Can Blackhawks Outskate Canucks?

The NHL cranks up the conference semifinals Thursday night, as Chicago opens their series at Vancouver. With both teams off impressive opening-round victories, who has the advantage? And will we see any hair-pulling theatrics this time around?

Chicago Blackhawks		Vancouver Canucks
The Blackhawks bring plenty of size and skill, but not necessarily both at the same time. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Calder finalist Kris Versteeg make them go.	Forwards	There's little doubt that Vancouver has size. They also have the Sedin twins - Daniel and Henrik. They also have the wholly underrated Alex Burrows.
Advantage: Chicago. They have bangers on the third and fourth lines, plenty of speed and skill, and they're clearly not afraid of playoff hockey. They present more balance than the Canucks.
Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith are the key players. Brian Campbell is solid, and Cam Barker is an emerging star.	Defense	Big and tough. Mattias Ohlund and Kevin Bieksa bring the pain. Willie Mitchell and Alex Edler are serious minute-eaters.
Advantage: Vancouver. Playoff hockey is all about being smart and tough. The Canucks have a solid mix of both. Don't expect much offense out of them except for power plays, but they aren't here for that.
Nikolai Khabibulin may have put it all together. He's been very good, and despite some struggles in the Calgary series, he came through when they needed it most.	Goalies	The way Roberto Luongo played against St. Louis, and the way his defense played in front of him, it's hard to figure he'll wilt now. He might be the hottest goalie in the league.
Advantage: Vancouver. With the proper nod to Khabibulin and his resurgence this year, it's going to take a superhuman effort for him to match what Luongo has been doing. He's capable, but I'm not about to bet on it happening.
You can give the power play a huge amount of credit for the Blackhawks' ability to advance. They took advantage of undisciplined play from Calgary. The reward is a date with the league's toughest penalty kill (at least from the first round, that is).	Special Teams	Vancouver put St. Louis on an average of six power plays per game. The Blues scored once in 24 total chances. They probably won't stay that hot against Chicago, but it's a tough nut to crack. Their power play is pretty good, too.
Advantage: Push. The Blackhawks penalty kill is rock-solid, and they have enough dynamic players on the power play to make Vancouver pay for their lack of discipline. The same could be said for Vancouver, who destroyed the Blues on special teams in the first round. The ability of the Canucks to avoid taking penalties will be a huge key in this series.
Joel Quenneville did a masterful job playing matchups to his favor against Calgary. He wasn't afraid to use his young players in key spots, which could pay off in this series.	Coaching	With a largely veteran team, Alain Vigneault can let his leaders do a lot of the talking. That said, he's done a very good job getting his team to peak at the right time.
Advantage: Chicago. Quenneville took over after the season had already started, and it's clear he's very familiar with his players' strengths and weaknesses. With a lot of inexperience, he's found a way to keep guys from being put in positions to make series-altering mistakes.
The Blackhawks won their last two against Calgary by a combined 9-2, seemingly eschewing any talk of a goaltending problem. They look to be on a roll.	Intangibles	Vancouver's "reward" for a quick win over St. Louis is an eight-day rest that could very easily leave them rusty as Chicago visits. They need to get the crowd going early in Game 1.
Advantage: Chicago. Home ice is nice, but the rest factor has hurt a lot of teams in recent years, and it will be a battle for Vancouver to avoid it.
Final Prediction: 3 of our writers picked the Blackhawks, 3 picked the Canucks.