Lightning Take Lead In Cup Finals

Heading into this years finals, the matchup on paper was a grizzled veteran team taking on a group of young and hungry kids. After the first game, it looked like the veterans would take control of the series. Somebody forgot to tell the Lightning that. The boys from the Sunshine State have showed up, and in a big way, taking the last two games of the series to take a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The first five minutes of play in this one was controlled by the Lightning. All that pressure has payed off. At the 5:09 mark of the opening period, Ryan Callahan ripped sizzler off the post an in to give the Bolts a 1-0 lead. For Callahan, it was his 2nd of the playoffs. He got behind Chicago defenseman Johnny Oduya, who had slipped a second earlier, and took a slap shot from the top of the right circle into the top right corner of the net past Corey Crawford. It was that unmistakable sound of the puck going right off the post and in. That goal seemed to wake the Hawks up in the opening frame, as they dominated play the rest of the period. Towards the end of the period, Chicago got a powerplay, when Braydon Coburn was called for hooking. Big mistake, as it gave the Hawks powerplay room to work. Chicago had plenty of chances with that man advantage, before Brad Richards finally cashed in on it. Richards scored on a power play at 14:22 to make it 1-1, and for Richards it was his 3rd of the playoffs. The Hawks got traffic in front of Ben Bishop and he had trouble seeing the shots clearly.

To the Second period we go, both teams were caught trading chances. The best chance came at the 8:55 mark of the period when Nikita Kucherov got a clean breakaway, but was robbed point blank by Crawford on a fantastic play. Hedman had a great chance on a Tampa Powerplay but was kicked out by Crawford on a Lightning powerplay with about three minutes left in the frame. When the 3rd period started, the Blackhawks took control back of the hockey game. Chicago retook the lead, when at 4:14 of the 3rd, Marian Hossa slipped a pass from the left circle to Brandon Saad. Saad took a one-timer from the slot while going down to one knee. It was Saad's seventh goal of the postseason. It gave the Hawks a lead for the time being. While the Chicago goal was being announced to the crowd, Chicago won the faceoff, but Tampa Bay quickly gained possession in the neutral zone when defenseman Matt Carle poked the puck to Tyler Johnson. He got it to Nikita Kucherov, who swopped into the zone on the right wing and sent the puck toward the net. Crawford never quite got the handle on it and Ondrej Palat was there to punch it across the goal line. The goal came at 4:27 of the 3rd. For Palat, it was his eighth goal of this postseason, and the 31st by a member of "The Triplets" line.

Tampa just kept chipping away and chipping away. Then, with 3:11 left in the hockey game, this happened:


It was a beautiful rush by Hedman to get the open ice for Paquette, his 3rd of the post season. Chicago put on some late pressure but it was to no avail as the Bolts held on for the win.

Yes he did come back and play but Ben Bishop looked a little bit shaky in this hockey game. When Tampa scored, it was because the had pressure and net front presence, not allowing Bishop to be able to see the puck as it was heading towards the cage. When the Rangers were able to light the lamp against Tampa, they got traffic constantly in front of Bishop. Sure Chicago is getting traffic in front of the big Tampa netminder, but its not with much consistency. I think with time, the Hawks can find a way around it and possibly come back in the series.

Lebron Shines As Cavs Force Game Five

Game Two of the NBA Finals turned into another thriller at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Two pieces of history were made in this high stakes basketball game. Game two, once again, went into overtime, making it the first time in NBA Finals history that the first two games went to overtime. Also history has been made as the Cleveland Cavaliers have finally won a game in the NBA Finals, a first in franchise history. Cleveland pulled off a 95-93 win in overtime, pulling them even with the Golden State Warriors, and Cleveland did it, in large part, on the will and strength of one Lebron James.

