It's been a very tight and entertaining Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks and now the puck is set to drop on Game 4 Wednesday night at the United Center.
Position-by-Position Analysis Of Lightning vs. Blackhawks
Each contest has been decided by one goal thus far with the Blackhawks taking Game 1 by a 2-1 score and the Lightning bouncing back by winning Games 2 and 3 with 4-3 and 3-2 victories, respectively.
Tampa Bay looks to win one more road game on Wednesday to take a commanding 3-1 series lead while Chicago hopes to tie things up before the set shifts back to Florida.
5 Crazy Stories About The Stanley Cup
With Game 4 on the horizon, here are four things to know before the Blackhawks and Lightning take the ice Wednesday in Chicago.
1) Struggling Superstars: Patrick Kane has been clutch for the Blackhawks throughout the years -- just look at his Game 6 Stanley Cup-clinching overtime goal against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 that started Chicago's current run -- but this series he hasn't been a difference-maker on the scoresheet. Kane, who leads the team with 10 goals and is tied for the club lead with 20 points this postseason, doesn't have a single point in the Stanley Cup Final. Jonathan Toews, another catalyst for Chicago, has been limited to just one assist thus far this series. The two Blackhawks superstars need to find a way to break out of their funk if the Blackhawks hope to even things up and eventually win the Cup for the third time in the last six years.
2) Shining In The Spotlight: While the Blackhawks big names have been stagnant, they've had some other players stand tall in these playoffs. Rookie Teuvo Teravainen hasn't been hindered by the big stage of the Stanley Cup Final. Teravainen has two goals and one assist, which came on the game-winner in Game 1, in the series while Andrew Shaw has not only been a tremendous net-front presence, but has also has one tally and two helpers in the set.
Tampa Bay's famed Triplets Line continues to get it done, but they aren't doing it alone. Cedric Paquette has two big goals in this series, which includes the game-winner in Game 3, and Jason Garrison found the twine for the deciding goal in Game 2 and also has an assist in the Stanley Cup Final. It's worth noting that top pair defenseman Victor Hedman had two beautiful helpers in the Game 3 win as well.
3) Ailing Bishop: Something doesn't seem right with Ben Bishop, but he miraculously has the Lightning within two wins of their second Stanley Cup in franchise history here in his first ever postseason. Bishop left Game 2 in the third period with a mysterious injury and then played Game 3, but coach Jon Cooper has been coy about the specifics behind the ailment. Nevertheless, Bishop stopped 36 of the 38 shots he faced during Game 3 en route to a victory and a 2-1 series lead. Bishop, who was slow to get up at times and appeared uncomfortable at others -- especially when moving from side to side -- is 13-9 in these playoffs with a 2.19 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. It'll be interesting to see how he looks in Game 4.
4) Deteriorating Defense: Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya is questionable for Game 4 after he missed the last 7:44 of the second period with an unknown injury in Game 3. Oduya returned in the final frame and was held to just 5:05 time on ice, but Joel Quenneville told the media his status for Game 4 is up in the air. Oduya is part of a heavily-taxed blackhawks defense as the Chicago has relied on its top four to log heavy minutes through the four rounds it has played. The Blackhawks blue line, which is already hampered by injuries and a lack of depth, is paced by Duncan Keith, who leads both teams with 31:20 average time on ice. To put that into perspective, Hedman leads all Lightning players with 23:46 TOI. Another loss to a defense that already lacks depth will obviously be a detriment for the Blackhawks.
The Lightning looks to take a 3-1 series lead while the Blackhawks hope to knot the series when the puck drops on Game 4 live Wednesday night from the United Center in Chicago.
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