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Breaking down the play of Chicago and Tampa Bay in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final

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TAMPA, Florida – Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final took a different tone than the previous games when Tampa Bay was on the attack early and the Chicago was on their heels.  While the end result delivered a fifth consecutive, one-goal game, it also involved some quirky plays which impacted the final score.2015 NHL Stanley Cup Final

Chicago continued their strong road play (8-4) while Tampa Bay could not win another home game (6-7).   Heading back to home for Game Six, the Blackhawks will look to add to their already stellar play at the United Center (8-2) while the Lightning seem more comfortable on the road (8-4).

 

Tampa Bay did some good things at certain times Saturday night, but that lack of consistency, allowing a team the caliber of Chicago back into the game when relentless checking and scoring chances were rarely successful or sustained.

Here is what the Lightning need to keep doing as Game Six approaches.

Tampa Bay Lightning - Victor Hedman

  • Victor Hedman led the team in minutes, 23:38, and despite being on the ice for the first goal and finishing -1, he continues to establish himself as a premier defenseman. Having the presence of mind to see the stretch pass up ice will be critical to a Game Six edge, just like it was in Game Four on Callahan’s opening goal. He had no shots, though.  He needs to be involved in puting the puck on net.
  • Anton Stralman was solid and will need to continue being so.  He had one of the assists in starting the play which led to Filppula’s goal. He played 21:13 and delivered 4 shots on net, tied with Ondrej Palat for most in the game.

 

  • With the exception of the miscue in the first period and the winning goal in which the rebound was kicked out onto Vermette’s stick, Bishop made some spectacular saves, stopping 27 of 29. His team needs to score more than one goal to give them a chance, but continued solid play by Bishop needs to continue. Even with the collision with Hedman, he did not seem to aggravate the mystery injury.

 

  • Even though the Lightning have outhit Chicago in each of the five games, Chicago has won three of them, each by a 2-1 score.  While the result of those games did not go in Tampa Bay’s favor, the Lightning must continue to soften up the Blackhawks and disrupt their exit out of the zone. J.T. Brown and Brian Boyle led the Tampa Bay with 4 hits each. The advantage in each of the games is detailed below.

 

o    Game One – Tampa Bay 29 to 21 – Chicago won 2-1

o    Game Two – Tampa Bay 33 to 28 – Tampa Bay won 4-3

o    Game Three – Tampa Bay 46 to 27 – Tampa Bay won 3-2

o    Game Four – Tampa Bay 46 to 34 – Chicago won 2-1

o    Game Five – Tampa Bay 37 to 15 – Chicago won 2-1

The Lightning need to make some changes as they head to Chicago.  They have proven they can win in the daunting atmosphere, but have to make changes to bring the series back home. Improvements needed include:

  • Tampa Bay’s face-off success has worsened as the series has gone on and was more than 10 points less than their last home game which would have afforded the right match-up on the ice for draws. Finding someone else to take  face-offs when the Triplet line is on the ice is necessary and fast.  Palat only won 38% of his draws (3 of 8) while Cedric Paquette won just 33% (5 of 15). Team face-off winning percentages for each game and the result are below:

o    Game One – 30 of 57 (52.6%) – Chicago won 2-1

o    Game Two – 33 of 61 (54.1%) – Tampa Bay won 4-3

o    Game Three – 28 of 67 (41.8%) – Tampa Bay won 3-2

o    Game Four – 20 of 58 (34.4%) – Chicago won 2-1

o    Game Five – 26 of 36% (42.0%) – Chicago won 2-1

They can’t win unless they win more draws and if the series goes to a seventh game, this will be critical to the Lightning’s success.

  • One game from getting his first point, captain Steven Stamkos was held pointless in 21:31 of ice time.  He had just one shot and contributed only 5 face-off wings out of 13 (38%).

In winning, Chicago found success with one player who had not scored in months and another who seems to have a knack for decisive goals which secure the victory. Unlike the other four games, Chicago took the aggressive play with to Tampa Bay at the first puck drop. Here are some things the Blackhawks can use to secure a Stanley Cup in Game Six, what will be their third in six years:

  • Chicago continued to dominate on face-offs, winning nearly 58% of the draws (36 of 58). Andrew Shaw won 6 of 10 and Antoine Vermette won 8 of 11.  The last change Tampa Bay was afforded did not play an factor in what home teams typically experience.  Winning as much as they did, even on away ice, is something they should be able to apply by having the last change in Game Six:

o    Game One – 27 of 57 (47.4%) – Chicago won 2-1

o    Game Two – 28 of 61 (45.9%) – Tampa Bay won 4-3

o    Game Three – 39 of 67 (58.2%) – Tampa Bay won 3-2

o    Game Four – 38 of 58 (65.6%) – Chicago won 2-1

o    Game Five – 36 of 58 (58%_ – Chicago won 2-1

  • Big minutes by big defenseman continued to impact the series. Duncan Keith was held pointless, but played 29:23 and was all over the ice, keeping the puck in the zone while attacking Tampa Bay and providing smooth, quick exits out of his own zone. Niklas Hjalmarsson also had a big game, playing 28:19 and delivering 7 blocked shots, a testament to his keen ability to read plays which threaten the Chicago net.

