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Final Score
Blackhawks: 0-0-2 — 2
Lightning: 1-0-0 — 1
For all of the veterans and all of the experience on the Chicago Blackhawks roster, it was a 20-year-old who came through when the team was in desperate need of a spark.
With the ‘Hawks trailing the Tampa Bay Lightning 1-0 in the latter half of the third period, Teuvo Teravainen tied the game with a long-distance goal then assisted Antoine Vermette on the game-winner, propelling Chicago to a thrilling 2-1 victory in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The Blackhawks’ attack was mostly non-existent after Alex Killorn gave Tampa Bay an early 1-0 advantage, but a relentless onslaught in the final period resulted in a rare result for the Lightning:
The Game 1 loss was the first this postseason by the Lightning when scoring first and when leading after two periods.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 4, 2015
Corey Crawford kept Chicago close enough to make the late comeback, making 22 saves on 23 shots. Here’s how everything played out.
Alex Killorn Struck First for Lightning With Spectacular Tip
The younger Lightning team came out far more aggressive, and it took less than five minutes to grab the first goal of the Stanley Cup Final. Alex Killorn displayed unbelievable hand-eye coordination, connecting with the back-handed deflection past Crawford for his eighth goal of the postseason.
Lightning Controlled 1st Period, but Blackhawks Limited Damage
Tampa Bay dominated to start the game, winning 14 of 20 first-period faceoffs and controlling the puck in its offensive zone for a majority of the first 15 minutes. Despite not getting a shot on goal in the final eight minutes of the period, the Lightning finished with a 10-7 edge in that category. And as ESPN Stats & Info noted, they had the better chances:
The Lightning had an 8-2 edge in high-danger scoring chances (slot or low slot), per @war_on_ice
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 4, 2015
Alas, Crawford made some key saves and Chicago nicely killed off a Lightning power play to keep the score at 1-0. That would prove crucial for later.
Few Chances Arose During Scoreless 2nd Period
The second period was pretty even without a lot of real opportunities on either end, but Chicago did get a pair of power plays in the opening 12 minutes. Tampa Bay handled both with aplomb, though, holding the Blackhawks to zero shots on the second one.
To make matters worse for Chicago, Kris Versteeg gave up a penalty shortly afterwards in about the worst way possible:
The Blackhawks were able to kill that penalty, though, and elite goal scorer Steven Stamkos was twice stoned by Crawford when it looked like he would double the Lightning’s lead late in the second period.
another look at Crawford stopping Stamkos pic.twitter.com/6Ocv4JLM0g
— Stephanie Vail (@myregularface) June 4, 2015
Tampa Bay finished the period with an 8-6 advantage in shots on goal, putting it ahead 18-13 for the game. The Blackhawks narrowed the gap in faceoffs, winning 15 to Tampa Bay’s eight.
Blackhawks Tied it up With Just Under 7 Minutes Left
Teravainen goal pic.twitter.com/Vo5AvEAFbM
— Stephanie Vail (@myregularface) June 4, 2015
The Lightning bunkered down in the final 20 minutes, and it resulted in Chicago controlling the puck for the majority of the period. That didn’t immediately translate to a lot of clean looks for the ‘Hawks, but they finally broke through with six-and-a-half minutes remaining. With Brandon Bishop’s vision blocked, Teravainen fired one past him from just beyond the circle to even the score.
It was painful timing for the home team, which saw Ryan Callahan stoned by Crawford on a breakaway opportunity that would have sealed the game just minutes earlier.
Antoine Vermette Scored Game-Winner
The tie game didn’t last long. Just a couple minutes after the ‘Hawks evened the score, Antoine Vermette put them in front for good. Teravainen was again in the mix, as he poked the puck away from J.T. Brown right to Vermette, who buried it past Bishop.
Vermette, of course, is getting accustomed to clutch goals. He had the double-overtime game winner in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Anaheim Ducks.
Blackhawks vs. Lightning Game 1 Preview
Hopefully you like goals, because there’s going to be a lot of them in this series.
Let’s start with the Lightning. Jon Cooper’s squad led the NHL in both goals per game (3.16) and goals per 60 minutes (2.75) during the regular season. Those numbers have decreased a bit in the playoffs, but the Lightning still feature a bevy of talented options on the attack. Steven Stamkos is obviously one of the best goal scorers in the world, but the line of Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat has been nearly unstoppable.
ESPN’s John Buccigross noted their immense impact:
The Triplets (Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat) have combined for 28 of Tampa's 55 goals during the Stanley Cup Playoffs
— John Buccigross (@Buccigross) June 2, 2015
Chicago boasted one of the league’s best defenses during the regular season, but Corey Crawford has been susceptible in the playoffs. He’s going to have his hands full this series.
Fortunately for him, though, the Blackhawks have the firepower to keep up. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are two of the best in the game, while defenseman Duncan Keith has been nearly unstoppable. The 31-year-old has racked up 18 points in the playoffs thus far. Three more and he’ll crack the top 10 for most points by a defenseman in a single Stanley Cup.
When Keith is on the ice, which is basically always, the Blackhawks have attempted 89 more shots than their opponents in the playoffs. That’s far and away the best mark in the league.
Ben Bishop came through with some clutch shutouts last series, but don’t expect that to happen again. This one is going to be full of goals on both ends of the ice.
