Who would you rather the Blackhawks face?

I am pulling for the Wild to win tonight and make it a game 7, but looking at some stats and info for both teams I actually think the Avs may be a better matchup for the Hawks.

What say you gays?

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Wild. Hawks would have home ice and shorter travel schedule. Plus that means the series went 7 games. More rest for Hawks.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Avs look pretty good right now. I think the Wild would probably be a more favorable matchup.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Obviously having home ice and shorter travel would be great. But their style of play worries me. They slow things down and muck things up and hope you make mistakes.

The Avs play more wide open and lends itself to the way the Hawks want to play. I don't think the Avs can beat the Hawks at their own game.

But I think the Hawks win either way.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Great points. I traditionally haven't liked the Wild's (or Preds) style of play, which tends to stymie the Hawks. However, the Avs may actually be better than the Hawks at the wide open game. They sure were during the regular season. The Hawks have more experience, but I worry about the goalie factor. Despite what Mac says, Crow scares the crap out of me.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

better than the more popular buckwheat

I blame eddie murphy

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

The Hawks would kick the living shit out of the Wild

uhm, have you seen the Hawks play the Avs over the last couple years? They scare me a helluva lot more than the Blues. The way to beat the Hawks is with speed, skill and great goaltending, something the Avs have in spades. They are faster than the Hawks and their goalie has our number.

I think we can beat them, but the Minnesota matchup is MUCH better, not even close.

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I doubt than anyone would prefer to play the #1 seed rather than the #8 seed.

Having said that, what happens in the regular season doesn't matter now. This Hawks team is a battle tested group of champions who turn it on in the playoffs & will dispose of the team with the ugliest uniforms in the NHL.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

Beating the Hawks at their own game is precisely what the Avs did all year, ballasted by a goalie running a .960 sv%. I know the underlying metrics show that the wheels need to come flying off this Avs thing, but they haven't yet, and they certainly haven't against the Hawks. Could it all come crashing down in a best-of-seven? Maybe. Could they keep rolling? Equally likely.

The Avs are statistically haywire, but the Wild are what they are, a plodding defensive team held together by duct tape, prayers, and Ryan Suter. The Hawks had their struggles against them this year, true, but nothing so vexing as running into a brick wall four times as they did with Varlamov. My inclination is to prefer the known commodity in the Wild, with what's become good-not-great goaltending, mediocre scoring, and poor coaching. That to play the Wild would require a Game 7 and guarantee at least two more days of rest is largely immaterial; the rest/rust thing always seems to be determined ex post facto. If you win, it's rest, if you lose, it's rust. So that's not a factor so much as the inferiority of the Wild.

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The answer is the Wild. Not even close.

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I'll take the rest everytime these days. Especially with Q running 3 lines this past series. We're not kids anymore with old men Hoss, Roszival, and Handzus. And, I can only imagine the welts Hammer accumulated that rest would help heal.

No doubt the rest is the most important thing. Regardless of who comes out on top of the series, it needs to go 7 games.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Avs are the successors to the Blackhawks in the West. Avalanche beating Blackhawks this season would be like if the Blackhawks had toppled the Red Wings in 2009. It's a season too soon for Colorado.

It'll be interesting to see what happens with the Habs having an eternity to rest up for the Bruins. If they go into Boston and lose the first game, people will probably say it was rust.

My preference is for this series to go the full seven either way, of course, but I'm loath to put too much weight on that.

EDIT: and Minnesota would give the Hawks home ice. duh, forgot that

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That makes it sound like the Blackhawks are this old broken down team that is at the end of their run. Their stars are young. They got a goal tender coming up that is young that is going to be real good. They got Teuvo coming up.

No doubt the Avs are a good young team coming up, but the Hawks are not going anywhere for awhile in the West

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

The only thing I fear is that the Avs goalie will Mike Smith us.

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Elections have consequences.

Same here. Their bad defense got worse with Tyson Barrie's absence, but the Hawks just can't seem to figure out Varlamov. Meanwhile, it's Darcy Kuemper in net for Minnesota, who is their #4 goalie now, I believe, though at least he has Suter and Brodin in front of him.

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Hawks are so good right now they could beat Ditka. Once again,stop with the negativity. If you don't I will start posting in the politics section again.I promise I will not post in there till the Hawks run is over. Avs scare me but it is a 7 game series. I hope the Wild wins tonight to push it to 7 games.

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When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

I just cheered the Wild go-ahead goal, so...

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Not a mult.

This. Colorado would mean a track meet for 4 games in the thin mountain air. Want nothing to do with that.

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Saw Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back last night, and I thought of you. Poopshoot.com. I still find that movie very funny. I am the CLIT Commander.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

It's going to be the Wild. Book it.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Well you guys got the matchup you wanted, I hope all of you are right.

Their style of play worries me. But I do love having the home ice and the fact that they are having goalie issues.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Zawzer says Hawks game is Friday. Excellent. Hawks hopefully can run then out of the building after an exhausting G7. Or if they lose we'll say they were rusty.

Hell yes! Who woulda thought that the Avs, Blues & Sharks would all lose in the first round. Hawks should light up the Wild Goalies. Sweep.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

Without the same need for feigning "toughness" this round, I'd like to see Bollig scratched and Morin dressed. We'll need another scorer (or guy with scoring potential) against Minnesota's defense, and he can manage himself well enough to keep other forwards' minutes down. I know it won't happen, though.

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CH, you've got the Wild in 4, right?

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

Hawks in 6. Wild are much improved from last year but still beatable. Parise can't play every shift.

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