Blackhawks 1 Avalanche 2 : 22-9-7 51 points

I actually missed out on this dual between western conference foes because of the national championship game, but i'll eventually watch it on the DVR. From the highlights, it looked like an intense match up with numerous scoring opportunities above the 2-1 score. The hawks put 44 shots on goal, while both avalanche goals were controversial, as the first appeared to be kicked into the net by ryan smyth, and the second coming on the power play which was caused by a premature puck drop on the face off. It was a highly competitive game that could have gone either way. Problem is that the red wings are up to 61 points and distancing themselves in the central division