The two best teams in the Western Conference are facing off for a chance to win Lord Stanley’s Cup, just the way it should be. There are no Cinderella clubs this season, as there are no low-seeded teams that rode a streak of good fortune; it is two teams that have earned their way into the Conference Finals from the beginning of the season up until now.
The Chicago Blackhawks are 8-2 in the postseason, including a second-round sweep of the Minnesota Wild. The Anaheim Ducks arrive with an 8-1 postseason record after sweeping Winnipeg and dispatching Calgary in five games.
A series of this caliber is asking for high prices on the secondary ticket market. According to TiqIQ.com, the average ticket price of Anaheim home games (Games 1, 2, 5 and 7) is $443.92. The average ticket price of Blackhawks home games (Games 3, 4 and 6) is $566.92. Tickets for Chicago Blackhawks home games are brought up from their Game 6 average price of $787.05, with a $230 get-in price. The entire breakdown of ticket prices is below:
5/17/2015 | Game 1 | Honda Center | Average Price: $308.66 | Get-In Price: $106
5/19/2015 | Game 2 | Honda Center | Average Price: $320.60 | Get-In Price: $94
5/21/2015 | Game 3 | United Center | Average Price: $457.40 | Get-In Price: $176 | Chicago Parking: $25
5/23/2015 | Game 4 | United Center | Average Price: $478.51 | Get-In Price: $195 | Chicago Parking: $25
5/25/2015 | Game 5 | Honda Center | Average Price: $489.85 | Get-In Price: $103
5/27/2015 | Game 6 | United Center | Average Price: $787.05 | Get-In Price: $230 | Chicago Parking: $25
5/30/2015 | Game 7 | Honda Center | Average Price: $667.89 | Get-In Price: $89
With higher ticket prices for games in Chicago, fans can use ParkWhiz.com for United Center parking on game nights starting at $25 to create a more efficient trip to the stadium. Navy Pier parking is also available through ParkWhiz for fans wanting to avoid stadium traffic after the game, or spend time at tourist sites or the park leading up to the game.
After parking is finished, prepare to watch two teams with two very different playing styles. The Blackhawks rely on skill and speed up and down the lineup, which allows them to track down the puck and keep it. And they’re a battle-tested lineup that has won two Stanley Cups (2010, 2013) and appeared in another Conference Finals (2014) in the past five years.
The Ducks are a big, physical team that do not have the playoff experience possessed by Chicago, but they have the hunger of a team that has been knocked down a couple of times during the playoffs in recent years and is trying to reach the final step..
The Blackhawks have the skill, with players like Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Brandon Saad and Marian Hossa. Anaheim’s physicality shows up late in games, where they have outscored opponents 16-3 in the third period thus far in the playoffs. The Ducks also have the best faceoff player, Ryan Kesler, who has won 63.7% of the time on the draw in the playoffs.
