Stanley Cup Schedule 2015: Lightning vs. Blackhawks Game 6 TV Info, Predictions

Game 6 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final will take place Monday night. For the Chicago Blackhawks, who own a 3-2 series edge, it’s a chance to clinch the victory in front of their home fans. For the Tampa Bay Lightning, it’s do or die. 

Chicago has bounced back from a 2-1 deficit in the Final to rip off two consecutive wins, regain control of the series and shift momentum in its corner. Game 6 presents the Blackhawks an opportunity to capture their third Stanley Cup since 2010 and do so at home for the first time since 1938.

Winning a game in Chicago is nothing out of the realm of possibility for Tampa Bay. The Lightning stole Game 3 on the road in the United Center. The biggest question mark is whether second-leading goalscorer Nikita Kucherov will be at 100 percent for the potentially decisive game. 

Game 6 is set for 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcasted on NBC. If necessary, Game 7 will be played on Wednesday back in Tampa Bay.

Game	Date	Time	Location	Channel
6	Monday, June 15	8 p.m. ET	Chicago	NBC
7* (if necessary)	Wednesday, June 17	8 p.m. ET	Tampa Bay	NBC

Will Kucherov Be At Full Strength?

Kucherov collided with Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford, which sent him headfirst into the far left goalpost five minutes into Game 5. The forward immediately left the ice, visited the trainer’s room with an upper-body injury and did not return to the game.

Kucherov’s absence was felt as the Lightning’s dangerous “Triplets” line was limited to one goal in the 2-1 loss Saturday. Kucherov remains a question mark heading into Game 6. 

Lightning coach Jon Cooper said the status of his forward wouldn’t be known until Monday, via Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Kucherov traveled with the team to Chicago and was in “considerably better shape” Sunday than he was on Saturday, his coach said. 

Cooper inserted Jonathan Drouin with the Triplets line, but that weakened Tampa Bay’s defense. Without Kucherov, the weight of the offense falls onto the other two members of the line, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat.

Johnson is suspected of playing through an injury, according to LeBrun, which does not bode well for Tampa Bay’s chances in a Stanley Cup Final that has come down to five consecutive one-goal contests.

Blackhawks’ Depth a Difference-Maker

The struggles of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have become a constant storyline through this Stanley Cup Final. Fortunately for the Blackhawks, the team’s depth has been enough to stay afloat and eventually take a 3-2 lead in the series.

Antoine Vermette came through with his fourth postseason goal in Game 5, which ultimately proved to be the game-winner for the Blackhawks. The goal marked Vermette’s third game-winning goal of these playoffs in one-goal games and his biggest goal since Game 1.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, via ESPN, Vermette joins the company of John LeClair and Jacques Lemaire as the only players to register two game-winners on the road in a Stanley Cup Final since 1968. 

In addition, Kris Versteeg has made his presence felt by assisting Vermette on that game-winning goal. The veteran, whom Toews references as “the new guy” after the Game 5 triumph, may be deserving of more ice time in Game 6.

Versteeg has appeared in seven of the Blackhawks’ playoff games and was benched by coach Joel Quenneville. The decision was not made because of health, and Versteeg received the message.

Versteeg and Bryan Bickell had been flip-flopping throughout the Stanley Cup Final. Versteeg got the nod in the first two games in place of an injured Bickell, but once healthy, Bickell was re-added to the lineup for Game 3. Bickell struggled in Game 4, and again Versteeg replaced him.

With the likes of Vermette and Versteeg contributing in big ways, Chicago’s depth—once a question mark—now appears to be its strength.

Sweet Home Chicago

The Blackhawks will have a chance to clinch the Stanley Cup Final in their home building for the first time in nearly eight decades. And when this team has a chance to clinch, it becomes even more dangerous. 

Since 2010, when Chicago captured the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961, no team has made more potential series-clinching games, according to CBSSports.com.

The Blackhawks have played in 17 games in which they have had a chance to clinch the series. In the team’s two previous Stanley Cup Final appearances—in 2010 and 2013—Chicago clinched in its first opportunity on both occasions. Twice it has happened in Game 6.

More specifically, under Quenneville the Blackhawks have been near unstoppable in Game 6 situations with a chance to clinch a playoff series.

One stat that does not favor the Blackhawks’ chances of making history Monday night: Four of the past seven teams that have dropped Game 5 have went on to win the Stanley Cup, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

However, the winner of Game 5 when the series is even at 2-2 is 16-7 all-time and has won the series 69.6 percent of the time.

Prediction: Hawks Clinch At Home 

All five of the Stanley Cup Final contests have been one-goal games. In other words, it’s about time to buck the trend.

Whether the Lightning have Kucherov at their disposal or not, there’s a good chance that the forward will not be at full strength after his injury Saturday night. The team will either be putting its playoff lives at risk with a beat-up star or an inferior backup.

While Tampa Bay is searching for answers, Chicago has seemingly figured it out. And that’s what we expected at the start of this series when comparing the young, up-and-coming Lightning to a seasoned collection of veterans in the Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks have received a bevy of help from their deep lineup while still waiting on Kane and Toews to show up. Despite the slow start by the two stars, it would not surprise me to see either one or both of them have their best game of the series on Monday night. 

The Lightning showed in their previous series against the New York Rangers they could be down but not out. But the Blackhawks are a different animal. The stage is magnified and there are injury concerns that are hard to simply look over.

The Blackhawks have a chance to make history with a Stanley Cup Final clinched at home since 1938. Emotions are going to be running high in a game that could lead to their third championship in a five-year span.

Veterans are conscious of how to play in these moments, and even more dangerous for the Lightning, momentum is clearly in Chicago’s corner.

I expect the Blackhawks to break loose in the second period, largely due to the heroics of Kane and Toews, who will show up in the series’ biggest moments and lead Chicago to another Stanley Cup.

Chicago 4, Tampa Bay 1