Patrick Diamond, Sports Blog Editor
@diamond_courant
With the Stanley Cup Final coming up, it has been an exciting month of playoffs to say the least. Whether it was triple overtime wins, or game seven wins, the hockey played in the month of May has not disappointed.
From the Western Conference, there are the Chicago Blackhawks, who for the exception of their 4-3 series win over the Anaheim Ducks, have easily flown through the playoffs. After a 4-2 series win over the Predators, the Blackhawks moved on to defeat the Minnesota playoffs in a series sweep. The Blackhawks then moved on to play the Ducks in which they had a thrilling seven game series. The Blackhawks’ playoff run has been anchored by impressive performances by Patty Kane, with 20 points (10 goals and 10 assists), and Jonathan Toews with 18 points (2 goals and 16 assists). Although Corey Crawford has been inconsistent throughout the playoffs, he found a way to step up in game seven against the Ducks, leading the team to the Stanley Cup Final, where they will play the Tampa Bay Lightning.
From the Eastern Conference, The Tampa Bay Lightning are fresh off of a game seven win over the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals. It has been a very successful run for the Tampa Bay Lightning, as not many believed that the team could make a run to the Stanley Cup Final, especially with the poor performances early in the playoffs from their star, Steven Stamkos. Although the Lightning have made it this far in the playoffs, it was no easy task. In the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they squared off with the Detroit Red Wings, beating them in seven games, after being down 3-2 in the series. The Lightning then moved on to play the Montreal Canadiens, taking three games in a row to begin the series, then giving their fans a scare losing the next two games, but eventually taking game six, winning the series 4-2. Finally, they proceeded to take the New York Rangers to seven games, winning on the road in Madison Square Garden by a score of 2-0. The main contributor to the Lightning’s success has to be the goaltending by their goalie Ben Bishop, only letting up three goals in the four games that the Lightning were facing elimination, including two game seven shutouts. They will move on to face the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup playoffs, where Bishop’s 6 foot 7 inch stature will need to be a presence if they want to take home the cup.
Key Players:
Tampa Bay Lightning: Ben Bishop
The Tampa Bay Lightning will need Ben Bishop to step up big time in the Stanley Cup Final as the Blackhawks are a very offensive minded team, scored just about three and a half goals per game this postseason.
Chicago Blackhawks:
Patty Kane
The Chicago Blackhawks are will need their points leader in the regular season and playoffs to put up good performances if they want to take home the cup for the third time in five years.
Prediction:
Blackhawks in five games. With the way the Blackhawks are playing hockey, the last team that could have beaten them was the Anaheim Ducks. They will take the series in five games, if not four as the Tampa Bay Lightning have very little experience when it comes to the Stanley Cup Final.
