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Friedman: Regardless Of Who Survives Game 7s, Stanley Cup Final Will Be One Great Matchup

By Daniel Friedman
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Sometimes, the teams that make it to the NHL's final four more closely resemble a game of "one of these things is not like the others."

Sometimes, like in 2003 for instance, you get to the Conference finals and you wonder what the Minnesota Wild are doing there. But not this year, not in these playoffs. Any one of the four remaining teams could win the Stanley Cup and it wouldn't be a surprise.

This was the case at the start of this round. It's not just because both series are going to a seventh game.

I might not have picked these exact four to get to this point, but none of them look out of place. The East played out exactly how I expected. As for the West, let's just say that my predictions were less accurate than a Stormtrooper firing a weapon.

Still, I look at the two Western squads that did advance and can certainly understand how and why they did. The Chicago Blackhawks are always a threat to go deep, while the Anaheim Ducks are a more recent entry, though they did win the Stanley Cup in 2007.

The Ducks have plenty of offensive firepower, and are both fast and physical.

My main concerns with them going into the playoffs were that they appeared to be having some sort of goalie controversy and their defense wasn't exactly impenetrable. They were 20th in goals against per game during the regular season.

However, they've tightened up defensively and Frederik Andersen has been sharp in the net. I've been particularly impressed with the way Simon Despres has stepped up on the blueline for Anaheim. He's been physical, has blocked shots and has made things happen in all three zones.

After what was more of a cakewalk in the first two rounds, the Ducks have faced a much tougher challenge in the conference finals against the Blackhawks and, to their credit, they've held their own in this series.

Of course, the Blackhawks were always going to be strong candidates to come out of the West, and will continue to be for as long as they can keep their core together. That they were able to get Patrick Kane back in the midst of a playoff run only made them stronger.

There's been a lot of talk about Chicago's apparent lack of defensive depth and, to be honest, I think it's pure nonsense. Losing Michal Roszival was a relatively big blow to the 'Hawks in terms of their bottom pairings, but they were still left with plenty of able bodies on defense in the form of Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya.

Keith, a two-time Norris Trophy winner, has been an absolute workhorse, averaging nearly 32 minutes of ice time per game, which leads all skaters on the four remaining teams.

That might not be ideal, but the bottom line is that it's working when most people expected it not to. It's an obstacle for sure, but not one that I think Chicago is incapable of overcoming.

It's also important to keep in mind that even with the absence of a key defensive player like Roszival, the Blackhawks have several forwards who are quite competent without the puck. We know what Jonathan Toews can do defensively; we know that Marian Hossa can force turnovers in the neutral zone. Patrick Sharp and Brandon Saad are solid in that regard as well.

No matter how you slice it, this team can play defense. Corey Crawford's not nearly as bad a goaltender as people make him out to be, either. He's had his rough moments, but he's also been very good at times.

It's almost a shame that one of these two teams has to be eliminated. They're both that good.

The same holds true in the East, where the Rangers and Lightning have waged war over the first six games. They're set to play the deciding game on Friday night, and though both of these teams are worthy of advancing, I think there's more pressure on the Blueshirts.

I'm sure that the Bolts expect to win a Cup, and that anything short of that will be considered a failure, but with time they'll realize they've got plenty and that their window is just opening.

As for the Rangers, they're clearly going for it. They've traded away younger players and draft picks for veterans expected to step in and help them win now. If they don't go the distance, I don't think you can say that they lost those trades, but you can say that their season was a failure, in the sense that they ultimately did not accomplish what they needed to, given the fact that they got to the Final last year.

You could call it a good season, one that produced several memorable moments, but at the end of the day, without at least a trip to the Final it will have fallen short of the preseason goal.

Whether the Lightning's prolific offense or the Rangers' balance and goaltending prevails remains to be seen. Neither team winning would come as a shock, which is a testament to the widespread talent distribution across the NHL. There's more parity and more competition. Right from the start of the postseason, you really did get this sense that anyone could win.

Ultimately, that's what makes these playoffs so much fun to watch.

Follow Daniel Friedman on Twitter at @DFriedmanOnNYI

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