The Blackhawks defeated the Lightning 2-1 in Game 5 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final. (Getty)
The Chicago Blackhawks took care of business in Game 5 on Saturday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa, and are now one win away from winning the franchise’s 6th Stanley Cup Championship — their 3rd in the last six seasons.
If the Lightning win tonight, there will be a Game 7 on Wednesday night in Central Florida. The last time the Stanley Cup had a winner-take-all Game 7 was in 2011 where the Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 on the road.
Preview
(Getty)
The Stanley Cup so far has been a predominantly close chess match between experienced Blackhawks head man Joel Quenneville and Tampa Bay’s rising name Jon Cooper. For the first time since 1951, the first five games of the Stanley Cup Final have each been decided by one goal. The Blackhawks and the Lightning have also seen contributions from their primarily players decrease, and their secondary players increase.
Players like Teuvo Teravainen, Andrew Shaw, Trade Deadline acquisition Antoine Vermette, Alex Killorn and Cedric Paquette have come up in big, crucial moments in this series. Steven Stamkos and 2013 Conn Smythe Trophy Award winner Patrick Kane have been quieted down, but there is still up to two more games for all of that to change.
Here are the current front-runners for the 2015 Conn Smythe Trophy:
Coming off of a Game 5 victory, the Blackhawks are the favorites heading into tonight’s Game 6 in the United Center in Chicago. The odds below are updated odds provided by sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark for tonight’s Game 6:
Tampa Bay +144 (Moneyline); +1.5 (Spread)
Chicago -160 (Moneyline); -1.5 (Spread)
Coverage of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final begins tonight at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. If the Blackhawks win, the presentation of the Conn Smythe Award and Stanley Cup will immediately follow after the conclusion of the game.
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Lightning vs. Blackhawks: Stanley Cup Final Game 6 Odds & Preview