Tonight at 8 p.m. ET, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks face-off for Game 6 of the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Final live from the United Center in Chicago.
Tampa Bay looks to stave off elimination on the road and force Game 7 while Chicago seeks its third Stanley Cup in the last six years and will look to lift the trophy on home ice for the first time in that run.
Each game has been decided by a goal with the Blackhawks taking Game 1, 2-1, and the Lightning roaring back to win Games 2 and 3 by 4-3 and 3-2 scores. Chicago then took Game 4 at home with a 2-1 win and then defeated Tampa Bay on the road in a pivotal Game 5, 2-1, on Saturday.
Game 6 can be live streamed for free here.
The Lightning were on the brink of elimination against the Detroit Red Wings in Round 1, but they rallied back from a 3-2 series deficit to win in seven games. Tampa Bay also became the first team in history to defeat the New York Rangers on home ice in a Game 7 during the Eastern Conference Final, so they'll look to draw from that experience.
"Naturally there was disappointment [after Game 5], actually a little bit of rage after the game," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said via NHL.com. "The guys were genuinely ticked off. I clearly did not want to lose that game, but walking in [the locker room], there's a difference. You want the team that's ticked off and angry or you want the team that has their heads buried in their hands? Our group was the angry group."
The Stanley Cup will be in the building tonight, but nothing is guaranteed for the Blackhawks as they look to lift the greatest trophy in sports again after doing so in 2010 and 2013. If they do clinch on home ice, it'll mark the first time that's occurred since 1938.
"Obviously there's a lot of buzz, a lot of excitement, a lot of things going on around the entire event," Chicago captain Jonathan Toews told NHL.com. "I think we're just going to do our best as individuals to focus on our job as players and focus on the game and nothing more. None of that stuff is really going to help us achieve what we want to achieve. That's where our heads are at right now."
Toews and Patrick Kane each have 10 goals and 11 assists for a team-best 21 points in these playoffs. Duncan Keith, who logs heavy minutes, has a club-leading 18 assists and has 20 points overall for the Blackhawks this spring while Brandon Saad has found the twine eight times.
The Lightning counter with an offense that is paced by Tyler Johnson, who has a playoff-best 13 goals and 23 points while his linemate Nikita Kucherov, who is probable to play despite leaving Game 5 with an apparent upper-body injury, has 10 markers and 12 helpers for 22 points.
Alex Killorn (nine goals, nine assists) and Steven Stamkos (seven tallies, 11 helpers) each have 18 points this postseason for the Lightning.
In between the pipes, Tampa Bay is set to turn to Ben Bishop, who missed Game 4 due to a mysterious undisclosed injury that has become a big storyline in this series, but stopped 27 of the 29 shots he faced in Game 5. Bishop is 13-10 in the tournament -- the first of his career -- with a 2.18 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.
Chicago counters with Corey Crawford in the blue paint and he is looking for his second Stanley Cup after winning it all in 2013. Crawford is 12-6 in the playoffs with a 2.42 GAA and a .920 save percentage. Crawford stopped 31 of 32 shots he faced.
The Lightning look to force Game 7 while the Blackhawks hope to win their third Stanley Cup since 2010 when the puck drops on Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final live tonight from the United Center in Chicago.
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