The Vancouver Canucks finally know who they will face off against in the second round of the playoffs. The Canucks will battle the upstart Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Semifinals, making this the Hawks' first appearance in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 1996. Vancouver will host Games 1 and 2 of the series, with dates and times to be determined.
This marks the third all-time Stanley Cup Playoff meeting between the Blackhawks and Canucks, with each club earning one series victory. The Blackhawks swept the Canucks, 4-games-to-0, in the 1995 Western Conference Semifinals in the last postseason meeting between the franchises. Vancouver earned a 4-games-to-1 series win over Chicago in the 1982 Campbell Conference Finals in the first-ever playoff matchup between the teams.
Chicago and Vancouver split the 2008-09 regular-season series, each winning two games in regulation. The Blackhawks won the first two meetings (Oct. 19 at United Center and Dec. 20 at General Motors Place), before dropping the final two matchups (Feb. 7 at General Motors Places and March 29 at United Center).
The Blackhawks reached the conference semifinals after eliminating the Calgary Flames, 4-games-to-2, in the first round, while the Canucks swept the St. Louis Blues, 4-games-to-0, in their conference quarterfinals series.
