The Chicago Blackhawks visit the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Amalie Arena on Wednesday as the puck is set to drop on Game 1 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final.
Lightning vs. Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final Predictions and Preview
These teams survived bumpy roads to get here. The Lightning needed 20 games to get by the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers and now they face the Blackhawks, another Original Six club that utilized 17 contests to get to this point against the Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild and Anaheim Ducks.
As Tampa Bay makes just its second Stanley Cup Final appearance in history looking to hoist the Cup for the first time since 2004 and Chicago plays in the final round for the third time in six years after winning it all in 2010 and 2013, these two teams provide an interesting matchup and similar structure.
5 Storylines In Lightning-Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final
Here is a position by position breakdown to the Stanley Cup Final.
Offense: The Lightning's Triplets Line of Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat will provide an interesting dynamic up against the playoff experienced Blackhawks unit that is paced by captain Jonathan Toews and leading-scorer Patrick Kane.
Johnson has a playoff-best 12 goals and 21 points thus far while Kucherov (10 tallies, nine helpers) is second on the team with 19 points and Palat (7-8--15) has also been a force. The line has combined for 29 of the team's 55 goals this postseason.
Captain Steven Stamkos has also found his form, notching seven markers and 17 points. These four players have the strength of Tampa Bay. The Lightning hasn't had much secondary scoring, and while that hasn't been a problem through three rounds, it may be against an experienced Blackhawks team.
Kane has a club-best 10 goals and 20 points for Chicago this postseason while Toews has nine tallies and nine assists for 18 points to rank second. Brandon Saad has six goals in the playoffs while Marian Hossa has 13 points and Patrick Sharp has chipped in 12.
Each team boasts seven players with double digits in points. Chicago (3.24) and Tampa Bay (2.75) ranked third and fourth respectively among the original 16 playoff teams in goals per game.
Edge: Even
Defense: Tampa Bay's blue line is led by Victor Hedman (club-high 23:24 average time on ice in the playoffs) and Anton Stralman (22:13) as the two have contributed offensively this postseason and have also been able to shutdown team's defensively. Hedman has 10 points off of a goal and nine assists to go along with a plus-11 rating while Stralman has one tally and six helpers for seven points and is a plus-2.
The Blackhawks' defense has dealt with injuries, which has hindered its depth, but its big four has contributed throughout the first three rounds. Duncan Keith could be a favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy if the Blackhawks hoist the Cup and he leads both teams with 31:35 average time on ice while he also paces all Chicago defenseman with 18 points and the club with 16 assists and a plus-13 rating.
Brent Seabrook leads all Chicago blue-liners with six goals while Nicklas Hjalmarsson (26:33) and Johnny Oduya (25:23) have also logged heavy minutes and played a big role.
Edge: Blackhawks
Goalies: Between the pipes, it'll be an interesting matchup between Corey Crawford and Ben Bishop. Crawford won the Stanley Cup for the Blackhawks in 2013 while Bishop is getting his first taste of the Stanley Cup playoffs and is just four wins away from hoisting the greatest trophy in sports.
Both goalies have faltered in the playoffs thus far as Crawford lost his job in Round 1 before winning it back and Bishop allowed five goals in two straight games against the Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.
Still, both netminders have showed their fair share of brilliance with Crawford being the only goalie to defeat the Ducks in Anaheim this postseason when he did it in Games 2 (triple overtime) and 7 and Bishop shutting out the Rangers on home ice in Games 5 and 7.
Crawford, 30, is 9-4 in the playoffs with a 2.56 goals-against average, a .919 save percentage and one shutout.
Bishop, 28, is 12-8 this spring with a 2.15 GAA, a .920 save percentage and three shutouts. The 6-foot-7 goalie shutout the Red Wings and the Rangers in Game 7s during Rounds 1 and 3.
This is a close matchup, but given the fact that a championship is on his resume, Crawford owns a slight edge.
Edge: Blackhawks
Special Teams: The Lightning's power play is successful at a 22.2 percent clip while the team's penalty kill sits at an 81.2 percent success rate. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, have a power play that has succeeded at a 19.6 percent mark while their penalty kill is successful 75.5 percent of the time.
Edge: Lightning
Coaching: Jon Cooper, 47, is looking to win his first Stanley Cup in just his first full season as the coach of the Lightning and he's shown poise and smarts throughout the playoffs in leading Tampa Bay to the final round for the first time in 11 years. Joel Quenneville, 56, has plenty of experience on this stage as he has led the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in the last six years and he'll look to hoist the Cup for the third time in that span. His ability to mix and match his defenseman after key injuries is part of his brilliance behind the bench.
Edge: Blackhawks
The Blackhawks and Lightning face-off for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final live from the Amalie Arena on Wednesday.
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