Playoff Prediction: San Jose Sharks vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Western Conference

San Jose vs. Chicago: What a funny disparity in seed ranking between the Eastern and Western Conference match-ups. If we compare goaltending, defence and offence, I feel like this series is the most evenly matched of the two, and games will likely be decided by other determining factors like special teams, toughness, grit, and lucky breaks (don't do anything dumb Dan Boyle).

I think you'd have to give the goaltending match-up to Evgeni Nabokov over Antti Niemi, although these two come in with pretty similar statistics. Nabby has a GAA of 2.43 and a SV% of .907, while Niemi has a GAA 2.57 of and a SV% of .909. I give the edge to Nabokov because of the "experience" factor, but as these playoffs have shown, "experience" does not necessary equal wins.

The Sharks mainly generate offence from their top two lines, whereas on good nights Chicago can receive goals from up and down their line-up. Besides this, both teams match-up pretty evenly. Both can strike quickly and often, and both have players on the blueline that can rip it home. Obviously the Sharks' two biggest lines, led by Joe Thronton and Joe Pavelski, will have to continue to light the lamp, while Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will be counted on to carry the brunt of the Hawks offence. P.S. where is Marian Hossa? Only two goals in 12 games. We know you want that Cup Marian, work for it boy!

Maybe I'm just more familiar with the Chicago defence, but I think they're slightly deeper and more dependable. When Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are gelling, they're one of the best defensive tandems in the NHL. Brent Sopel, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Brian Campbell nicely round out the rest of the Blackhawk "D". Rob Blake and Dan Boyle are San Jose's two titans on the back-end, but besides those two and the quietly reliable Douglas Murray, they don't have much else.

After picking against the Sharks in the first two rounds, I've seen enough of them to convince me that this team is for real. They say that you have to lose a round or two before you win it all, and the Sharks have lost plenty of rounds, ho yes. So it's their time. Since the teams match up fairly evenly across the board, I think the X-factor will be goaltending, as it so often is in the playoffs. Niemi hasn't had to steal a game so far - the Nashville Predators didn't pose much of an offensive threat, and the Vancouver Canucks only a little more so - but against the Sharks I think he'll have a difficult time juggling the two Joes while also keeping an eye on Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau. I think this is the last year for this San Jose group to prove they can win, otherwise GM Doug Wilson may just have a nervous breakdown and trade away all his stars for like...Mason Raymond and a fourth round pick. San Jose in 7.

P.S. I've been going through some of the predictions around the Web and NO ONE is picking the Sharks, which makes me a little nervous, but I'm stickin' to it. Werd to yer mamma.

[Photo: Life]