2015 Stanley Cup Finals Preview

The time has finally arrived. At long last there are only two teams left standing. We started this journey back in October with 30 teams. Then the field was shrunk down to sixteen. Now, after a month and a half of battle, there are two teams left standing. What are they fighting for? The biggest prize in all of hockey, The Stanley Cup!

Playing for the biggest prize in all of hockey are the Western Conference Champions the Chicago Blackhawks taking on the Eastern Conference Champions the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa Bay got here by finishing second in the Atlantic Division, earning 108 regular season points. During the post season, Tampa Bay reached the finals by beating the Detroit Red Wings in seven games, then followed that up by beating the Montreal Canadiens in six games, finally downing the New York Rangers in Seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Tampa became the first post-1967 expansion team to beat three Original Six teams on the way to the Stanley Cup Finals and the only team in NHL history to face an Original Six team at every stage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This trip to the finals marks just the 2nd time ever that the Lightning will play for the Cup. The last time that the Lightning played for the Cup was 2004, and they beat the Calgary Flames in seven games in that series.

Their opponents in this final series will be the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago finished the regular season in 3rd place in the Central Division (behind Nashville and St. Louis) with 102 regular season points. Once the playoffs got rolling, the Blackhawks beat the Nashville Predators in six games in the opening round, then swept the Minnesota Wild in round two, then finally beating the Anaheim Ducks in the Conference Finals in seven games. This marks the 3rd time in the last six seasons that the Hawks are playing for the Stanley Cup, having won in both 2010 and 2013. This now marks thirteen total appearances for the Hawks in the finals, with them claiming the title six times.

This marks the first time the two teams have met in the playoffs. During the regular season, Chicago and Tampa split the games (Hawks won in a shootout and Lightning win in regulation).

Here are the date and times for every game in this series:
June 3 Chicago Blackhawks 8:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
June 6 Chicago Blackhawks 7:15 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
June 8 Tampa Bay Lightning 8:00 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
June 10 Tampa Bay Lightning 8:00 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
June 13 Chicago Blackhawks 8:00 p.m.* Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
June 15 Tampa Bay Lightning 8:00 p.m.* Chicago Blackhawks United Center
June 17 Chicago Blackhawks 8:00 p.m.* Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena

So now that we know when the two teams will play, lets see how well they stack up against one another.

Offense

Tampa was the highest scoring team in the league during the regular season. tampa being lead by none other than their Captain Steven Stamkos. Stamkos has had an impact so far in the playoffs, with seven goals and 10 assists. He has a good supporting cast. Valtteri Filppula (11 points), Alex Killorn (seven goals, nine assists) have provided a scoring punch. Tampa is getting contributions from role players like Brian Boyle, J.T. Brown and Ryan Callahan. But you can't deny that the hottest line in all of hockey is the triplets line of Tyler Johnson (21 points), Ondrej Palat (15 points) and Nikita Kucherov (19 points).

Don't get me wrong, the Blackhawks are no slouch. Jonathan Toews (9 goals, 9 assists) and Patrick Kane (10 goals and 10 assists) are leading the charge, as always. Brandon Saad and Patrick Sharp have been contributing factors in the playoffs as well. Throw in Marian Hossa as well to having an impact in this years playoffs. Its not hard to see why the Hawks have been able to hang around this long in the postseason.  Chicago wasn't expecting to have Kane back till early 3rd round of the playoffs but was able to make it back in time for the first round and has had a huge impact.

Its been close to call as to who has the edge. Chicago still has a deep, talent laiden, veteran offense. But the Bolts have the offense that has been firing on all cylinders at the right time as we head into the finals.

Advantage: Lightning

Defense

Tampa has had a fantastic playoffs with a solid defense corps. Victor Hedman (10 points, plus-11) is their best defenseman that the lightning have. Hedman is plenty capable of taking over a game with his skating ability, excellent positioning and impressive offensive ability. Partner him with Anton Stralman (seven points, plus-two) and you have something going on the top pair. Stralman is a tough, smart shot-blocker who will also play the physical game. Then behind them, you have Jason Garrison and Braydon Coburn, both of whom have been solid during the playoffs. Rounding out the Bolts defense is Matt Carle and Andrej Sustr. Outside of Hedman and Stralman, I'm a little worried about the back end of the Lightning blueline. I say this because with the way the Hawks offense operates, I'm not sure that they can handle well the onrush of the Chicago attack. Hedman and Stralman should be fine, but the guys behind them worry me a bit.

With the Blackhawks, they have been a fantastic surprise with what they have been able to pull off this year in the playoffs. Some thought that the Hawks defense was too banged up to make it out of the Western Conference Finals against the Ducks. Well they proved everybody wrong. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, along with Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya, have played big minutes and boy did they ever. They swallowed up minutes and had big performances in the playoffs so far. Duncan Keith has had a very solid offensive performance, with two goals, 16 assists, and a plus-13 rating so far in the post season. He has had stellar play and leadership skills, and he asserted himself in every game. Same thing can be said for Seabrook, who has comntributed six goals, four assists, and a plus-six raiting. He is a solid blueliner who has an offensive upswing. Then there's Hjalmarsson, who has been a brilliant shot-blocker, a solid puck mover and an underrated performer. Same thing can be said for Oduya as well.

Advantage: Blackhawks

Goaltending

This is probably the most important aspect of hockey. Without great goaltending, it's not possible to get this far in the playoffs. Ben Bishop, who has gone 12-8, with a 2.15 goals-against average, and a .920 save percentage has been good for Tampa Bay. He was outstanding in the final two road games in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Rangers. But in his games at home against the same Rangers club, he was suspect. it wasn't just in the east finals, its happened in the other rounds as well. He has been good I'm not denying that at all. What I'm saying is he just hasn't been consistent across the board. This could be a problem going forward against a team like Chicago.

Meanwhile, the Hawks have their own battle tested netminder between the pipes in Cory Crawford. Crawford has a 9-4 record, to go along with a  2.56 GAA, and a .919 save percentage. Crawford knows what he's doing come playoff time, as he has a Stanley Cup ring to his credit. Now he is in a position to get his second as Chicago's No. 1 goalie. Crawford struggled in the first round against Nashville, but he bounced back and has been dependable ever since. Crawford has superb quickness and the ability to bounce back from a bad game. He is mentally strong and is at his best when the pressure is on.

Advantage: Blackhawks

Predictions
Tampa Bay has had their offense clicking at the right time. The Bolts are getting hot and seem to be moving right along, which looks very similar to what they did in 2004, the last time they made a finals appearance. There is one big difference between then and now. Back then, Tampa had more solid goaltending and defense than they do right now. Bishop and the defense corp have been good in the playoffs but not great. Chicago's goaltending hasn't been out of this world either but the defense has been outstanding. Tampa's offense can steal them a couple of games, but when their backs are against the wall Chicago has proven time and again they have what it takes to get the job done.

Prediction: Blackhawks in 6!