Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Ducks/Blackhawks- Before The Puck Drops Tonight

05/30/2015 at 3:29pm EDT

from Scott Burnside of ESPN,

Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau wondered aloud as he came to the podium Saturday morning for his press briefing: "How do you have any questions left after six games?" And the answer is simple, the only question left for the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks is who will win Game 7 and earn a berth in the Stanley Cup finals?

Here are some things to watch for in the finale of what has been a compelling series between two heavyweight Western Conference teams.

How close is this series?: Both teams have scored 19 goals. Each team has an identical power play success rate of 14 percent, although the Blackhawks have scored one more goal (3-2). Each team has won a game in the other’s team’s building. Both goaltenders, Corey Crawford and Frederik Andersen, have been almost identical in terms of save percentage (2.47 for Crawford and 2.45 for Andersen). Although there have been multiple lead changes, the team that has scored first has won each of the first six games.

The one area that separates the two -- and it’s been an ongoing storyline -- is the average ice time logged by Chicago’s top four defenders Niklas Hjalmarsson, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Johnny Oduya is far greater than the more balanced ice time allotment Boudreau employs for Anaheim's six defenders.

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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