We have a classic series brewing in the Stanley Cup finals. The Chicago Blackhawks levelled the series two games apiece with a 2-1 victory in Game 4. They’ll have a chance to extend their series lead even further at Amalie Arena, where the Lightning have struggled this postseason.
Can the Blackhawks show their championship pedigree by taking a big win on the road? Read on as a collection of experts sound off on their picks.
Dig deeper into the Stanley Cup finals. Check out the complete preview for the Blackhawks vs. Lightning Game 5.
[sc:NHLArticles ]Chicago Blackhawks vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Game 5 Expert Picks and Predictions
Series Scores & Schedule
Game 1 – June 3 — Chicago Blackhawks 2 at Tampa Bay Lightning 1
Game 2 – June 6 —Chicago Blackhawks 3 at Tampa Bay Lightning 4
Game 3 – June 8 –Tampa Bay Lightning 3 at Chicago Blackhawks 2
Game 4 – June 10 –Tampa Bay Lightning 1 at Chicago Blackhawks 2
Game 5 – June 13, 8:00 PM ET –Chicago Blackhawks at Tampa Bay Lightning – view all NHL lines
Game 6 – June 15, 8:00 PM ET – Tampa Bay Lightning at Chicago Blackhawks
Game 7* – June 17, 8:00 PM ET – Chicago Blackhawks at Tampa Bay Lightning
*If necessary
Rant Sports
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Trevor Lowry | Blackhawks 4-2 |
Trevor Lowry of Rant Sports was quick to give his prediction for Game 5 of the incredible Stanley Cup finals. He notes that Game 4 was crucial for each team’s stars to finally give themselves a presence in this series. Chicago’s Jonathan Toews stepped up and sent a puck to the back of the Lightning net to open the scoring in the second period.
[sc:NHL240 ]Home advantage is a huge plus in any sport. But it may not play too much of a role in this series considering both the Lightning and the Blackhawks have won on their opponents’ turf.
Game 5 will be especially crucial since it leaves the winner needing only one more victory for Lord Stanley’s Cup. Lowry believes that the Blackhawks’ experience should take over to win Game 5 4-2.
Sports Chat Place
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Mark Roberts | Lightning |
The Blackhawks are experienced and have a star-studded cast. But Mark Roberts believes that Tampa Bay should be able to eke out a win by virtue of being the home team. He notes that Chicago has lost five of its last six meetings at Amalie Arena and are just 2-8 in the past 10 meetings.
For the Lightning to get a much-needed home win, they’ll have to keep some tight defense against Chicago. The Blackhawks have won 10 of 11 games this postseason when scoring the first goal of the game. Rookie goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed two goals on 19 shots. The Tampa Bay blue line will need to do a much better job of limiting Chicago’s offense if it wants to help out the inexperienced netminder.
Top Bet
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Top Bet | Blackhawks 4-3 |
We here at Top Bet have also released our prediction for this crucial Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals. Jonathan Toews finally scored his first goal of the series, which should help spark the Chicago attack. But Patrick Kane, who’s tied with Toews with a team-high 10 playoff goals, is yet to score in the series.
It’ll be crucial for the Blackhawks to get Kane going if they are to dominate this game. Having Kane converting his shot attempts will be an assurance for Chicago that they can then score from pretty much anywhere else on the ice. We also believe that Brandon Saad has been a crucial player in these playoffs. Six of Saad’s playoff goals (two of them game-winners) gave Chicago the lead, one tied a game and another extended the lead.
But Tampa Bay’s rookie goalie showed veteran poise in the Game 4 loss. Vasilevskiy allowed just two goals on 19 shots as the Lightning’s blue liners helped him out big time. He’ll need the same sort of support if the Lightning are to continue keeping tabs on Kane.
In the end, we believe that Chicago should open the floodgates of their offense to beat the Lightning 4-3 at Amalie Arena.
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