Stanley Cup Final 2015: Blackhawks vs. Lightning Game 1 Schedule and Predictions

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks both took the road less traveled to the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, capturing Game 7 victories on their opponent's home ice.

Following gripping conference final matchups on both sides, Chicago and Tampa Bay will collide for what figures to be highly entertaining hockey between two speedy, explosive attacks. While the Blackhawks draw in the dynasty discussion on the heels of their third Stanley Cup in six years, the Lightning look to start one of their own.  

Each team will welcome the long rest before Wednesday night, when the puck drops in Tampa Bay. Game 1 will kick off a fast-paced, high-scoring series between two fascinating teams to watch. Here's a look at when and where to catch the opening bout. 

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Prediction
Wednesday, June 3	Chicago Blackhawks at Tampa Bay Lightning	8 p.m.	NBC	Blackhawks 4, Lightning 3

Preview

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Tampa Bay led the NHL in scoring offense (3.2 goals per game) this season, while Chicago placed second with 2.3 goals allowed per contest. Before purchasing the offense vs. defense frame, however, the Blackhawks have generated 3.3 goals per postseason game.

Statisticians will nod approvingly at two teams that finished the season in the top four of Corsi percentage, per Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com, clashing for the Cup. No team with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews should be presented as defensive-oriented, so scoring will run rampant for both clubs.

The duo have worked their usual magic, with Kane offering 10 goals and assists apiece while Toews sports nine apiece. Yet defenseman Duncan Keith has grabbed the national attention. Always an undervalued star, the two-time Norris Trophy winner is having a run for the ages. 

NHL on NBC noted Keith's postseason accomplishments before he delivered his 16th assist during Game 7's victory over the Anaheim Ducks:

That chart leaves out another impressive category Keith leads. With him on the ice—which is seemingly always—Chicago has attempted 479 shots while allowing 390. That plus-89 differential, per NHL.com, puts his far above the Washington Capitals' Joel Ward at plus-73.

“We know he’s having a great playoffs,” Kane told Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. “He’s been huge for us, especially in this round. But it’s nothing we’re not used to seeing from him. He seems to do it every year.”

Against Tampa Bay, who tallied 21 goals in seven games against Henrik Lundqvist, Keith will prove even more pivotal to Chicago's success. The Lightning flash no shortage of talent, with Steven Stamkos trailing Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov in postseason points and goals.

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Stamkos, a Lightning cornerstone since becoming the No. 1 overall pick at age 18, discussed the franchise flourishing seven years later with Jesse Spector of Sporting News:

"

This is the best team I've played on, by far. I don't think it's a surprise to us, in here, that we've gotten this far. We knew there was gonna be some ups and downs, and it's been our ability to respond to the downs, I think, that's pushed this team to the top. We've played some great games, followed them up with some iffy ones, and then we go out and know what we have to do. 

"

Goalie play proves the toughest element of this matchup to peg. Ben Bishop surrendered five goals in each of Tampa Bay's three losses to the New York Rangers, but he yielded four combined through four victories. Benched in the opening round after allowing nine goals in 80 minutes, Corey Crawford has shielded the net well enough.

Don't expect the world from either goalie this series. Too much firepower will grace the ice to expect any shutouts, even if Bishop has already earned two of them in Game 7 triumphs. Whoever drops Wednesday's opener also shouldn't panic, as this has all the makings of a six- or seven-game affair.

In a too-close-to-call series, the battle-tested Blackhawks barely grab the first game on the road. 

Prediction: Blackhawks 4, Lightning 3 (OT)