After holding their breath before snagging a Game 1 win against the Minnesota Wild in overtime on Tuesday, the Chicago Blackhawks seemed back to business as usual with a commanding 5-2 victory in Game 2 on Friday. That leaves them up 2-0, as many expected.
Let’s get to the talking points.
- Wild fans can at least point to the series going back to Minnesota, although that might not provide much solace. The Blackhawks are 18-4-2 away from the United Center, just a stride behind their 18-3-3 home mark.
- Minnesota’s big three of Zach Parise, Ryan Suter and Mikko Koivu are pointless in two games. Should that highly-paid trio shoulder most of the blame?
- Josh Harding has actually been quite good in relief of Niklas Backstrom. If the Finnish netminder is good to go for Game 3, should Minnesota turn to its normal No. 1 anyway?
- Patrick Sharp and Michael Frolik scored two goals apiece. Which player had a better night? Was anyone better than the guys who grabbed the attention-getting numbers?
- Do you expect the Blackhawks to sweep this series? If not, does Minnesota have any chance for an upset?