King James led the way for the Cavs, pulling down his 5th career triple double in the finals. Lebron finished with 39 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists. Those 39 points were good enough to lead all scorers. The King really was at his best, as James either scored or assisted on 66 of Cleveland's 95 points. Combined, through the first two games, the King has dropped 83 points. Those two game totals in the Finals was second all time to Jerry West's 94, which West accomplished in the 1969 Finals.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 34 points and Curry added 19, but was only 5-for-23 from the floor, including 2-15 from 3-point range. The margin was close through the first three quarters until Cleveland built a 79-68 lead with 5:00 remaining in the final period. However, a late Warriors 19-8 run tied the game at 87, capped by a Curry layup with eight seconds remaining. James had a jump shot to win the game in regulation, but misfired and the rebound tipback attempt by Tristan Thompson was unsuccessful. In the overtime, James scored the first five points, but Draymond Green answered with back-to-back baskets and Curry added two free throws for a 93-92 lead with 10.1 seconds left.

The ensuing Cavaliers possession resulted in a three point attempt by James Jones which missed, but Matthew Dellavedova was fouled on the rebound by Harrison Barnes. Dellavedova hit both free throws to give the Cavaliers the lead. After a timeout, the Warriors went to Curry, who missed a jumper which James rebounded and he was fouled. James hit one of two at the line and with no timeouts left, the Warriors had to go the length of the floor to get a last shot attempt, but Curry's pass near midcourt was stolen by Shumpert as the clock ran out.

The victory for the Cleveland Cavaliers was their first ever single game Finals victory, having lost Game 1 of this series, and being swept in the 2007 Finals to San Antonio.

Now everybody has been talking about the play of King James, and with good reason. But there was another surprising factor that took place in this game. That was the fact hat Stephen Curry, the League's MVP, was having a down night. Sure Curry dropped 19 points, but he went 5 for 23 and, even more shocking, was the fact that he was 2 of 15 from three point range. Curry only hit two three pointers in the entire basketball game. He's coming off an MVP season, one of the best three point shooters in the entire league. Held to hitting just two shots from three point range is considered a down night for one of the best shooters in the entire sport. I know it's just one game, but Curry has to forget about the night he just had and rebound for game three. A lot of credit has to go to Matthew Dellavedova for playing fantastic defense against Curry.

Cleveland did an excellent job in this basketball game of shortening up the court. The Cavaliers slowed the pace down to their style of play and never let the Warriors play at their speed. Cleveland dominated the game. If your the Warriors, this looks awfully familiar to what happened against Memphis. We know how that series ended. Good for Cleveland that they finally won a game in the finals. Now the question is: Will the Cavs take advantage of what happened in game two or will the Warriors respond in game three? Only time will tell

Lightning Pull Even In Finals

The first two games of this years Stanley Cup Finals have been interesting to say the least. Chicago had pulled off the late game heroics to take the opening game, but the Bolts returned the favor in game two, despite having to go through two goalie changes in the process.

Tampa got the scoring started in the first, when at 12:56 of the opening frame, Cedric Paquette scored his 2nd of the playoffs. The Lightning came out of the 1st period carrying the one goal lead, the same exact thing that happened in game one. Play in the first period was pretty even, with Tampa coming away with a 12-11 advantage in shots. Tampa had a golden chance to get even with about 4:49 left in the 1st period, on a beautiful passing play. Brandon Saad brought the puck over the line, feeding Patrick Kane, who then threw a nice cross rink pass to Jonathan Toews crashing the net. Toews tried to stuff it five hole on a sliding Bishop, but Bishop closed the pads in time, making a fantastic save, keeping it a 1-0 Bolts Advantage.

Moving to the 2nd frame, Tampa once again had more shots on net, but this time it was both teams each scored twice. Chicago got the jump just 3:04 into the middle frame, Andrew Shaw connects for his 5th of the playoffs. The Hawks weren't done there, as Teuvo Teravainen kept his hot shooting in the finals, scoring a powerplay goal. The goal came at the 5:20 mark and was his 4th goal of the post season. At this point your starting to think back to game one that this could be an exact replica of what happened in the opener of the series. Then Tampa came back, and in a big way/

The Triplets line, who had been quite in game one of the series, finally came back with a bang in game two. Nikita Kucherov connected for his 10th of the playoffs, at the 6:52 mark of the 2nd, to pull the Lightning even. Kucherov hadn't found the back of the net since the game six loss to the Rangers in the east finals, so that was kind of a monkey off the back. Tampa would re-take the lead at the 13:52 mark as Tyler Johnson scored his 13th of the playoffs, and his first since game three of the East finals. So the triplets line was able to find the back of the net, helping the Bolts reclaim the lead heading into the final period.

