Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals down at Amalie Arena has most likely been the most entertaining and bizarre game of the playoffs. There were seven goals, and the Tampa Bay Lightning evened the series to a game a piece by defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 3-4. However, the win may come at a cost as Ben Bishop had to leave the ice, twice. The team has not revealed anything about the status of the goaltender.
The first period opened in much the same fashion of Game 1, except the Blackhawks had much more pep. Both teams were fast and were all over each other, with Tampa Bay taking a bit more of a command. The excitement was palpable. In fact, whoever controls the goal horn must have been overstimulated and blew the horn upon zone entry by the Bolts. Skeptics may call it premature, but Lightning fans may call it precognition. Cedric Paquette opened scoring with the only goal of the first period with assists going to Ryan Callahan and Victor Hedman.
The second period seemed even faster, if that’s possible, and was more in line with how fans thought this game would be. Andrew Shaw tied the game up 1-1 for Chicago with assists from Marcus Kruger and Andrew Desjardins just a little after three minutes into the period. Alex Killorn took a penalty for hooking against Brad Richards. The Blackhawks capitalized to take the lead (2-1) as Teuvo Teravainen got one past Ben Bishop with assists for Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp. Teravainen, or Finnish Cold, was the hero of Game 1 who had a goal and an assist in Game 1 of this series. However, Tampa Bay rallied as Nikita Kucherov with assists from Jason Garrison and Braydon Coburn scored to tie the game again at two goals apiece. Later in the second, Tyler Johnson with an assist from Kucherov scored after Corey Crawford gave up a juicy rebound. The Lightning took a 2-3 lead heading into the third.
Although it felt that the Bolts had the momentum, Chicago’s Brent Seabrook scored to tie the game 3-3 with assists from Jonathan Toews and Johnny Oduya. Ben Bishop complained to the referees that the goal should be disallowed for goaltender interference because of Marian Hossa‘s stick. However, the play was not reviewable, so it was to no avail. This is where things got a little weird. Ben Bishop exited the game at 7:17 when Tampa Bay went on the power play after Patrick Sharp was called for high-sticking against Callahan. Andrei Vasilevskiy entered in relief. At 8:49 of the third, Jason Garrison scored on the power play with assists from Callahan and Hedman, who also teamed up on the Paquette goal, for what would become the game-winning goal and make it 3-4. It was just after this goal that Bishop returned to the game. He then exited again at 12:19 and would not return. Because the game-winning goal occurred during Vasilevskiy’s time on the ice, he is the goalie of record. This was his third relief appearance in the playoffs but his first recorded win. He replaced Bishop in Game 4 in the series against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period. Coach Jon Cooper made the switch after Bishop had let in some soft goals, feeling he was tired on a back-to-back. He also replaced Bishop in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Rangers.
What I’ve Learned
Tampa Bay has been excellent at shutting down Chicago’s stars, but the Blackhawks are so deep that it barely matters. Take a look at the score sheet. Sure, Hossa, Sharp, and Toews show up, but they’re only on assists. None of them have goals this series, and these were all first assists. And yes, you could say that Brent Seabrook is one of their star players, but he’s a defenseman who isn’t expected to score. Although, he is at a career high for playoff goals right now, and he netted that game-winning goal in a thrilling triple overtime in Game 4 of the first round against the Nashville Predators. So while he isn’t a guy you would (or should) count on to score a goal a game, he is contributing.
Is Teuvo Teravainen, Mr. Finnish Cold, putting in a bid for Conn Smythe right now? He has two goals and an assist in these two games, and that assist was on the game-winner. At this point, Mr. Finnish Cold has more goals and points than Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, and Brad Richards combined. And look at Andrew Shaw! The gritty guy has a goal and an assist, which gives him a point per game. Of course, we’re only talking about two game here, but considering how the Lightning have been handling the top guys, this is exactly what you want to see coming down the line.
