Why Blackhawks are team to beat in the West

At some point this season, the Chicago Blackhawks went stealth on us. The defending champions got under the radar. We didn't see them anymore.

We were locked on the idea that the St. Louis Blues might be in position to win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. We were focused on the West Coast teams being hard to play against. Wasn't the wild-card race kind of fun?

But the calendar is turning to May, and we see the Blackhawks throttling up for a run at third Cup in five years.

Why the Blackhawks are still the team to beat in the Western Conference:

Toews and Kane: Two weeks ago, we wondered how sharp Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane would be coming off late-season injuries. Today, they sit with a combined six goals and seven assists for 13 points. Together, they are plus-10. The series against the Blues was a nasty affair, and they rose above the fray to be difference-makers.

There are two kinds of superstars: those players who post impressive numbers in the regular season and those who post impressive numbers in the regular season and postseason. Toews and Kane are the latter.

NHL's most adaptable team: How do you want to play? Just let the Blackhawks know and they can play that way. They aren't a physical team by nature. But they can excel in a physical game.

The feisty, prickly, over-sized Blues posted 248 hits in that series compared with 143 by the Blackhawks. Chicago players clearly were not bothered by the physical play.

They have excellent survival skills. They know how to adjust their game to compensate for how their opponent is playing.

NHL's best transition team: Watch how quickly this team shifts from a defensive posture to an attacking team.

Duncan Keith is masterful at headmanning the puck. But all of the Blackhawks defensemen move the puck well. Keith and Brent Seabrook have 13 points between them, despite Seabrook sitting out three games because of a suspension.

Johnny Oduya and Niklas Hjalmarsson never have been given enough credit for their contributions.

Knowing how to win: The Blackhawks don't have to guess the formula for Stanley Cup success. They have reached the summit twice in the past four years. They understand the mental toughness that is required.

They have the necessary patience. They don't have any measure of panic in their game. Last year, they had to come back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Detroit Red Wings to resume their run to the Stanley Cup.

They fell behind 2-0 against the Blues because of late goals, but they did not let their letdowns overwhelm them, winning the next four games to advance.

Crawford still improving: Goaltender Corey Crawford was impressive during the Blackhawks' 2013 championship march, but he might be an even better goalie today.

He looked strong against the Blues when he needed to be. His numbers are even slighly better.

You can feel the confidence the Blackhawks have in him. He has been upgraded from key contributor to star performer. He stood firm against a bushel of Blues shots.

Multifaceted: The Blackhawks have excessive speed, good faceoff guys, quality goaltending, savvy coaching, some size in Bryan Bickell, some agitation in Andrew Shaw and excellent penalty killing. They killed 93% of the Blues power-play chances.

The Blackhawks have everyone's attention again.