Stanley Cup 2015: Dates, Game Times, TV Schedule for Blackhawks vs. Lightning

The dust has settled after the craziness that was the Eastern and Western Conference Finals, and now we are down to the final two: the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Chicago Blackhawks.

Two teams at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of future prospects, there isn’t much separating the Lightning and Blackhawks heading into the Stanley Cup Final, and with less than a week to prepare, tensions will be flying high when the puck drops Wednesday night.  

So, will the Lightning prevail and bring the trophy to Tampa Bay for the second time in franchise history, or will Chicago win its third Stanley Cup in the past six seasons and solidify itself as a modern dynasty? Here are some of the biggest questions facing the Stanley Cup Final series.

Game	Matchup	Date and Time (ET)	TV
1	Chicago at Tampa Bay	Wed., June 3 at 8 p.m.	NBC
2	Chicago at Tampa Bay	Sat., June 6 at 7:15 p.m.	NBC
3	Tampa Bay at Chicago	Mon., June 8 at 8 p.m.	NBCSN
4	Tampa Bay at Chicago	Wed., June 10 at 8 p.m.	NBCSN
5*	Chicago at Tampa Bay	Sat., June 13 at 8 p.m.	NBC
6*	Tampa Bay at Chicago	Mon., June 15 at 8 p.m.	NBC
7*	Chicago at Tampa Bay	Wed., June 17 at 8 p.m.	NBC

Can youth overcome experience?

Brian Blanco/Getty Images

As mentioned above, this isn’t the first rodeo for many players on the Blackhawks roster. Having won two of the last five Stanley Cups, a number of Chicago’s star players—including top scorers Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane—know what it takes to win on this stage.

But while the Blackhawks understand the gravity of the situation better than most of the league, Tampa Bay is in the opposite camp.

As a franchise, the Lightning have been to the Stanley Cup only once—which they won in 2003-04—and only one player who lifted the Cup that season will take part in this series. His name is Brad Richards, and he is currently sporting a Blackhawks jersey full time.

What the Lightning don’t have in experience, though, they make up for in youth, with up-and-coming talents like Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov both in the top four in scoring this postseason and three more players under the age of 25 in the top 20 in postseason points:

Although the Blackhawks have some youth that pairs well with their more experienced roster, the Lightning feel like the team built for the future, while Chicago has dominated the past.

This could be a passing of the torch series if the Lightning can find a way to overcome their lack of experience and claim the Cup.

Which goaltender steps up his game?

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

One thing this Stanley Cup Final goaltender matchup has going for it that few others in history have had is the alliteration. With Chicago’s Corey Crawford taking on Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop, there is plenty for the NHL fan/literary nerd crowd to drool over.

But beyond their names, this isn’t a goaltending matchup that will go down in the history books.

Neither Crawford nor Bishop plays at an elite level, and while both are serviceable between the sticks, they aren’t going to perform like they are Henrik Lundqvist or Carey Price.

As has been noted time and time again, though, a hot goaltender can turn a series on its head, meaning all the pressure is on the heavily padded shoulders of Crawford and Bishop.

Crawford was the starter when the Blackhawks last won the title in 2012-13. But he struggled to start the playoffs, even getting benched midway through the first-round series against the Nashville Predators, and he looks to be the weaker of the two heading into the Stanley Cup Final.

In the postseason, Bishop has been much stronger than Crawford, allowing only 2.15 goals per game, and he looks like a much stronger candidate to carry his team to the Cup:

There is a chance neither goaltender ends up performing beyond his current level, but whichever one does will likely make the difference in the Stanley Cup Final.

Will Steven Stamkos solidify his spot as one of the league’s best?

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Since joining the league in 2008, Steven Stamkos has been on the rise into the stratosphere of the league’s best players.

With the exception of Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and possibly Patrick Kane, there aren’t many other players who can be considered on the same level as Stamkos, even though he is only 25 years old:

But while it's hard to argue that Stamkos has achieved a lot in his career so far, he has yet to capture the Stanley Cup, which would solidify his status at the top of the NHL.

Stamkos has had a very up-and-down playoffs so far, failing to score for multiple games in a row just to turn around and score seven points in a four-game span.

If he can stave off the long stretches without recording a point like he had against the Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers, Stamkos is one of the most explosive players in the series and has enough skill to win a game all on his own.

As Ovechkin has proved in his career, a Stanley Cup isn’t necessary to establish yourself as one of the best players in the NHL. But it would give Stamkos a big boost and give casual hockey fans another name to bring up when discussing who the best player in the league is.