Of course, you can’t ignore what the Bolts are doing. While Stamkos has yet to tally a point, they are getting production from the Triplets Line. Kucherov, who earned the nickname KuchyCoup in Game 1 of the second round against the Habs for his game-winning goal in double overtime, had a goal and an assist. Tyler Johnson had a goal tonight. This was a vast improvement from Wednesday night where the Lightning didn’t seemed hesitant or had a mental roadblock when finishing the game. They were unafraid and put it all on the line. This was the highest-scoring team in the league during the regular season, and they looked like it tonight.
Before I forget, holy Hedman! Two assists tonight, and he’s been playing better defense since the playoffs began. I hope he keeps this up because they need everyone running on all cylinders.
What to Expect in Game 3
With the series split, Games 3 and 4 will be played in Chicago. It’s not called the Madhouse on Madison for nothing, and it will be very tough for the Lightning to steal a game there but definitely not impossible. The Bolts have the momentum going into Game 3 after this win and playing it the way they did, but Coach Joel Quenneville said, “We’re going to go home and get excited to play in our building.” I’m fairly certain that given this Blackhawks team, that’s pretty much all the game-plan they need. However, I’ll be keeping a close eye on reports on Ben Bishop. If he is out for Game 3, it’s going to make winning that much tougher for the Bolts. Although Andrei Vasilevskiy has had some success at the NHL level, he is still a rookie and, again, playing this Chicago team is no easy task especially on their own turf. I like that the offense has been clicking for the Lightning, but can they do enough damage without Bishop between the pipes? There may have been something to that goaltending interference complaint he made. Whether or not there should have been a call, I wonder if the stick did hurt an exposed part of Bishop, which necessitated the exits.
Stanley Cup Fan Reactions
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!
@NTQ03: “When Hawks won the cup in 10 & SJ need a goalie I wanted Niemi. If the Hawks win it this year, I do NOT want Crawford. #SCFR”
I love seeing opinions from different fanbases. Obviously, with the San Jose Sharks, you can’t help but think back to Antti Niemi winning in his rookie season with Chicago then being traded to San Jose. The comparisons will be made now, especially since Niemi is going to be a free agent this summer. I’m going to assume that San Jose fans aren’t going to want Crawford because some feel that the Niemi trade didn’t work the way they had expected, Crawford isn’t as good as he was in 2013, and/or he has a huge contract. By the way, I’m not suggesting that Crawford will be losing his number one spot with Chicago, but let’s say he does because I want to play pretend for a minute. So imagine that Crawford has to be replaced by Scott Darling, and the Blackhawks win a Cup. That would mean that the 3 times Chicago has won the Cup since 2010, they have done it with a different winning goaltender each time. Again, I’m not saying that’s going to happen or should happen, but it would be absolutely crazy if it did.
@Lhultin: “This game has reached a new level of intensity in the 3rd. In long, tough games, advantage goes to #Hawks IMHO. #CHIvsTBL #SCFR” “Series tied. Expect Hawks will come out strong. If Bishop, who has been great on the road, isn’t ok, TBL will have their hands full. #SCFR”
I have to agree with Lori here. I’d like to see the Cup go to Tampa Bay this year, so I was stressing out the end of the third because I knew overtime would mean a Chicago win. They have been absolute beasts in the playoffs in all overtimes, and Tampa Bay hasn’t really had to play those types of games in the playoffs. Although I would hope the Bolts would win, the advantage positively goes to Chicago in that situation.
I agree with Lori that the Blackhawks will be coming out strong in Game 3. They play extremely well at home, but Tampa also is a great road team. However, if Chicago scores first, which we have not seen yet in these two games, the advantage sways heavily in the Blackhawks favor. Tampa Bay is not really a comeback team as they entered this series with a .273 win percentage when trailing after the first. If the Blackhawks can come out and score early and often, they have a great chance at taking a definitive win over the Bolts. Of course, this is assuming that Bishop will be in net.