ANAHEIM -- Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau wondered aloud as he came to the podium Saturday morning for his press briefing, "How do you have any questions left after six games?" The answer is simple.
The only question left for the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks is who will win Game 7 and earn a berth in the Stanley Cup finals.
Here are some things to watch for in the finale of what has been a compelling series between two heavyweight Western Conference teams.
How close is this series?: Both teams have scored 19 goals. Each team has an identical power-play success rate of 14 percent, though the Blackhawks have scored one more goal (3-2). Each team has won a game in the other team’s building. The two goaltenders, Corey Crawford and Frederik Andersen, have been almost identical in terms of goals-against average (2.47 for Crawford and 2.45 for Andersen). Although there have been multiple lead changes, the team that scored first has won each of the first six games.
The one area that separates the two -- it’s been an ongoing storyline -- is the average ice time logged by Chicago’s top four defenders. Niklas Hjalmarsson, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Johnny Oduya have spent far more time on the ice than the more balanced ice time allotment Boudreau employs with Anaheim's six defenders. The Ducks continue to believe the physical toll of their forecheck will pay dividends in Game 7, though the evidence from Game 6 suggests otherwise, as Keith was a monster with three assists, despite taking several hard hits.
"He has done it numerous times," Jonathan Toews said of Keith. "We know he's having a great playoffs. He's been huge for us, especially in this round, but it's kind of nothing we're not used to seeing from him. He seems to do it every year. Especially this year, he's been great in the playoffs, every play he's been a part of."
Hjalmarsson, in an interview with ESPN.com, said he doesn’t mind a few good, hard hits to get the blood flowing. There is no reason to suggest that will change in Game 7.
Putting the past behind them: There is plenty of history surrounding this game. The Ducks were eliminated the past two seasons in Game 7s on home ice by the Los Angeles Kings and Detroit Red Wings. The Blackhawks were beaten at home in Game 7 of the conference finals the past spring as well. There are lots of chances for redemption for both teams here. Boudreau’s teams, dating back to his time in Washington, have not fared well in Game 7s either. Someone asked Boudreau how he felt about that, especially as it relates to facing Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville, who has won two Stanley Cups (in 2010 and 2013). Boudreau noted Quenneville has lost two of the past three Game 7s he has coached with Chicago (the past season against Los Angeles and in 2011 against Vancouver).
"You're just bringing up things to talk about," Boudreau said. "I don't think about any of that stuff. Everything is its own entity. This is a new game. I'm looking forward to it."
Perhaps the only history with any real bearing on this Game 7’s outcome might be that it is being played in Anaheim, where the Ducks are 7-1 this spring. Of course, we might have said the same thing about the New York Rangers before they were bounced at home by Tampa Bay on Friday night.
Can the captain bounce back?: Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf shouldered a significant amount of blame for the Ducks’ 5-2 loss in Game 6, which allowed Chicago to even the series at three games apiece. His ability to bounce back in Game 7 will be a big factor in who moves on to face Tampa Bay in the finals.
"Yeah, I mean, anyone who read my quotes after the last game, I obviously wasn't that happy with myself and the way I carried myself throughout that game," Getzlaf said before Game 7. "I've played in many big games. It's a matter of drawing back on things and just getting back to doing the things that we do well. That includes myself going out there and just playing, not worrying so much about line matchups, where I am on the ice, those kind of things. It's just a matter of going out and playing, really pushing things forward."
Along with being a minus-3 in Game 6, Getzlaf was awful in the faceoff circle, where he lost 11 of 15. Controlling the puck off the faceoff is something both teams like to be able to do, and there have been some interesting swings in faceoff domination. The Blackhawks ruled at home in Game 6, as they won 33 of 50 faceoffs. A game before, though, it was the Ducks who dominated in Anaheim, winning 60 percent of the draws at Honda Center. Does the trend continue in Anaheim’s favor, or will we see a more equitable distribution of the draws?
One more thing on Getzlaf: In spite of his off performance in Game 6, he leads all players in this series with seven points -- all assists.
Double trouble: It’s pretty much a given that Toews and Patrick Kane will play together with Brandon Saad, and that means Anaheim’s shutdown center Ryan Kesler and linemates Jakob Silfverberg and Matt Beleskey will have their hands full. Kane and Toews have combined for six goals and three assists in six games in the conference finals. Both have been dynamic in the past two games, with Toews scoring twice late to tie Game 5 before Anaheim redeemed itself with Beleskey’s overtime winner, and Kane had a goal and an assist in a three-goal second period in Game 6.
"There's no doubt we enjoy the opportunity to play together, having played together a lot throughout our career," Toews said in advance of Game 7.
He understands the coaching staff’s desire in many circumstances to keep him and Kane separated, but there is never much of an adjustment when they do end up playing together, as has been the case much of the past two games.
"I think when he makes changes like that, I think that's one change you resort to where it won't take us long to get off on the right foot, to pick up wherever we left off, however long ago we might have been playing together," Toews said.
Expected lines:
Anaheim Ducks
Patrick Maroon - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry
Matt Beleskey - Ryan Kesler - Jakob Silfverberg
Andrew Cogliano - Nate Thompson - Jiri Sekac
Tomas Fleischmann - Rickard Rakell - Kyle Palmieri
Hampus Lindholm - Francois Beauchemin
Frederik Andersen
Chicago Blackhawks
Brandon Saad - Jonathan Toews - Marian Hossa
Bryan Bickell - Brad Richards - Patrick Kane
Patrick Sharp - Antoine Vermette - Teuvo Teravainen
Andrew Desjardins - Marcus Kruger - Andrew Shaw
Duncan Keith - Niklas Hjalmarsson
Johnny Oduya - Brent Seabrook
Kyle Cumiskey - David Rundblad
Corey Crawford