Well, this is it. These are the last 2 teams standing after an intense short season in which both teams set NHL records. The Blackhawks set an NHL record for going the first through 24 games of a regular season without a loss in regulation and have yet to slow down. The Blackhawks have been in the ‘drivers seat’ for most of the season and the expectations have been to reach the Stanley Cup Finals or bust. The Bruins, on the other hand, were less than 10 minutes away from being eliminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs when the Bruins came back from a 3 goal deficit to win in overtime, which was never before seen in NHL history.

Bruins vs. Blackhawks: Special Teams

These two teams are the best 5 on 5 teams in the NHL Playoffs. The Bruins and Blackhawks are extremely similar in their special team rankings in the playoffs and regular season. Both teams are great penalty killers. The Bruins were ranked 4th in the regular season and 6th in the playoffs; while the Blackhawks were ranked 3rd in the regular season and 1st in the playoffs. Both teams struggle on the power play. The Bruins rank 10th on the power play and the Blackhawks rank 12th in power play efficiency in the 2013 Playoffs. I don’t see special teams playing a huge factor in this series as both teams do not take many penalties. Advantage: Push.

Bruins vs. Blackhawks: Goaltending

After watching the Bruins this postseason one would think that this wouldn’t be much of a contest considering Tuukka Rask shutout the top scoring team in the NHL twice. I was surprised to look at the numbers and see that Corey Crawford can hold his own against Rask. Both have virtually the same goals against average, (1.75 for Rask and 1.74 for Crawford) and have similar save percentages (.943 for Rask and  .935 for Crawford). Rask has one more shutout over Crawford (2 for Rask and 1 for Crawford). That being said, Crawford went up against a Kings team that has trouble scoring goals while Tuukka Rask shutout the top scoring team in the NHL over the past 2 seasons twice. Crawford has a tendency to give up soft goals while Tuukka usually makes a team earn them. Advantage: Boston.

Bruins vs. Blackhawks: Defense

Even though the Blackhawks lack a pair of true “shutdown defensemen”, that doesn’t mean that the Blackhawks lack a great defensive tandem. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are one of the best defense pairs in the NHL. Both are steady and provide offensive support. Outside of those two, Johnny Oduya has had a hot hand in these playoffs and is similar to Johnny Boychuck in that respect. The Blackhawks don’t play a tight defensive style that the Bruins do and they will open it up a little when pushing for a goal. The Bruins just came off of a series where they completely shutdown hockey’s best player in Sidney Crosby, and the top two lines of the Pittsburgh Penguins. I would expect much of the same care and effort directed at the Toews line with Kane and Bickell as well as the Sharp line with Hossa. I would look for the Bruins defense to target Kane in an attempt to get into his head much like they did with Crosby. I believe that the Bruins will be successful in doing so and will force goals to come from the back two lines of Chicago, which has been inconsistent for them. Advantage: Boston.

Bruins vs. Blackhawks: Forwards

Even though the top two forwards in the NHL in points are two Bruins, David Krejci with 21 and Nathan Horton with 17, I still see the Blackhawks having an advantage. The Blackhawks throughout the regular season were 2nd in goals per game at 3.1GPG (behind Pittsburgh of course) but have seen that production slip slightly in the playoffs down to 2.76 goals per game. The Bruins were ranked 13th in goals per game in the regular season with a number of 2.65 but have increased their production to become the 2nd ranked playoff team averaging 3.27 goals per game. The top line of the Blackhawks has the capability of lighting up the scoreboard at any time, especially the combination of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews at the top and Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa on the second line provide a great 1-2 punch that the Bruins must contend with. Advantage: Chicago.

Bruins vs. Blackhawks: Coaching

This match up is very similar because both coaches have similar coaching philosophies. Joel Quenneville will open up play a little more often than Claude Julien will. Both coaches have won Stanley Cup titles with their respective clubs and are very steady. Neither have any decisions that will need to be made regarding the starting lineups for Game 1. Julien shows no signs of switching things up from the lineup he posted for Game 4 against Pittsburgh. No one can call into question Julien’s defensive strategies, and considering how he coached up the Bruins defense to shut down the top two lines of the Penguins, I am confident to say that he can do it again to Chicago’s top two lines. Advantage: Boston.

Bruins vs. Blackhawks: What to Watch For

If I was going to play a NHL Finals drinking game, the one phrase that must be included is hearing about how both teams are part of the Original Six. This is the first time two Original Six teams will meet in the Stanley Cup Finals since 1979 when the Canadians defeated the Rangers. As a Bruins fan, I am always excited when the Bruins play the Blackhawks due to the Original Six history, as well as the fact that these two teams always play great, entertaining games against each other. Because both of these teams have been separated by conference there is not much past history to go on except for a trade that will live on in Bruins lore. The trade between the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks is long considered one of the most lopsided trades in history, as the Bruins were gifted Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield. All three players were cornerstones for 2 Stanley Cup winning teams. Coupled with the fact that Boston only gave up 3 players that never added up to anything significant. Boston Bruins fans and Bobby Orr alike will always try and forget that this ever happened.

As for this series, the guy on the Blackhawks that will annoy you and get under your skin the most will be Andrew Shaw who is modeling his game after Brad Marchand. Brian Bickell is a big body on the first line and Milan Lucic and Bickell should have some great battles throughout the series as both teams like matching up top line vs. top line.  Chicago Defenseman Johnny Oduya is a big guy and I expect him to throw his weight around on Bruins forwards and making big hits to get the crowd involved. Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith’s high sticking penalty has already got him suspended this postseason which shows he has a bit of a temper that the Bruins may try and exploit.

Bruins vs. Blackhawks: Prediction

Every advantage I gave each team thus far in this preview is so slight that this series can go either way. Both teams are the best even strength teams in the NHL and the series will come down to which team will be able to grind wins out. This series will not be pretty and it will be nerve racking. That being said, I believe the Bruins are playing the best team hockey at the moment. The have made it this far being a team that can adapt to their opponents style of play and beat them at it. They have rallied around Gregory Campbell and the courage and heart he displayed in Game 3, which I think will come to describe the Bruins and Bruins Hockey in a microcosm. I can’t bet against or doubt this team any more. Hopefully, we will be celebrating with a parade as Chicago native President Obama described: “When the Sox and Celtics and Patriots or Bruins are champions again, to the chagrin of New York and Chicago fans, the crowds will gather and watch a parade go down Boylston Street” Let’s go B’s! Prediction: Bruins in 6.