Here's where things got interesting. Lightning starting goaltender Ben Bishop left the game twice in the third period, once briefly and then for good with 7:41 left. Bishop started the period and was in net when Brent Seabrook scored 3:38 into the final period, the 7th of the playoffs for Seabrook. That caused a bit of agitation from Tampa, a case in which they may have had a right to complain. As the shot was coming in from Seabrook at the point, Marian Hossa was crashing the net. Hossa got to the crease at the same time the puck did and Hossa may have bumped into the leg pad of Bishop as the shot was coming in. Bishop went to the refs to complain about the contact, but it fell on def ears. Bishop didn't have something to complain about because all Hossa did was tap his leg pad, it didn't stop Bishop from trying to make that save. So now the Hawks have the game tied up at three.

Here's where things turn interesting. Patrick Sharp goes off for high sticking, to give the Lightning a powerplay. Ben Bishop leaves for an unknown reason, and is replaced by his backup, rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy. Then about a minute after the powerplay started, Jason Garrison rips a shot past Crawford, Garrison's 2nd goal of the playoffs, to give the Lightning a lead. While the team was celebrating the goal, Bishop returned from the room to take his place between the pipes. That didn't last long, as a few minutes later Bishop went back to the room and Vasilevskiy came back out to finish the game. Vasilevskiy played 9:13 in the game, stopping all five shots he faced.

Because he was on the ice during Garrison's winning goal, Vasilevskiy was credited with his first playoff victory, and became the first goalie to win a Finals game in relief since Lester Patrick helped the New York Rangers defeat the Montreal Maroons in overtime of game two of the 1928 Stanley Cup Finals, 2–1. Once the game went final, nobody from the Lightning said what exactly was going on with Ben Bishop, and since then, nobody still has any idea what is going on with Ben Bishop. Nobody from the organization, whether it be general Manager Steve Yzerman or head coach Jon Cooper, have said what has happened with there starting goalie. Its a smart move, because if Bishop may be dealing with an injury, you don't want to give Hawks players a target to go after. Nobody knows yet who is going to be the starting netminder for the Lightning for game three, which is tonight.

Now that the series is even at one, it means there will be at least five games in the finals. There hasn't been a sweep in the Stanley Cup Finals since Detroit swept Washington in 1998

Blackhawks Pull Off Game One Win

Game one dropped Wednesday night in Tampa with a bit of a bang. Considering the fact that both teams have plenty of firepower, it was guys who you didn't really expect that helped the Blackhawks pulled out a 2-1 win in the opener and take the first game of this years Stanley Cup Finals.

Tampa Bay took control of the game early, dominating the opening minutes of play. Tampa took five of the first six shots of the hockey game. On the 6th shot Tampa took in the game, Alex Killorn did this:



Yeah Killorn knocked the puck out of mid-air on a fantastic goal. He kind of baseball bat swung it past Cory Crawford at the 4:31 mark. For Killorn it was his 8th of the playoffs. In this year's playoffs, Tampa Bay is a perfect 9-0 when they net the first goal. From there, the Lightning just kept the attack coming. Tampa fired 18 total shots through the first two periods of the hockey game. Cory Crawford was very good in the early going. He had to be good and made a couple of outstanding saves. One of his more impressive stops came with about 1:45 left in the middle period, when he stoned Steven Stamkos from point blank range. A very though thing to do considering just how good a shooter Stamkos really is. In fact Tampa Bay held Chicago to 13 shots on goal through two periods, which is no small feet with the kind of fire power that the Blackhawks have at their disposal.

