Blackhawks at Lightning
The Chicago Blackhawks' quest for their third championship in six seasons was put in peril late in February as Patrick Kane sustained a broken clavicle while falling awkwardly into the boards. Originally expected to be sidelined nearly three months, the flashy superstar returned just short of two and hasn't missed a beat as Chicago heads into Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final against the host Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.
While Kane (10 goals, team-high 20 points) vies for his second Conn Smythe Trophy in three years, captain Jonathan Toews (nine goals, nine assists) added another line to his big-game resume by scoring twice in the Blackhawks' 5-3 win over Anaheim in Game 7 of the Western Conference final. Both Chicago and Tampa Bay boast considerable depth, with the latter seeing its vaunted "Triplets" line of Tyler Johnson (league-leading 12 goals, 21 points), Nikita Kucherov (nine goals, 10 assists) and Ondrej Palat (seven goals, eight assists) accounting for 28 of the club's 55 goals in the playoffs. Towering Ben Bishop has come up large with a league-best three shutouts for the Lightning, who are making their second Stanley Cup appearance while becoming the first team in league history to play four Original Six foes in one playoff round. Tampa Bay outlasted Calgary in seven games in 2004 to win its lone final appearance while Chicago has claimed the Stanley Cup on five occasions, including a pair of spirited six-game series victories over Philadelphia (2010) and Boston (2013).
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ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS: While Chicago's electric offense receives plenty of fanfare, Duncan Keith has anchored a sturdy defense that routinely ranks as one of the best in the NHL. Keith, a two-time Norris Trophy winner, has recorded 18 points and a league-best plus-13 rating while averaging 31:36 per contest. Traditional partner Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson have been steady while an inconsistent Johnny Oduya has provided a presence in front of Corey Crawford, who overcame his considerable struggles in the opening round to subdue both Minnesota and Anaheim.
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING: Bishop became the first goaltender in league history to notch a shutout in his first two Game 7 appearances after making 22 saves to eliminate the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference final. "We still haven't accomplished anything yet," the 28-year-old said. "We're four wins away. It's going to be probably the hardest four wins of all of our careers. We know there's a lot ahead of us." Bishop stopped 65 of 67 shots versus Chicago this season - including all 28 he faced in a 4-0 victory on Feb. 27.
OVERTIME
1. Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos, who scored twice in the latter meeting versus Chicago, has recorded seven goals and as many assists in his last 12 contests after failing to tally in the first eight games of the postseason.
2. Blackhawks C Brad Richards claimed the 2004 Conn Smythe Trophy with the Lightning, who selected him with a third-round pick in the 1998 NHL draft.
3. Tampa Bay has certainly benefited from fast starts, winning all nine games in the postseason in which it scored the first goal.
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