It has been a wild ride in the Western Conference Final this year, so it's only fitting that it will go to a decisive Game 7 Saturday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
Rangers vs. Lightning: 7 Things To Watch For In Game 7
The Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks are set to go the distance in what has been an up-and-down and back-and-forth series throughout.
Three of the six games have gone to overtime -- two of which went to multiple extra frames -- throughout this series. The Ducks have taken the odd matches with wins in Games 1, 3 and 5 while the Blackhawks have won the even ones, taking Games 2, 4 and 6 after falling behind 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2.
Looking Back: Blackhawks vs. Ducks Western Conference Final Prediction
Anaheim hopes to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since winning it all in 2007 while Chicago looks to get back there for the third time in six years after hoisting the greatest trophy in sports in 2010 and 2013.
Before the puck drops at the Honda Center on Saturday, here are seven things to watch for in Game 7.
1) Rocky Road: This has been an unbelievable series throughout and Game 7 should prove to be no different. After the Ducks took Game 1 by a 4-1 margin, the Blackhawks took a wild Game 2 in triple overtime with a 3-2 win. Anaheim then gutted out a close 2-1 decision in Game 3 only to have Chicago once again find a flare for the dramatic, winning Game 4 in double overtime 5-4.
Game 5 once again went to overtime after a dramatic comeback from the Blackhawks, but the Ducks handed them their first loss in the extra stanza in the playoffs with a 5-4 win of their own 45 seconds into overtime. In Game 6, Chicago notched a 5-2 win to force Game 7.
2) Looking Back: The Blackhawks have played 12 Game 7s in their franchise history and are 6-6 while the Ducks are 2-4 through six decisive matches. Anaheim has lost its last three Game 7s and hasn't won one since 2006. Chicago has lost two of its last three Game 7s -- including the conference final to the Los Angeles Kings last year -- and last won a decisive game in the second round in 2013.
3) California Kings: The Ducks are 11-4 thus far this postseason and have only lost once in the Honda Center with the defeat coming against Chicago in in triple overtime in Game 2. Anaheim plays tough on home ice and it will be quite the challenge for Chicago to try and beat them there again. The Blackhawks are 4-5 on the road in this postseason.
4) Corey vs. Corey: One of the most interesting matchups to watch in this series is Ducks winger Corey Perry and Blackhawks netminder Corey Crawford. Perry has tried to get under Crawford's skin plenty of times throughout the series to various success. Perry has two goals thus far in the six games of this set.
5) Toews vs. Kesler: Another interesting battle is between two of the top centers in the series as Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews and Ducks forward Ryan Kesler have been clashing head-to-head throughout this set. Kesler has been successful on 58.3 percent of the face-offs he's taken in the playoffs while Toews is successful at a 54 percent clip.
6) Star Power: There is no shortage of superstars in this series. Patrick Kane leads the Blackhawks with 10 goals and 17 points this postseason while Toews has seven tallies and 16 points. Duncan Keith, who leads what could be a heavily taxed top-four of Chicago's blue line with 31:49 average time on ice, also has 16 points and a team-best 14 assists. Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa each have 12 points.
Captain Ryan Getzlaf leads the Ducks with 17 assists and 19 points this postseason while Perry (nine goals, eight helpers) and Jakob Silfverberg (four markers, 13 assists) each have 17 points. Kesler (6-6--12) has also made an impact while Patrick Maroon and Matt Beleskey, who scored the overtime winner in Game 5, each have found the twine seven times.
7) Battle Between The Pipes: The goaltenders have been a key story to this series as the same questions that surrounded Crawford in Round 1 -- and led him to temporarily lose his job -- have formed around Frederik Andersen.
After limiting Chicago to one goal in Games 1-3, Andersen has allowed 14 tallies in the last three matches. Andersen has risen to the occasion this postseason and will look to do so again.
Likewise, Crawford allowed four markers in Game 1, but settled down by limiting Anaheim to the same amount of goals in Games 2 and 3. Crawford has since allowed 11 goals -- including nine in Games 4 and 5, over the last three tilts.
Crawford, who has a Stanley Cup to his name, is 8-4 in the playoffs with a 2.53 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.
Andersen is still in search of his first Cup here in his second postseason and he is 11-4 thus far with a 2.18 GAA and a .919 save percentage this spring.
The Blackhawks and Ducks each look to advance to the Stanley Cup Final when the lights come up at the Honda Center Saturday night in Anaheim.
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