Chicago had a couple of golden chances in the middle frame. The best one coming at about the 8:46 mark of the 2nd period, with the Hawks on a power play. Marion Hossa, a very dangerous shooter, was left wide open in the slot and had Ben Bishop beat high over the glove. Only problem is Hossa got too much air under the shot and sailed it high over the crossbar. Heading into the 3rd frame, with the Lighting still holding a 1-0 lead, it has ment one thing, the Bolts come away with a win. The Lightning were 41-0-2 when leading after two periods in the regular season and postseason combined.

Crawford kept the Lightning at bay in the 3rd, stonning Ryan Callahan on a breakaway with a little over eight minutes left to go in regulation. That seemed to be a turning point in the hockey game. Why? Because two minutes later, at the 13:28 mark, Teuvo Teravainen scored his 3rd of the playoffs to tie the game at one. It came off a screen that was set in front of Ben Bishop, who never saw that shot come through. Then, two minutes later, at the 15:26 mark, Teravainen was at it again. He picked the pocket of JT Brown and sent it to the high slot for Antoine Vermette, who beat Bishop high to the glove side for his 3rd of the playoffs. The score would hold up, giving the Hawks a 2-1 win and a 1-0 lead in the series.

This handed Tampa the first loss after scoring the opening goal and their first loss all year after taking a lead in the 3rd period. Cory Crawford kept the Hawks ion this hockey game, while it took a while for the Blackhawks to get their offense going. Tampa did a good job of keeping up the pressure heading into the 3rd period, but that's where the game changed. Callahan got robbed on the breakaway, and Tampa had only five shots on net in the final frame. They gave too much room for the Hawks to come back into the game, which they found out the hard way isn't going to work. For Tampa Bay to come back in the series, keep the Hawks out of their crease, which is how Chicago tied the game. Bishop was screened on the point shot that beat Bishop to tie the game. Tampa has looked shaky at times at home during this years playoffs and it happened again at the end of regulation in the opener. Tampa needs to fix this problem going through the rest of the series.

2015 NBA Finals Preview

And here we go. We started this journey way back in October. 30 teams all felt they had a chance to claim the crown. Then fast forward to April, where the playoffs rolled in with 16 teams standing. After a month and a half of battle, there are two teams left standing. What's on the line? Winner gets the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, as winners of the NBA Crown.

This year's finals matchup pits the best team in basketball the Golden State Warriors taking on the Eastern Conference Champions the Cleveland Cavaliers. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, they made the post season after winning the Central division, going 53-29 during the regular season. Once the Cavs entered the playoffs, they have had a somewhat easy trip to the finals. The Cavaliers swept the Boston Celtics in the first round, then bounced the Chicago Bulls in six games during the second round, while finally sweeping the Hawks in the conference finals. This marks the 5th straight year that an Eastern Conference team has Lebron James on its roster to play in the finals (this year with CLE and the last four with MIA). The last East team to play for a title without Lebron on the roster was the 2010 Boston Celtics who fell to the LA Lakers in seven games. Cleveland hasn't played for an NBA crown since getting swept by the Spurs in 2007, the only other time the franchise has made the finals.

As for the Golden State Warriors, they had the best record in the NBA during the regular season, going 67-15, including 39-2 at home. With the season the team had, rookie head coach Steve Kerr became the willingest rookie head coach in league history. In fact, Golden State became just the 10th team in league history to notch at least 67 victories. The last team to win 67 or more games was the 2006-2007 Dallas Mavericks. The last team in NBA history to win 67 or more games during the regular season and walk away with the NBA title was 1999-2000 Los Angeles Lakers. Golden State got to this point in the playoffs by sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round, then they disposed of the Memphis Grizzlies in six games during the second round, finally taking care of the Houston Rockets in five games in the conference finals. For the Warriors, this marks the 7th time they have made the finals, winning the title three times. Their last championship victory came in 1975, sweeping the Washington Bullets. Ironically enough, that championship win was the last time that the Warriors have played in the finals.

These teams split the two meetings during the regular season. Golden State won in Cleveland, 112-94 on January 9th. Cleveland took the matchup out on the west coast, a 110-99 win on February 26th. The two teams have never faced eachother before in the playoffs.

