Al-Khateeb: Rate of Foreign tourists coming for recreational purposes soars 600% in 5 years    Saudi Arabia participates in OIC anti-corruption agencies' meeting in Qatar    Saudi Arabia implements over 800 reforms to drive rapid transformation    Al-Jadaan: Painful decisions were part of the reforms, but economy overcame them    Al-Swaha: Saudi Arabia is heading towards exporting technology in the next phase    Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire appears to hold as Lebanese begin streaming back to their homes    Al Rajhi: Saudi Arabia sets revised unemployment target of 5% by 2030 "300,000 citizens employed in qualitative professions"    Imran Khan supporters call off protest after crackdown    Five survivors found day after Red Sea tourist boat sinking    Russia launched a record number of almost 200 drones toward Ukraine    Al Hilal advances to AFC Champions League knockout stage despite 1-1 draw with Al Sadd    Saudi Arabia unveils updates on Expo 2030 Riyadh master plan at 175th BIE General Assembly Riyadh Expo Development Company established to oversee strategic planning, operations, and legacy development    Saudi FM attends Quadripartite meeting on Sudan in Italy    Best-selling novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford dies    Cristiano Ronaldo's double powers Al Nassr to 3-1 win over Al Gharafa in AFC Champions League    Al Ahli edges Al Ain 2-1, bolsters perfect start in AFC Champions League Elite    Most decorated Australian Olympian McKeon retires    Adele doesn't know when she'll perform again after tearful Vegas goodbye    'Pregnant' for 15 months: Inside the 'miracle' pregnancy scam    Do cigarettes belong in a museum?    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Experienced Blackhawks lead field of Cup contenders out West
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 12 - 04 - 2017

The Chicago Blackhawks have been here so many times before. They're 16 postseason wins away from a fourth Stanley Cup title in eight years, and their veteran core knows it has the talent and the experience to survive the two-month playoff grind.
Nobody else in the Western Conference playoff picture can say any of that. None of the other seven teams has won a recent Stanley Cup. In fact, only three of those franchises have raised the Cup at all, and only two players were in their current uniform for it: Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, who won their rings a decade ago.
So is it Chicago's conference crown to lose when postseason play gets under way Wednesday?
The top-seeded Blackhawks have been around for too long to believe anything matters except Game 1 on Thursday night against Nashville.
"I think that energy, that ambition and motivation is back," Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said. "We have that feeling again, that every single moment and every single game matters. It's a lot of fun to play at this time of the year. It's why we work all year to get to this point, and as we have said in the past, the real season begins. Obviously, we want to see what we are made of, and I think we are all pretty confident what we are able to do."
The rest of the West is about to find out if it measures up.
Here's what to watch in the four first-round series beginning this week:
BLACKHAWKS vs PREDATORS
Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Marian Hossa are just part of the veteran group that propelled the Blackhawks down the stretch to the West's top record and the NHL's third-best performance since New Year's Day (58 points).
Yet these Blackhawks have been refreshed by an infusion of youngsters hoping for their first taste of Stanley Cup glory, most notably Artemi Panarin. The high-scoring Russian is in only his second NHL season, and his first postseason run ended abruptly last year with Chicago's first-round loss to St. Louis.
The Predators were Chicago's first-round postseason opponents before the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup title runs in 2010 and 2015. Nashville's record (41-29-12) was nearly identical to last season's mark, but the Predators have made one big change: P.K. Subban replaced Shea Weber as their top defenseman this season, headlining a blue-line corps including Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis in front of goalie Pekka Rinne.
Chicago knows that if Rinne plays at his all-world best, even the Blackhawks could have trouble scoring enough to win.
WILD vs BLUES
Minnesota was cruising toward the Central Division title before a late-season slump, while the Blues surged into the postseason after firing coach Ken Hitchcock and trading top defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.
Both teams are regular playoff qualifiers, but both are hoping for a breakthrough this spring after years of disappointment. Keep an eye on Minnesota goalie Devan Dubnyk, whose proficiency against Vladimir Tarasenko and the Blues' scorers could determine this series.
DUCKS vs FLAMES
Anybody who is aware of the Flames' 25-game regular-season losing streak at Honda Center could be excused for thinking the Ducks have an astonishing home-ice advantage in this matchup of the five-time defending Pacific Division champions and the West's top wild card.
The Flames are loaded with young talent, but this series rests heavily on Getzlaf, Perry, Ryan Kesler and the rest of Anaheim's veteran core, which simply hasn't been able to finish: The Ducks have lost a Game 7 at home in each of the last four postseasons.
The Ducks streaked into the postseason on an 11-0-3 roll, and they have more talent and experience. But after Anaheim's first-round flop against Nashville last season, the Flames realize they might be facing some sitting Ducks in their quest for a playoff breakthrough.
OILERS vs SHARKS
Connor McDavid will make his Stanley Cup playoff debut at Rogers Place's first postseason game on Wednesday night, and the hockey world can't wait to see what he does next.
McDavid already won the NHL scoring title and led Edmonton back to the postseason after a 10-year absence. The Oilers even finished above the Sharks, who have much the same team that won the West last season.
San Jose might be far from full strength: Centers Joe Thornton and Logan Couture are out with injuries, and it's unclear when they'll return. But Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski are ready to apply their full range of playoff knowledge against the upstart Oilers and McDavid, who might be at the start of the best chapter yet in his remarkable story. — AP


Clic here to read the story from its source.