2013 Stanley Cup Final: Biggest Takeaways from Blackhawks vs. Bruins So Far

Here's one thing we know for sure—the 2013 Stanley Cup will be awarded this week.

Five games into a back-and-forth series between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins, we've seen it all: offensive outbursts, defensive stinginess, speed, skill, physical play and plenty of overtime.

The Blackhawks took a 3-2 series lead on Saturday night and hope to wrap up their second championship in four years on Monday. The Bruins won't go quietly in front of their hometown crowd. Fans could well be treated to the best game yet in what's already been a classic series.

As we head down to the wire, here's a look at the key takeaways from the 2013 Stanley Cup Final so far.

A Photo Finish Is Very Likely

There has been no second-guessing this series so far. Every time it looks like one team has grabbed momentum, the other one snatches it back.

Chicago took the early series lead, then Boston won two games. The Hawks answered with two wins of their own.

Both the Bruins and the Blackhawks have shown during these playoffs that they can find ways to counter their opponents' strengths and exploit their weaknesses. Coaches Claude Julien and Joel Quenneville each deserve credit for the strategies they've developed and deployed as the series has progressed.

Boston proved in the first round against Toronto that when they're pushed to the brink, they will not go away quietly. The Hawks will do their best to finish the job at hand during Game 6 on Monday, but it should come as no surprise if we're treated to Game 7 back in the Windy City on Wednesday night.

Overtime, anyone?

Chara is a Horse, but so is Keith

It's pretty amazing that the NHL's biggest player, 36-year-old 6'9" Zdeno Chara, leads the entire NHL playoff roster in ice time. With an average of 29:43 ice time per game, Chara has now logged 10 hours, 24 minutes and nine seconds of playoff work.

Chicago's 29-year-old Duncan Keith is second, with 27:33 per game for a total of 9:38:51.

Interestingly, however, Keith is outpacing Chara so far in the finals. Keith has logged a total of 2:47:32 in five games, while Chara has 2:34:27. Keith has closed the gap by 13 minutes, but with only two more contests at most remaining, Big Z is assured of the 2013 ice-time crown.

Interestingly, Chara played just 24:22 in Game 5 against Chicago, his lowest total of this year's playoffs since Game 1 of Round 1 against Toronto. While he did score Boston's only goal on Saturday, he has also been on the ice for eight of the last nine Chicago markers scored in the past two games.

By contrast, while playing even more minutes, Keith hasn't been on the ice for a Boston goal since Daniel Paille's overtime winner back in Game 2.

Canadian Centermen Will Be Key

Patrice Bergeron and Jonathan Toews have been battling head-to-head for much of this Stanley Cup Final.

The two rivals share much in common. Both are centers from Canada renowned for their two-way play. Toews was the recipient of the 2013 Frank J. Selke Trophy while Bergeron was awarded the honor the previous year.

Both 25-year-old Toews and 27-year-old Bergeron were also key members of Team Canada's Olympic gold medal-winning team in Vancouver in 2010.

In addition to sharing the memories of this 2013 Cup Final together, Toews and Bergeron were both unable to complete Game 5 for their teams due to injury.

No one's quite sure what happened to Bergeron, but according to Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago, he did fly back to Boston with his teammates and is said to be day-to-day going into Game 6. Toews took a big hit from Johnny Boychuk and spent the remainder of the game on the bench, but Coach Quenneville says he thinks Toews will play on Monday.

While Bergeron has been more of a big-game contributor to his team in the playoffs so far, Toews shone for Chicago in Game 4, and both would be sorely missed by their teams if they can't play. The outcome of the series may well hinge on which of these key leaders is ready and able to play and contribute at the top of his game.

Conn Smythe is Still Up For Grabs

With the back-and-forth nature of this year's championship, the Conn Smythe focus seems to be shifting almost daily.

Both Corey Crawford and Tuukka Rask were earning plenty of adulation for their airtight goaltending...until the 6-5 offensive outburst in Game 4.

Chara was revered for his defense...until the Hawks scored a whole bunch of goals on his watch in Games 4 and 5. Keith has been outstanding on the Blackhawks blue line but was suspended for a retaliatory high-sticking infraction on Jeff Carter during the Los Angeles series.

David Krejci looks like a lock for the playoff scoring championship with a six-point lead on his nearest rivals, but he's slipped under the radar in the finals with just four assists in five games. Patrick Sharp leads the playoffs with 10 goals and could merit some consideration. Bryan Bickell was a goal-scoring revelation with two game-winners in the early rounds but has just three assists in the finals.

Rounding out the top five scoring leaders, we have Nathan Horton—still miles ahead of everyone else in plus/minus but could be battling a lingering shoulder injury. He hasn't scored since he tallied the game-winner in Game 2 against Pittsburgh.

Milan Lucic has been the best power forward of the playoffs, logging 18 points and a plus-13 along with 14 penalty minutes on his line with Horton and Krejci. Lucic has been a forechecking force and has shown the ability to find that extra gear when the going gets tough, like in Game 7 against Toronto.

From Chicago, the player who's stepped up has been Patrick Kane. Now tied for second overall in scoring, Kane tallied two more big goals in Game 5 to go along with series-clinching hat trick against Los Angeles.

Kane has gotten better as the playoffs have gone on and could well have some big plays left in his bag of tricks.

There's No Rush

The NHL's regular season may have started late, but all the playoff teams have given fans full value by virtually stretching the postseason to its limit.

If Chicago is able to win Game 6 on Monday, the Cup will be awarded on the same date as in the lockout-shortened 1995 season, when New Jersey swept Detroit. If Boston is able to force Game 7, it will be the latest date ever.

Even within the games during the finals, the prevailing attitude has been "never say die." Three of the five games so far have gone to overtime, including the amazing triple-overtime thriller in Game 1.

The NHL draft is less than a week away and free-agent season is just around the corner. Chicago and Boston both seem so determined to walk away with the big prize, these two teams might very well be locked into the 207th overtime of Game 7 when draft day rolls around next Sunday.

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