Here are the dates, times and channels for every game in this series:
June 4 9:00 pm Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California ABC
June 7 8:00 pm Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California ABC
June 9 9:00 pm Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ABC
June 11 9:00 pm Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ABC
June 14 8:00 pm Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors* Oracle Arena, Oakland, California ABC
June 16 9:00 pm Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers* Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ABC
June 19 9:00 pm Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors* Oracle Arena, Oakland, California ABC

So now that we know how each team got here, and when they tip off, lets take a look at what they have to do to come out with a victory and the title.

If your the Cavaliers, there's plenty at stake for you, from a team and individual perspective. Lebron decided to come home over the summer. He felt he did a lot of growing up while playing in Miami, which he did. Now he wanted a chance to come back to his hometown and carry the team and city to a title, something Cleveland has been starving for. Kevin Love hasn't played since the end of the opening round against Boston, and Kyrie Irving has had his moments, but still has injury troubles to deal with. Even still, with Lebron in charge, Cleveland hasn't been challenged in the east, going 12-2 in this years playoffs. Lebron has been effective this year, as he’s posted 27.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists. The only other player in league history to notch at least a 27-10-8 in a postseason was “The Big O,” Oscar Robertson (Sports Illustrated).

Lets not forget, there is more to this basketball team than just Lebron James. He can't do everything himself, he has had some help in this years playoffs. JR Smith and Iman Shumpert, both castoffs from the New York Knicks, have come up big so far for the Cavs, especially from behind the three point line. Shumpert is hitting about 36.8% and Smith is operating at a 39.6%. Both guys have each drained four or more three-pointers in a combined seven playoff games so far. And, they have provided solid defense, which has been a big help for Cleveland in this years playoffs. They have had help on the defensive end. Throw in the talent of guys like Tristan Thompson, grit of Matthew Dellavedova and a (presumably) healthy Kyrie Irving following a handful of days off. This bunch gives Cleveland enough firepower to compete with Golden State.

One thing that the Cavs are going to have to pay attention to in this series is the possibility of taking contested jumpers. Or rather, their ability to hit them. Around 28 percent of the Cavaliers' total shot attempts have been open or wide-open threes to this point. The problem here? They won't get THAT many open looks against the Warriors in this series. Cleveland has to try to find those open looks again. If they cannot, then the Cavs have to be able to hit the shots when the get them. If they can't then this could be a quick series. Cleveland was able to get more open looks in previous rounds, but against a defensive team like that of the Warriors, it won't be there as easy.

Now the Golden State Warriors are the best team in basketball, being lead by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Both of those guys have had outstanding playoffs this year, there is no disputing that. Both guys are now benefiting from having a week off between games. Head contusion befell Stephen Curry, falling hard in game five against the Rockets. Meanwhile it was a concussion suffered by Klay Thompson, when he was struck in the head by an knee in game five as well. Golden State is a team that likes to move the ball around and keep pace moving. They have great ball movement, which allows their shooters to get open looks and knock down shots.

One thing that the Warriors have going for them is depth. They have the Splash Brothers, that's for sure. But they also have guys like Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green. Golden State is deep in the shooting game, and one of the few teams this season that have finished in the top ten in the league on both the offensive and defensive side of the basketball. While the Cavs may be able to matchup offensively to Golden State, its the defensive side of the ball where the two teams differ. Cleveland finished 18th in the NBA while the Warriors finished in the top ten. Having a team that is in the top ten in both catagories is very very rare to have. Its going to make for a fun series to watch.

What the Warriors are going to have to work on in this series is the pace of the game. Golden State likes to move a fast paced game, but the Cavs don't Cleveland plays more of a slower pace game, something that the Warriors can't handle very well. If you look at what happened against the Grizzlies in the last round, the two games that Memphis won, they controlled the pace. Golden State has to get the jump on the Cavs and push the pace quickly. If Cleveland is allowed to control the game and set the tempo, Golden State may have trouble trying to adjust to whats going on.

