less than impressive squads. The aforementioned Edmonton squad beat them, a 5-12 New Jersey team wrecked them, and even an overrated Preds outfit beat them. Meanwhile, the Canucks are hot, outside of the last 2 games. We're 6-2-1 during November. It's all about "The Big Mo."
3. Depth: While we may have been beaten last season in the playoffs because of the Hawks third line depth, things certainly have changed, haven't they? Most analysts around the NHL love to talk about how the Canucks have the best third line in the game, and I'd have to agree with them. Just look at Manny Malhotra's third line numbers: 4 G, 6 A, +4. I'm not exactly sure who the Hawks have at third line center, but I assume that it's either Dave Bolland or Tomas Kopecky. Bolland has just a goal and two assists, and Kopecky is a -10 on the ice this year. Uh oh, that famed Chicago depth is a thing of the past. We've got you little jerks there.
4. The blueline battle: Everyone made a big deal about how the Canucks upgraded the defense this last offseason, and this is definitely an area where we are better than Chicago, even with Salo being MIA. We'll compare with a total defensive +/- for both teams. The Canucks blue liners combine for a absolute 0 in the +/- world, while the Hawks are running at a -7 level. Your defense can't step to ours, and that's a good thing because Turco is playing better than Luongo this season.
5. Strength of schedule: I've saved the best for last. The Canucks are sitting on a 10-5-3 record, with 23 points, and a +9 goal differential. Meanwhile, Chicago are 10-9-2, with 22 points, and just a +3 goal differential. Why is this so impressive? Well, it's because the Canucks are playing with the 19th most difficult schedule in the NHL (a -0.06 rating), and the Hawks strength of schedule is ranked 30th (a -0.24 rating). You do know how many teams are in the NHL, right? Yeah, just 30. The Hawks have the weakest schedule in the entire NHL, and they are playing nearly .500 hockey? Let's wake up, people, the Canucks are better than the Blackhawks.
So, I've laid it out. After reading this, I'm assuming even the most die hard Hawks fan is feeling that their team is going to fall on Saturday night. At the very least, I'm sure I've convinced Jon. Right, buddy?
Go Canucks Go.
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
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