Central Division Title Is of Critical Importance to Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup Chances
By Sean Sarcu
@seansarcu
Getty Images
Above all else, the Chicago Blackhawks‘ chief priority during the 2014-15 regular season must be to win the Central Division. Doing so will be no easy task; the St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars are all high-quality teams, and all four will probably make the playoffs out of the West. Barring a surprise wildcard team from the Pacific Division, the Blackhawks will have to take down two of these four just to get back to the Western Conference Final for a potential rematch with the Los Angeles Kings.
Getting through the divisional playoff rounds will be difficult regardless, but having home-ice advantage would certainly augment the Blackhawks’ chances. The fact that Chicago had to start last year’s first-round series against the Blues on the road was a big reason the Blackhawks fell into an 0-2 hole. If not for the energy of the home crowd and an otherworldly performance from Corey Crawford in Game 3, Chicago almost certainly loses that series.
The advantage of home ice was the primary reason that that same underperforming Blackhawks squad beat Minnesota in the next round, in which Chicago was brutally outplayed in all three road games. The Wild, a team that very quietly may be the single biggest threat to the Blackhawks’ supremacy, has only gotten better this offseason. A seven-game series against Minnesota without home-ice advantage seems like a pretty dicey proposition.
Chicago’s struggles with Colorado are well documented, but the speedy Avs aren’t quite as threatening away from home. The rest of the Central has been catching up to the Blackhawks; there’s no telling how many years (if any) Chicago has of being the clear-cut best team of the bunch. Home-ice advantage and the division crown need to be a priority this season.
Sean Sarcu is a Chicago Blackhawks writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter or add him to your network on Google.
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