Prediction
Its been an easy topic for discussion that the East is the weaker of the two. Cleveland had a slightly easy trip to the finals, at least by comparison to what the Warriors had to go through. With that being said, the Cavs have impressed me being able to get to where they are with what they have. Lebron may have lower numbers than expected for a guy his talent, but he has had to do almost everything for the Cavaliers in the playoffs, because Love has been hurt and Irving has been ineffective. At the same token, the Warriors are just that much better. Golden State has had unlimited weapons in the playoffs. Cleveland is a good team, there is no denying that. But they have yet to face a team in this years playoffs who are as deep and well rounded as the Warriors. Cleveland will take a game or two in this series but its almost a no brainer.

Warriors in 6!

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!

What Does The Future Hold For David Wright?

You want to talk about a guy getting a bad break. In his previous eleven big league seasons, only once had David Wright failed to play more than 100 games in a season (his first yea in the Majors, he played in just 69 games). Now it looks like, in his 12th year in the Majors, his career maybe in jeopardy. Just eight games into this 2015 season, Wright went on the disabled list for what was originally diagnosed with a hamstring injury. Now here we sit, at the end of May, and it looks like Wright might not be back anytime soon. The reason being? The same injury that seemed to cost Lenny Dykstra the end of his career. Spinal Stenosis.

What is spinal stenosis? Spinal Stenosis is a narrowing of joint space in either the central canal (where the spinal cord is) or the intervertebral foramina (where nerve roots leave the spinal column). The compression causes back pain that may shoot down the leg(s) causing muscle weakness, numbness, and tingling. How far the pain, if present, travels down the leg is based on severity and location of the compression. There is also a lack of mobility in the vertebrae of the lower back and muscles become tight as a result; these two factors may also contribute to the degree of pain (metsblog.com). A partial cause for the injury could stem from Wright injuring his lower back during the 2013 season, thus missing two months during the middle of that year. So how does this effect the Mets Captain?

Well, sadly, the symptoms of stenosis are irreversible. Wright will have back problems most of the rest of his life, meaning he will have difficulty being upright and standing while also experiencing a lack of mobility in the vertebrae of the lower back. Wright can still play baseball, as there is such a low risk of sever injury to the back with this kind of diagnosis, but the longevity and productivity Wright once experienced may be a thing of the past. As much as it pain's me to say this, I think Wright's effective days are behind him.

I say this for a couple of reasons. One is that Wright's production has gone down over the last few years. Wright hasn't driven in 100 or more runs in a season since 2010 when he drove in 103. The closest he has come to it since then was 93 runs in 2012. I've been contending this for the last few years now, Wright's numbers have gone down because of the Mets. Because if you look at Wright's best years with the team, which were 2005-10, they all had the same thing in common. He had protection in the lineup. He had guys like Piazza, Floyd, Cameron, Beltran and Delgado hitting in the same batting order. Wright was able to see pitches to hit and there wasn't as much pressure on him to perform. Over the last five or so years, the Mets have gotten rid of that protection and haven't been able to replace it in the lineup. So Wright has been almost kind of forced to carry the team on his back. He's trying to do more than he should, because he doesn't have help in the lineup.

Another reason why Wright's numbers are going down now are due to the injury. With stenosis, there's no timetable for when the Captain could be back with the big club. Some reports were that Wright would have already rejoined the team right around now, which the Mets need because they kind of look like the walking wounded at the moment. Now with this diagnosis, Wright is going to be out even longer. With an injury like this, even when Wright comes back, there's no promise he will be able to play everyday like he once had.

This sucks for a guy who had all the talent in the world. Here's a guy who could almost do it all playing 3rd base. Has a great glove, can throw, hit, hit for power, run. Basically a jack of all trades if you will. Now that could be going by the waside. In his time in New York, David has only seen playoff baseball once, that coming in 2006. Which is kind of sad, considering how good a ballplayer David is.

David Wright still is the face of the Mets Franchise. Right now he can still be of service to the Mets at 3rd base. Just not as much as he, or the franchise, would have liked. His career is in no way, shape or form over. It does look as if his days as the everyday 3rd baseman are all but done.