Lightning vs. Blackhawks: Live Stream Schedule, Odds and Pre-Game 6 Comments

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been here before: the barrage of low-scoring games against a seemingly more playoff-ready team; the concerns about their own goaltender; the do-or-die mentality from the puck's drop until the final whistle.

Thus far, they've answered the bell every time. They came back from a 3-2 deficit to beat the Detroit Red Wings in seven games and took a deciding Game 7 against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Now, we'll see if they can save their hide once again on the road.

Date	Location	Start Time (ET)	Network	Live Stream
Monday, June 15	United Center in Chicago, Illinois	8 p.m.	NBC	NBC Sports Live Extra

Tampa will need a victory at the United Center on Monday to continue its season after dropping home-ice advantage in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Corey Crawford stopped 31 of 32 shots and Antoine Vermette scored a game-winning goal in the third period to give the Blackhawks a 2-1 victory and a 3-2 series lead overall. Chicago has taken each of the last two games by a 2-1 score, as Crawford seems to have found his groove.

“We’ve got one game,” Lightning center Steven Stamkos said, via Mike Halford of ProHockeyTalk. “It’s going to come down to how much we want to extend our season and what we’re willing to do. This group has come too far not to leave it all on the ice next game. We’re experienced in these situations. We’ve gone through it already this playoffs, we’ve found a way.”

John Raoux/Associated Press

Of course, experience remains one of the most talked-about factors in this final. The Lightning entered the 2015 playoffs as a wildly talented but green team. Besides a 2011 conference finals run, this franchise hasn't had any playoff success since its 2004 championship. A majority of the team's top stars are relatively untested on the playoff stage, something Blackhawks players believe has been an advantage.

“We’ve gone through these situations before,” Crawford told reporters. “I think maybe the experience helps a little bit with pressure. I think we were able to deal with it a little bit better than maybe if it’s your first year, first time going through something like this.”

Nowhere has the dichotomy been stronger than Tampa's formerly elite goal scorers. Stamkos has posted just one assist in the series. Tyler Johnson has only two points. Alex Killorn has two goals but lacks an assist. Nikita Kucherov has been rendered ineffective for the last two games and is now a doubt to play Game 6 after crashing into the net in Game 5.

“Obviously you hope (Kucherov’s) okay, it was tough not to see him come back,” Stamkos said, via Josh Cooper of Yahoo Sports. “That’s what the playoffs is. You’re going to go through some adverse moments. He’s a big player, clutch guy for us who has played extremely well to get us here. Whether he goes or not, we have guys capable of stepping up, and we have no choice but to find a way.”

The Lightning averaged 3.2 goals per game during the regular season. They've been held to 10 goals in five games against Chicago, including three separate 2-1 results. In fact, each of the first five games have been separated by just a single goal. 

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

"We're going to carry this momentum," Crawford told reporters. "We're pretty excited about this right now, and (we want to) carry this over to the next game. We don't want to get ahead of us, but it's going to be real exciting going home."

Tampa hopes it will have goalie Ben Bishop there to pick up the slack in case the offense isn't firing on all cylinders. Bishop has been dealing with an undisclosed injury throughout the series and sat out Game 4. He was back in net and largely held his own in Saturday night's contest, but the Lightning would love for the Bishop who shut the door on New York to show up. 

The Blackhawks stars have quietly been held in check for most of the series. Jonathan Toews has scored only one goal (with two assists), while Patrick Kane has been held scoreless and has only one assist. Considering that Toews and Kane have combined for only four points in five games, you'd think Tampa would be on the precipice of lifting the Cup.

Instead, it's a testament to Crawford and Chicago's defensive brilliance that they've been able to cope.

Still, it seems likely that the dam will start to show some cracks in Game 6. There is too much offensive talent on both sides for one of these teams to not break through. Combining for six goals in Games 4 and 5 made for an intense atmosphere, but it's not sustainable.

The team that winds up finding an offensive rhythm may wind up with the Cup.