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson (4) (Patrick Gorski/PHN)

  • Patrick Sharp finally netted a goal, his first since game two of the second round against Minnesota.  That was May 3rd. But he was there right after Bishop and Hedman collided and made sure he deposited the puck into the open net. Maybe it was just what he needed to get back online.
  • Corey Crawford was back in his groove stopping 31 of 32 shots and keeping his team in the game until they could get traction. He saved all 15 shots in the final period to preserve the victory and seems to get better with adversity.  That he survived the playoff start against Nashville seems like some time ago.

Chicago needs to make a few adjustments to put a nail in Tampa Bay’s coffin.

  • While it had been expected Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane would come alive by now, they have not, but it would be an interesting ending if they would in Game Six. Kane has been more silent than Toews, but it just seems like being more involved in securing the win would set this Final off in a nice way for the Blackhawks. Toews had an assist on Sharp’s opening goal.

 

  • After scoring in the previous two games, Brandon Saad was pointless in Game Five and a -1 rating. He had three shots and took a penalty right after the Lightning tied the score. He needs to be more steady and not take penalties at inopportune times.

In the playoffs this Spring, the Lightning are now 8-4 on the road while the Blackhawks take an 8-2 record with them heading into Game Six.

* The teams played their fifth one-goal game in as many contests in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final. Only one previous Final has featured five consecutive one-goal games to open the series – the 1951 affair between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens in which all five contests required overtime (Toronto, 4-1).

* Overall, 10 of the past 12 games between the Lightning and Blackhawks – including the regular season – have been decided by one goal dating to March 9, 2011 (TBL: 8-3-1, CHI: 4-4-4). No two-goal lead to date The Blackhawks and Lightning have been tied or separated by one goal for the entire Stanley Cup Final (300 minutes).

* This marks the first Stanley Cup Final in which neither team has held a two goal lead in any of the first five games. Of the eight goals scored in the Stanley Cup Final with a team holding a one-goal lead, the trailing team has scored all eight times. Close finish continues playoff trend The winning goal has been scored in the third period in each game thus far in the Stanley Cup Final.

* All five games in the Stanley Cup Final have been tied or within one goal entering the final five minutes of regulation, as have more than half of all contests this postseason (55 of 88, 62.5%).

* The team that has won Game 5 after a split of the opening four contests-of the Final has gone on to capture the Stanley Cup 16 of 23 times (69.6%) since the series adopted the best-of-seven format in 1939. However, the club that has lost Game 5 has rebounded to win the series in four of the past seven occasions (all since 2001).

* In the most recent such occurrence, in 2013, the Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins, 3-1, in Game 5 before ultimately winning the series in six contests.

* The four teams since 2001 that have rebounded to win the Stanley Cup after losing Game 5 in that scenario include the 2004 Lightning, who dropped Game 5 – 3-2 in OT (at home) – to the Calgary Flames before rallying for a seven-game series victory.

* The other three clubs to overcome a Game 5 loss in that scenario (since 2001): the 2001 Colorado Avalanche (vs. New Jersey), 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins (vs. Detroit) and 2011 Boston Bruins (vs. Vancouver).

* The Blackhawks improved to 17-1 in Games 5-7 of series they had been tied 2-2 since the start of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their lone such loss came in Game 5 of this year’s Western Conference Final at Anaheim (5-4 OT L). The Blackhawks also are 42-14 overall in Games 4-7 since the start of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including an 8-2 record this year. Since 2012, they have won 18 of 22 contests in Games 5-7 (8-2 on the road).

* Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford collected his 44th career playoff win, one shy of Tony Esposito’s franchise-record 45.

* The Blackhawks improved to 11-1 when scoring first in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Lightning dropped to 3-10 when surrendering the first goal.

* The Blackhawks improved to 6-2 in the playoffs when tied after two periods. The Lightning fell to 4-2 in such a scenario, with both losses coming in the last two games of the Final.

* The Lightning loss dropped their home record in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs to 6-7. They have been outscored 40-33 at Amalie Arena in the postseason after leading the NHL and setting club records during the regular season with 32 home wins and 65 home points.

Game 6 is set for Monday night at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Face-off is set for 8:00 PM ET and is being televised on NBC, CBC, TVA Sports.

*Game 7 Wed., June 17th at 8 p.m. Chicago at Tampa Bay NBC, CBC, TVA Sports

* if necessary

Dennis Morrell - Tampa Bay 3

Follow me on Twitter at DMMORRELL and Cup coverage at #PHN2015STANLEYCUPFINAL

 


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