The 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us, and by the end of it you'll feel like The Walking Dead. Hence, zombie motif!

It was an historic season for the Phoenix Coyotes in two ways. To start, they won the first division title in franchise history, edging out the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings. Second, they'll finally have a new first-round opponent after facing the Detroit Red Wings the past two springs.

There will once again be a whiteout in Phoenix; will there be one next season? That's still to be determined. But any off-ice distractions haven't found their way into the Coyotes' room and it's shown of late. They head into the first round on a 5-game winning streak and goaltender Mike Smith recording shutouts in three of those victories.

The Chicago Blackhawks had quite the rollercoaster season. There were high expectations heading into the year, but a midseason swoon, coupled with captain Jonathan Toews being sidelined with a concussion almost derailed things. Head coach Joel Quenneville spent a little time on the hot seat, but the Blackhawks settled in right behind the Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings in the Central Division.

Now with spectre of Toews coming back for Game 1, does put Chicago over in this series?

Here is your Coyotes vs. Blackhawks preview, complete with Zombified observations …

Phoenix Coyotes (3) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (6)

April 12: Chicago at Phoenix, 10 p.m. ET

April 14: Chicago at Phoenix, 10 p.m. ET

April 17: Phoenix at Chicago, 9 p.m. ET

April 19: Phoenix at Chicago, 8 p.m. ET

April 21: Chicago at Phoenix, 10 p.m. ET

April 23: Phoenix at Chicago, TBA*

April 25: Chicago at Phoenix, TBA*

*If necessary.

Phoenix may not have the superstar names but they do have a good balance of scoring up front. Eight different players registered double digit goals, led by Radim Vrbata who had a career season with 35 goals. Their most productive forward was the Wizard, 39-year old Ray Whitney, who netted 24 goals and 77 points. While much of the talk about old guys in the league centered around Teemu Selanne, Whitney put up some of the best numbers of his career. Shane Doan (22 goals) and Lauri Korpikoski (17 goals) round out the Coyotes' top offensive weapons

Defensively up top, Boyd Gordon, Antoine Vermette, Martin Hanzal and Korpikoski will be factors. Gordon led all Phoenix forwards in faceoffs winning 56.8-percent of his draws, with Vermette right behind him at 56.6-percent. Gordon is also one to sacrifice the body, blocking a team-high 86 shots during the regular season, highlighted by his warrior-like effort against Columbus earlier this month.

Raffi Torres plays on the edge as we saw last postseason. If he can not cross that line, Torres will provide that sandpaper needed in the playoffs and chip in offensively after scoring 15 times this season.

The biggest questions surrounding Chicago's forward corps is the health of captain Jonathan Toews. He told reporters on Monday that he expects to play in Game 1, but coming back from a concussion makes pinpointing a return tough. He hasn't played Feb 19, so his return would be a huge boost to the Blackhawks on both sides of the ice.

Outside of Toews, Chicago has plenty in their arsenal to fall back on. Marian Hossa produced 77 points, his most since 2007 when he was with the Atlanta Thrashers. The beautiful Patrick Sharp had his second straight 30-goal season. Patrick Kane wasn't his best offensively this season, but did finish strong potting five goals and 13 points in his final 10 games. Kane does have a knack of stepping up in the postseason with 48 points in 45 career playoff games. Though he won't have his patented playoff mullet and lines in his head this time around.

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