The Chicago Blackhawks are back in the Stanley Cup Finals after a highly-entertaining seven-game series against the Anaheim Ducks. Standing in the way of their third championship in six years are the young and talented Tampa Bay Lightning. Both teams boast of blistering offenses, so we’re set for a high-scoring series all throughout.
Can the Blackhawks use their championship experience to handle the younger and hungrier Lightning? Read on as we take a close look at five keys that could shape this series. Dig deeper into this series with our complete preview for Game 1 as well as our collection of expert picks.
[sc:NHLArticles ]Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Chicago Blackhawks Series Preview
Oh Captain, My Captain
Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos had a slow start in the playoffs. He was held scoreless for the first eight games of the postseason before exploding to light the lamp seven times since then. Stamkos was especially fantastic in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Rangers. He scored four goals and assisted in three others in the seven-game series. But he’s making just the first Stanley Cup Final of his career.
[sc:NHL240 ]Chicago’s Jonathan Toews has been here before. He won the 2010 Conn Smythe Trophy after leading the Blackhawks to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 1961. He was also instrumental in Chicago’s Stanley Cup-clinching Game 6 victory in 2013 against Boston, tallying a goal and an assist. His history of showing up in big games should continue this time around.
Captain Serious has been a steady presence in the Chicago frontline for most of the postseason. But he’s stepped it up a whole ‘nother level in the last four games of the Western Conference Finals, scoring five goals and assisting in two others.
Putting the D on Defense
There’s no defenseman who’s had a bigger contribution to his team than Duncan Keith in these playoffs. He’s been a steady contributor on both sides of the rink and is running on a seemingly endless gas tank. Keith is averaging a team-high 31:36 time on ice and has racked up 18 points along the way. His positive-13 plus/minus is tops in the entire postseason. Keith would do well in inhibiting Tampa Bay’s highly-potent offense, and punish them with slick takeaways to create scoring chances on breakaways that Chicago does to a tee.
Victor Hedman has been unreal in Tampa Bay’s postseason run with a goal and nine assists. The Bolts have outscored their competition by 11 when Hedman’s on the ice. But his contributions have only been possible because of how well he’s meshed with line mate Anton Stralman. The duo has a strong Chicago offense to keep tabs on, which has scored 3.29 goals per game (third-most in the postseason).
Bishop or the Crow?
With both teams fielding blistering offenses, it’ll be interesting to see how each goalie fares between the pipes. Both Corey Crawford and Ben Bishop have had sketchy games in their run toward the Stanley Cup Finals.
Crawford hasn’t been solid in this year’s playoffs with a 2.56 GAA and .919 save percentage. But he’s winning games, going 9-4 in 14 games played. The Crow has also had a couple of big games this postseason, the best of which was a 60-save performance in a triple overtime win against Anaheim in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final.
Bishop has had a couple of bad games in the playoffs, allowing five goals in three separate games in the Eastern Conference Finals alone. But he has also played some of his best games in his first career postseason appearance. His three shutouts and 12 wins are the most among all goalies in the playoffs.
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Big Game Experience
The Blackhawks surely have the edge when it comes to big game experience. They have won two of the past five Stanley Cup championships and have two former Conn Smythe winners in Toews and Patrick Kane. Of the two, Kane has been playing at an elite level in these playoffs even after losing time due to a broken collar bone toward the tail end of the regular season. He leads the Blackhawks with 20 points (10 goals and 10 assists) this postseason.
Kane has been at the top of his game leading up to the Stanley Cup Finals, collecting seven points in his last five games. Expect him to be his usual dominant self against the Bolts. He has 15 points (five goals and 10 assists) in nine career regular season games against Tampa Bay.
Despite Tampa Bay’s inexperience, it has come up big when the stakes are high in irs current postseason run. The Bolts beat two of the best goalies (Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist) in the league in back-to-back series leading into this Stanley Cup Finals appearance.
Tyler Johnson, who is only in his third season with Tampa Bay, has been a beast in the playoffs. His 21 points and 12 goals are the most among all players in the postseason. It’s going to be interesting to see if Johnson can keep his elite level of play in the biggest series of his career thus far.
Home Ice (Dis)Advantage
Tampa Bay has home ice advantage entering the Stanley Cup Finals. But Amalie Arena hasn’t treated the Bolts too well recently. The Bolts have lost two of their past three home games this postseason, allowing a total of 17 goals in all three games. They’re on a current four-game win streak against Chicago at Amalie Arena. But all four of those games occurred in the regular season. The Blackhawks are different animals when it comes to the playoffs, not to mention the Stanley Cup Finals.
Chicago has been a good road team in the playoffs. The Blackhawks have won five of their past seven games in hostile territory, including their Western Conference Finals-clinching Game 7 victory at Anaheim. Kane, in particular, has been stellar on the road with 10 points. Toews has also been great on the road with 10 points, two more than what he’s scored at home. The Blackhawks won their past two Stanley Cups on the road.
Writer’s Prediction
Toews feeds Kane for the overtime series winner in Game 6. Chicago wins its third Stanley Cup in the past six years. The Blackhawks are -155 to win the series, +300 to win in six games.
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