When asked about his evaluation of Corey Crawford in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Coach Joel Quenneville replied, “Call it a goalie win.” This simple statement best describes the 1-2 win of the Chicago Blackhawks over the Tampa Bay Lightning last night.
It was also the first NHL post-season start for Andrei Vasilevskiy who stepped in for the injured Ben Bishop. At only 20 years and some-odd days old, Vasy is the fourth youngest goaltender to start a Stanley Cup Final game and only the sixth goalie in NHL history to have a post-season debut in the Finals. The last 20 year old to do this was Patrick Roy in 1986 for the Montreal Canadiens, who won the Stanley Cup that year.
Coach Jon Cooper’s decision to start Vasy seemed to have been somewhat of a last-minute decision since BishMode had participated in the morning skate but did not go out for pre-game warm-ups. Coach Coop kept it very close to the vest, but as Los Angeles Kings Coach Darryl Sutter once said, “This isn’t baseball.” The coach has no obligation to reveal who will be starting in net, so it was a surprise when Vasy was listed as the starter. Even Coach Q mentioned, “We were expected their other goalie in net.” With this change, fans felt that the advantage was most certainly with the Blackhawks. However, despite his youth and inexperience, Vasy was stellar. When asked about Vasy’s performance, Coach Coop lauded, “If you tell me we’re going to come in and he’s going to give up two goals, that’s a hell of a job in my book. I would sit here, and say it validates what we’ve known all along.” Considering that this is the Stanley Cup Finals and that their opponents happen to be the Chicago Blackhawks whose roster has virtually been unchanged since winning in 2013 and with largely the same core as in 2010, Coach Coop’s praise is well deserved. He went on to commend Vasy saying, “He showed in the pinnacle of the sport that he can play. That’s a pretty big achievement for a 20 year old.” Vasy proved that he was more than equal to the task.
In his postgame interview, Vasilevskiy felt that the first period was much like a warm-up since he only faced two shots. Although many expected the Blackhawks to come out hungry for a victory at home before heading back to Tampa for Game 5, Chicago came out with a rather lackluster effort. The first five minutes, they did not register a single shot on goal. The Bolts took control of the game, though both sides racked up the PIMs stemming from rather unruly play. By the end of the first, there had been five minor penalties, three for Chicago and two for Tampa. Each of the last three games had a total of five or six penalties, so this was unusually high. Neither team was able to capitalize, and they headed into the first intermission scoreless.
The second period began with much more pep. Both sides had a few nice chances, and in just under the first seven minutes, something that has not yet occurred this series happened. The Blackhawks scored first! While the Lightning were on a change, Marian Hossa took a shot, and Patrick Sharp got the rebound just to the left of Vasilevskiy. Jonathan Toews was there and put it in the back of the net. Coach Q had made a couple line changes, and it paid off. One of those alterations was putting Sharp, Toews and Hossa together on the first line. This was the captain’s first goal of the series, and it put him at a career high for playoff goals at ten. In 2014, he had nine. Hossa’s assist also ties him for thirty-first all-time in points in the playoffs with Chris Chelios and Larry Robinson at 144. It also ties him with Chris Pronger for twenty-sixth all-time assists in the playoffs at 95.
With this goal, the Madhouse on Madison erupted. You could feel the energy through the television, and it felt like Chicago had the momentum. However, like the last three goals that gave the Blackhawks the lead, the triumph was short-lived. About five minutes later, the Lightning struck back to tie the game. Steven Stamkos got the puck to Valterri Filppula who took it around the back of the net with two Blackhawks following him. With everyone focused on Filppula (including Crawford), he was able to pass it wide to Alex Killorn who put it in a wide-open net. This was Killorn’s first goal since scoring the initial goal of the series. This was also Stammer Time’s first point of the series. Once Tampa Bay was able to tie it back up, the crowd seemed a bit quieter. Although the Blackhawks outshot the Lightning 12-8, the Bolts looked like the better team at the end of the period.
The third was perhaps the most exciting period of the game. Both sides were hitting some posts, and it was about six and half minutes in when Brandon Saad scored what would become the game-winner for Chicago. Patrick Kane made a pass to Saad who drove it to the net. Vasy was able to poke it away from him, and Saad lost it for a bit between his feet. However, he found it and was able to score on his backhand going 5-hole. This was Saad’s second goal in two games, and it was Kane’s first point of the series, which finally go that gorilla off his back. Toews had high praise for Saad. He noted, “He is a selfless player and a great teammate.” One of the biggest compliments to offer a hockey player is to call him or her “selfless,” and Saad has been key at the right times for the Blackhawks this year. His play on the ice is why the Pittsburgh Penguins are rumored to be watching him closely and, presumably, not just because they want to replace “Brandons.”
This may have been a goal that Ben Bishop would have stopped, but it wasn’t the worst goal to let in either. After the Lightning stopped being Saad (yes, that just happened), they started to get pissed and played some very desperate hockey. That was when Crawford became a brick wall. Stamkos had quite a few chances that against all odds did not seem to go in, and the Lightning stayed in the offensive zone for the majority of the last five minutes or so of the period. Coach Q’s words rang true; it was all about the goalie, Crawford. Despite his missteps this post-season, he was on point and focused. He denied everything like the Syndicate in The X-Files.
Despite their valiant last-minute efforts, it wasn’t enough. The Blackhawks prevailed. Anton Stralman reflects, “We’ve played some good hockey. Sometimes you play well, and you don’t get the result you want. That’s okay. That’s hockey. It’s about the performance. I’m comfortable with the way we played, and we just have to keep going.” This game has, as the last three games have, been close. They have all been one-goal games. Both sides played very well this game, and the Blackhawks were just a little bit better. Corey Crawford’s third-period efforts made a huge difference as well. And unlike the last three games, Toews, Kane, Sharp, and Hossa were all on the scoresheets. The Lightning had been great at keeping their contributions to a minimum, so it should not be all too surprising that the Blackhawks take this game, especially at home.
What to Look for in Game 5
Both teams will have some rest, since Game 5 will not be until Saturday. Coach Coop did reveal that BishMode will be back, but he is uncertain as to when that might be. Given that he did not play tonight and there are a few days off, I would not be surprised to see him back between the pipes. It may be another game-day decision, but the rest should bode well for him. I also noticed that Ondrej Palat has been taking Tyler Johnson‘s face-offs, so it is unclear whether he may be facing some undisclosed injury. He’s been playing well, but it’s something to keep an eye on as the series unfolds.
With Chicago taking Game 4 and Toews and Kane getting back into the mix, it will be interesting to see if they’ve found their mojo. They can definitely make all the difference in this series. Stamkos has also been awakened, and it will be interesting to see how his contributions on the stats sheets will change as well.
Game 5 will be in Tampa Bay on Saturday, June 13 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, CBC, and TVA Sports.
Stanley Cup Fan Reaction
During the Stanley Cup Finals, I’d like to include fan reactions. Please add your comments below. You can also tweet me (@SportingAJenDa) or the website (@TheAOSNOfficial). Make sure to please include #SCFR in your tweet!
@ZeokeSteve: “#SCFR Saad allowed out front w/puck untouched. Can’t fault TB for 1 rare mistake. Props CHI for capitalizing. Good series.”
Steve is right. Tampa Bay should not have allowed Saad to be out in the open, and they deserved that one. If the Lightning want to win, they’ll also have to be scoring more than one goal a game against the Blackhawks. As I mentioned before, I’m not sure if that is also partly Vasy poking rather than trying to block then stop the rebound or just poke the puck farther than Saad’s legs as well. This is a great series, and I’m looking forward to the next game!