The Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings meet up tonight for Game 6 of their Western Conference Finals matchup. The game is scheduled for a 9:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on the NBC Sports Network. Currently the odds for the game have the Kings favored to pick up a win tonight.
Los Angeles can close out this series with a victory tonight on home ice. After dropping the opening game to Chicago, the Kings stormed back and won three straight contests, including two at the Staples Center. Chicago was able to scratch out a win in Game 5 on their home ice, taking two overtimes to pull it off and keep their season going. Tonight the Blackhawks will have to win to keep playing as well.
Both teams have been unimpressive in recent memory, but the Blackhawks found a way to get past some sketchy performances. Corey Crawford continues to have some troubles stopping pucks, but he's going enough to keep them alive at this point. If he has a great game tonight, we probably are looking at a Game 7 situation between these two clubs.
The Kings have the best goalie in the league in Jonathan Quick and they're the best defensive club in hockey. Yet, they've given up 10 goals in the past three games to Chicago. If they are able to shore up the defense a little bit, which is saying a lot because of how good the Blackhawks are offensively, this could be a game that has a lot of tension.
Chicago's problem, in this post season, has been their inability to win games on the road. They've gone just 2-6 away from Chicago in the playoffs but now have to find a way to grind out a road win tonight. In each of the first two games in Los Angeles, Chicago was out-scored 9-5 as the Kings won both games.
Blackhawk coach Joel Quennville is shaking things up with his lines, hoping to get some kind of offensive spark that allows his team to gain some control tonight.
Marion Gaborik has scored 11 times for the Kings this playoffs, leading the team in shots as well with 58 attempts. The Kings are going to continue to play aggressively here tonight, but will the Blackhawks be able to reach that level and exceed Los Angeles' play? That should be the difference.
With two great teams on the ice in a grueling series, it's been fun to watch. Tonight we like the Blackhawks to stun the Staples Center crowd and stay alive in the post season.
Free Pick: Chicago 3, Los Angeles 2
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