Los Angeles Kings @ Chicago Blackhawks (8:00pm ET)
TV: CBC, NBC, RDS
Series: 3-1
Now that the Eastern Conference contender for the Stanley Cup has been determined, it's time to turn our attention to the West and see whether the Blackhawks will be joining the Bruins tonight. Chicago played an excellent game four, handing the Kings their first home loss of the 2013 post-season. Now they switch back home and have an opportunity to put the Kings away with a victory and head to the big dance for the first time since they won it all in 2010.
In addition to winning four straight at the United Center, the Blackhawks will get an extra boost from the return of all star defenseman Duncan Keith back to the lineup. The former Norris trophy winner sat out game four while serving a suspension, but the team preformed admirably without him.
To make matter worse for LA, as good as they have been at home, they have been equally as bad on the road, winning only one of eight so far in the playoffs away from Staples Center. They'll also be without leading scorer Mike Richards, who is still out with a mysterious injury that many feel is a concussion
Chicago forward Bryan Bickell is red-hot, scoring points in each game this series and leading the team with 8 goals overall. There's not been many hot players for the Kings, though Slava Voynov is having an excellent post season. In addition to leading the Kings in scoring, he's also first in goals (6) and points (12) among active defensemen in the playoffs.
Luckily the Kings still have an ace up their sleeve in the form of goalie Jonathan Quick. Though he's seen his numbers slip a bit in this series, he can still easily steal a game or two for LA before all is all said and done. He'll have to, because down 3-1 is an unenviable position for any team, especially for the Kings against a Chicago club that is playing so well on both sides of the puck.
Prediction: 3-1 Hawks.
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