Ducks-Hawks, Paul Stastny and more playoff performances of note.

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After looking at the Rangers-Lightning series in yesterday’s ramblings, a peek at the Western Conference Final is on tap today.

There will be offense, as Anaheim and Chicago have averaged 3.89 goals and 3.2 goals per game, respectively. Interestingly, though, Anaheim’s plus-17 goal differential is almost three times better than the next best team’s (Tampa Bay plus-6), and it is four times as high as Chicago’s (plus-4).

Still, the quality of competition has been markedly different, which is part of the equation going forward, too. Anaheim, a Corey Perry injury scare aside, has cruised through nine games. Chicago, meanwhile, battled hard in two rounds, and although they swept Minnesota, three of the four games were close battles.

Two things stick out as potential tipping points for Chicago. First, and it is amazing to say this, Michael Rozsival’s injury could be a serious blow. Chicago has limited Kimmo Timonen‘s minutes, and he was considered more fitting for the lineup than David Rundblad. So where does Rundblad fit, and how much confidence does head coach Joel Quenneville have in Rundblad?

Secondly, can Brad Richards or Antoine Vermette elevate their play and matchup against Ryan Getzlaf or Ryan Kesler successfully? The Getzlaf-Kesler one-two punch changed the entire dynamic of the Western Conference. Although it wasn’t on full display through the regular season, it was a postseason-inspired move, and through two rounds, it has been a success.

This will be a grueling series for Chicago, if they’re only confident in rolling out four defensemen. The Blackhawks have the edge in winger depth, and they’ve overcome the glaring lack of a No. 2 center in the past. Do they have another Cup run in them?