One of the reasons the Bruins are so tough to play is because they spread their weapons out as much as possible, causingheadaches for opposing coaches looking for matchups in either the offensive or defensive zone. 2. Will a lack of familiarity between the teams affect the series?
These teams haven't played each other in what seems like forever.
Both coaches are great strategists, identifying and exploiting the weaknesses of an opponent with surgical perfection. But, does the lack of in-game data hurt their process? Julien had eight days to break down the Penguins and came up with the perfect game plan. Can he do it again without any live experience as to how the Blackhawks play? 3. Can Chicago make the faceoff battle competitive?
On paper, the faceoff war will be decidedly one sided. Boston is the best faceoff team in the playoffs, winning 56 percent of the draws it contests. Chicago is in the middle of the pack, winning 47 percent of its draws. 4. Can Boston counter the speed of the Chicago defense?
While the Bruins have not played Chicago this year, Boston right wing Jaromir Jagr has. He played the Blackhawks while with the Dallas Stars -- before his trade to Boston -- and he was suitably impressed by the eventual Presidents' Trophy winner. Boston will need to slow the game down in the neutral zone as much as possible, avoid turnovers and make sure they account for the Chicago defenseman jumping into the play to make the attack a four-man proposition. It will be the job of a back-0checking forward to pick up the late-man activation.
5. Can Zdeno Chara handle another two weeks of playing almost 30 minutes a night? Chara plays in all key situations and will often double shift to neutralize separate threats when necessary. On many occasions this postseason, he has played more than 10 minutes in a period.
Each round, the opposition thought they had the answer to get Chara off his game. Get the puck in deep, make him turn around and then punish him on the forecheck. Each round, the opposition was wrong.
