Chicago Blackhawks v Wild; HW Series Predictions

In advance of Game 1 Friday night, we asked the Hockey Wilderness writing staff their predictions on the second round match-up against the hated Hawks.

Tiffany: @1sadclown

Why the Wild will win:

There's no better feeling than Game 7 overtime win euphoria. The excitement of the victory over Colorado will carry into the next series and cause the Wild to have a great start. Besides, no one in the hockey world thinks the Wild have a chance. But that only means that the pressure is all on the Blackhawks. Will one bad Crawford goal cause the Blackhawks to lose their confidence? Will several? Since the Wild just finished playing against the goaltender who may win the Vezina, Crawford will be easy to play against.

Besides, who doesn't want to see more Spurgeon playoff facial hair?

Why the Wild will lose:

Prediction:The Blackhawks are the Cup Champions for a reason. But the Wild have learned since last year. Blackhawks in 6.

Dan Larson - DanTheMan811

Why the Wild will win:

Why the Wild will lose:

Prediction: Chicago in 6.

Chris - mntrumpterguy - @ChrisRayBoyd

Why the Wild will win:

Why the Wild will lose:

Chicago is a beast of a team. They're forwards can score, and they are fast... plus, NONE of them are 18 years old. They're defensemen have been around the block, know how to protect their net, and also know how to score. Even in the games the Wild won, the Hawks played very well. This is not a team that is in awe. This is not a team that is scared. This is definitely a team that has confidence. Unlike the Avalanche of round 1, the Hawks have no obvious weaknesses, and we will not dominate possession like we did in round 1. Even a cursory glance at their advanced stats is unnerving: the CF% of the Hawks rises as the score gets closer: 55.5 at 5v5, 55.7 at 5v5 Close, and 55.9 at 5v5 Tied. We cannot make mistakes, or we are sunk.

Prediction:The Blackhawks are the Cup Champions for a reason. But the Wild have learned since last year. Blackhawks in 6.

Joe - @JoeBou15

Why the Wild Will Win:

The Minnesota Wild stuck to their game and was able to dictate much of what happened on the ice in the series against Colorado. This series, dictating play will be a much more difficult of a task. The game plan will still be that same as what they were trying to against the Avalanche; get pucks deep and go to work on the defensemen of the Blackhawks. While the defensemen of the Hawks are in a class above what the Avs threw out there, it is important to keep attacking the the blue liners. If they don't, the mobile, puck-moving defensemen will find the talented forwards of the Hawks and they will kill you. Wild win by using offense as their best defense. For the times when they get into penalty trouble, their PK will absolutely need to keep up the great play they had in the Colorado series.

Why the Wild Will Lose:

Prediction: Blackhawks in 7