NHL Playoffs 2015: TV Schedule, Dates, Odds for Blackhawks vs. Lightning Final

The 2015 Stanley Cup Final is finally here. After two thrilling series that each went down to the deciding seventh game, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks will start doing battle Wednesday night.

The Blackhawks joined Tampa Saturday, bursting out to a four-goal lead before eventually finishing off Anaheim 5-3. Jonathan Toews scored two goals and Patrick Kane dished out three assists, allowing Chicago to overcome the Ducks' home-ice advantage. The Blackhawks scored 10 goals in the final two games of the series; they had no fewer than four in the last four.  

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
1	Chicago Blackhawks at Tampa Bay Lightning	June 3	8 p.m.	NBC
2	Chicago Blackhawks at Tampa Bay Lightning	June 6	7:15 p.m.	NBC
3	Tampa Bay Lightning at Chicago Blackhawks	June 8	8 p.m.	NBC Sports Network
4	Tampa Bay Lightning at Chicago Blackhawks	June 10	8 p.m.	NBC Sports Network
5*	Chicago Blackhawks at Tampa Bay Lightning	June 13	8 p.m.	NBC
6*	Tampa Bay Lightning at Chicago Blackhawks	June 15	8 p.m.	NBC
7*	Chicago Blackhawks at Tampa Bay Lightning	June 17	8 p.m.	NBC

"There was no easy games," Toews told reporters, per the Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "There was nothing given to us. There was no moments in this series were there any lulls, where we felt Anaheim maybe didn't play their best hockey and we got away with it. We felt like we had to earn everything against that team. That was an incredible test for both teams."

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The Blackhawks are making their third Final appearance in the last six seasons. Their core, which has drawn a lot of coverage for its surprising cohesiveness, has made at least the conference final in each of the last three seasons.

By contrast, the Lightning's journey has been littered with many more bumps in the road. Whereas Chicago has made three Finals in the past six years, Tampa has made three playoff appearances during that time frame. The franchise is making just its second overall Stanley Cup Final appearance and has seen only intermittent success with this core; last year's 4-0 first-round sweep against the Montreal Canadiens stands out as the biggest roadblock.

But to their credit, the Lightning overcame every roadblock. The biggest came in the former of the fellow conference finalist New York Rangers, whom many considered the overwhelming favorite to capture the East. The Rangers moved through the playoffs on a never-ending string of close victories, only to see their season end in a 2-0 win that finally saw Ben Bishop get things together. 

Jared Silber/Getty Images

“I've watched this team get pushed against the wall. When you watch this team give up five, and five, and seven [goals] the other night. But they just answer the challenge. Every time we as a staff go in and challenge them, they respond,” coach Jon Cooper told reporters, according to Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports.

The overall result is a Stanley Cup championship matchup boasting two contrasting styles. The Lightning have been defined by their scoring prowess all season. They led the NHL in goals during the regular season, boast the postseason's top scorer and have overcome consistently poor play inside the net. 

“We have a really good offensive team. The key for us is keeping scoring chances even with the other team because we can score goals,” defenseman Anton Stralman said, per Wyshynski.

The Blackhawks' story is a contrast of regular season and postseason. All throughout the 82-game slog, Corey Crawford was the man keeping Chicago afloat. Despite near-constant injuries to their core of players, Crawford helped the Blackhawks make the playoffs by finishing them second in goals allowed. 

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

In the playoffs, it's been all about an offensive resurgence. Crawford has been right in line with Bishop from a percentage standpoint and has given up a significant amount of extra goals. Instead, it's been efforts from Toews, Kane and others that have pushed the Blackhawks to the brink of a title.

“I don't think we've figured anything out,” Patrick Sharp said last week, per Scott Powers of ESPN.com. “We've done a better job of capitalizing on our opportunities."

Team	Odds
Chicago Blackhawks	-150
Tampa Bay Lightning	+130

The talent has always been there. Very few (if any) teams can match the scoring prowess of their top line, which has a ton of experience making plays in high-profile contests.

As is so often the case in these series, the victor will be decided by which goaltender puts it together. Stopping Steven Stamkos, Tyler Johnson, Toews, Kane, etc. is impossible. Finding a way to merely slow them down—forcing them down to something like two or three goals per game—will probably be enough to swing the series in one team's favor.

Alex Gallardo/Associated Press

Crawford, by virtue of his playoff experience, arguably deserves the benefit of the doubt. He's come through so consistently for Chicago in these situations that it's impossible to believe he'll continue to struggle to this degree. Last year he was the linchpin of Chicago's run to the conference final. This year his being a weakness has been an unforeseen surprise. 

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville spoke about Crawford's postseason journey with Brian Hedger of NHL.com:

"

I think we've seen [Crawford] in the playoffs. A lot of question marks [early]. [In] 2013, he was outstanding, a big factor in us winning. Last year, you go that deep in the playoffs with your goaltender, he's got to be doing something right. This year, well, I think [Darling] came in, call it what you want, he won a couple big games, but Corey stayed with it, got the net back, [and] showed what it's like to be a good pro.

"

I suspect those question marks turn into positives over the course of this seven-game series. Crawford won't be able to stop the Lightning's elite goal scorers, but he should be able to do just enough to give Chicago its third title of the century.