Don't Sleep on the Blackhawks and the Canadiens

The Blackhawks and the Canadiens have provided us with two upsets in the qualifiers. The Blackhawks defeated McDavid and the Oilers and the Canadiens beat Crosby and the Pens. Both teams breezed by their respective qualifier matchups eliminating the two best players in the league.

The Blackhawks will be facing the Golden Knights next and the Canadiens will be encountering the Flyers. Both very tough times that are on a role after undefeated stints in the round robin schedule.

Canadiens vs. Flyers

This is a very exciting matchup with two classic hockey cities. Canadiens have a solid goaltender with Price and quite a bit of speed on offense with Gallagher and Domi. They have a solid defense led by an experienced Weber. The Flyers, for their part, have a less experienced goaltender with Hart, but have quality veteran players up front with Giroux and van Riemsdyk.

Golden Knights vs. Blackhawks

You gotta feel excited for the Blackhawks, a great hockey city with a team that’s fun to watch. They have two veteran stars with Towes and Kane and arguably the best rookie of the year in Kubalik. They also have good goaltending with Crawford. The Golden Knights are not so bad themselves, finishing third in the Western Conference behind the Avalanche and the Blues and going undefeated in the round robin schedule. They have a lot of speed on offense, their best player, Pacioretty will be back from an injury. They also have a solid defense with Theodore and Martinez as well as quality interchangeable goaltenders in Fleury and Lehner.

These are two great matchups, the Flyers and the the Golden Knights are obviously the favorites, but the Canadiens and the Blackhawks have quality rosters and have momentum and confidence, which counts for a lot in Hockey. Anything can happen in hockey playoffs. The Blues shocked everyone last season. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Canadiens and/or the Blackhawks do the same this year.