Who Will Raise the Cup?
It’s time.
The Stanley Cup Final is upon us.
The Chicago Blackhawks and the Tampa Bay Lightning will face-off tonight to begin the best of 7 series for the greatest and most coveted trophy in all sports.
The Blackhawks were one of the favorites entering the season this year and are looking to win their third cup in five years. This franchise has become a modern-day dynasty which is rare in a cap-strapped league such as the NHL.
Jonathan Toews captains a Chicago team that has its share of superstars and role players. A team that shut down the high-flying Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference Final. They are fast, talented and know how to win a Cup. They have been here before and Tampa will have their work cut out for them as they enter game one.
“That team, they have a really good team, and they have a skilled team,” Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov said of the Blackhawks. “In all those years, they’ve done a good job. They won twice (also in 2013), and I know they can win the Cup. They know how to win it, but we don’t care. We’re hungry to win it and we’re going to work hard to get it.” (NHL.com)
Patrick Kane leads the Blackhawks with 20 points (10g, 10a) in the 17 games that Chicago has played. He is a Conn Smythe winner and needs to get off to a fast start against an equally tough Tampa Bay team. Toews is also looking for the Blackhawks to start strong and keep the pressure coming:
“The opportunity that we have is right there in front of us,” Toews said. “This is the last series. We want to have a great start to it. So that is something that we can definitely focus on, is just having that desperation that we’ve had late in the series and applying that right off the start.”
The Tampa Bay Lighting has been dynamic this season under the leadership of bench boss Jon Cooper. He has matched lines well and will have to use home-ice to his advantage to get his top-two lines on the ice against the Blackhawks 3rd and 4th lines. On a Tampa team that is oozing talent this season, one player imparticular has lead the charge, and his name is not Steven Stamkos.
Tyler Johnson has been an enigma for Tampa Bay this season scoring 72 points in 77 games. The 5‘8“ center has carried his game into the playoffs and leads this Lightning team with 21 points in 20 games, including 12 goals – 4 of those game winners.
Johnson, along with Kucherov, Stamkos, Alex Killorn and Ondrej Palat will be relied heavily upon to apply pressure on Chicago defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook and continue the way they played against New York Rangers.
Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop has also been a key player in the Lightning’s run to the Stanley Cup Final. Bishop has played in all 20 games and has a .920 save percentage and 2.15 goals against average. He’s faced 525 shots this post-season.
On the other end is Corey Crawford. Crawford has played in 14 games has been unsteady at times, but also come up with some very key saves for the Blackhawks. He carries a 2.56 GAA and .919 SP. Rookie Scott Darling has played 5 games for Chicago and could be called upon if Crawford cannot handle the Lightning offense.
For the most part, both teams are the same. They both carry A-list names both offensively and defensively. Their styles are similar and to watch two teams that know almost nothing about the other in the regular season, besides what they know of video, Game 1 will be a nice test for both teams.
“It’s one thing to look at video, but to actually get it in the game, from your perspective on the ice, is a lot different,” Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford said Tuesday at Media Day. “There will be a little feeling out at the beginning, but we’re well aware of what they do. They’re a fast team with tons of skill. They play at high tempo. They have a five-man offensive attack. We almost play the same way. It’s going to be a fun series. (NHL.com)
Photo Credit: Andrew D. Bernstein/NHLI via Getty Images
