Blackhawks knot Stanley Cup Final with win over Lightning in Game 4

Brandon Saad's third-period goal lifted the Blackhawks to a 2–1 win over the Lightning in Game 4, knotting the Stanley Cup Final at two games apiece.

Sarah Kwak | Jun 11, 2015

Blackhawks knot Stanley Cup Final with win over Lightning in Game 4 /

CHICAGO — In a series where the margins of victory have seemed razor thin, the plotlines and intrigue between the Lightning and Blackhawks grow thicker with every game. With Chicago’s 2–1 win on Wednesday night at home, both teams have now scored nine goals on about the same number of shots in the 2-2 series; they have each won a game on enemy turf. Even in the battle of Stanley Cup gamesmanship, the Lightning and Blackhawks are equally split.

After keeping mum on the status of his hobbled goalie Ben Bishop in advance of Wednesday night’s game, Lightning coach Jon Cooper surprised everyone by sending 20-year-old backup Andrei Vasilevskiy out to lead the team for warm-ups. Two nights after he gutted through a 4–3 win, Bishop did not even dress. Not to be outdone, however, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville showed no indication until puck drop that he would put his forward lines through a blender.

“Whether it’s the element of surprise,” Quenneville said, “I guess we’re 50/50 tonight.”

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The Blackhawks’ new combinations, which Quenneville said were meant to create more offensive balance, led to an exceptionally unbalanced start to Game 4. For the first 20 minutes, Chicago essentially gave Tampa Bay the run of the play. Taking three penalties, including an uncharacteristic offensive zone high-stick by Jonathan Toews that negated a power play, Chicago once again assumed the defensive posture that it has become familiar with. After the first period, the Blackhawks managed two shots on Vasilevskiy, neither within 35 feet of the net.

“Maybe [the line juggling] was it. I don’t know,” Chicago center Brad Richards said. “For whatever reason we were just stuck in mud again.”

It’s become a familiar pattern for the Blackhawks, who before Wednesday night had not scored the first goal against Tampa Bay and held a lead for a total of only 6:19 through three games. But with a stand-up opening period from goalie Corey Crawford, who finished the game with 24 saves, Chicago managed to escape a lackluster start in a scoreless tie.

“Sometimes you get in situations where you just need to get out of the period and regroup,” Richards said, echoing words the Lightning were saying just 48 hours earlier. “You have those nights. The good thing is we’re experienced enough and good enough that we got through it.”

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Ultimately, Quenneville’s new line combinations got the job done. Sharp, who struggled this season and saw his ice time drop like the Russian ruble, rejoined Toews and Marian Hossa on the de facto top line, and had one of Chicago’s two shots in the first period. In the second, Sharp took a turn as catalyst, gaining a breakaway early on. Aiming for Vasilevskiy’s glove, the winger rang one off the post. But as deflating as it could have been, he helped the Blackhawks break through less than 15 seconds later. Flipping a loose rebound in front of the goal to Toews backdoor, Sharp helped the Blackhawks to that elusive 1–0 lead on just the team’s fifth shot on Vasilevskiy.

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But as they have all postseason, the Lightning, of course, responded five minutes later, when left wing Alex Killorn cashed in on a beautiful pass from center Valtteri Filppula from behind the net. With the score tied, they stayed close to Chicago, again limiting their opponent's chances down low. But off a face-off play at 6:22 of the third, the Blackhawks found just enough space in the Lightning’s tight structure to find a winning goal. Battling for a face-off win in the offensive zone, Richards got the puck to Patrick Kane, who tapped it to Brandon Saad, the 22-year-old winger who had 23 goals and 53 points this season. Making a power move straight to the net—and helped by the fact that Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman was slowed a step—Saad slipped a bouncing backhander under Vasilevskiy’s pad.

The goal, much like the game, wasn’t pretty, but at this time of year the aesthetics of winning tend to mean less and less. “They’re way better than anybody thought at [checking],” Richards said. “Everybody talks about how offensive they are, but that’s the tightest checking team we’ve played all year. ... We’ve talked about that now and figured out we need to be just as patient. If it’s ugly and 1–0 like that, then we’ll take it.”

Perhaps that is, in fact, Tampa Bay’s greatest mind game of all. The Lightning are not the team Chicago thought they were. Now it comes down to a best of three.

• Game 4 box score

Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final

Corey Crawford stopped 24 shots Wednesday night as the Chicago Blackhawks tied the Stanley Cup Final with a 2-1 victory at home against Tampa Bay.

Jason Garrison of the Lightning checks Andrew Shaw to the ice in another tight matchup. All four games have been decided by one goal, the first time that has happened since 1968.

Anton Stralman shoots the puck on Corey Crawford.

The Lightning had a handful of shots in the first two periods, but unleashed a barrage on Corey Crawford in the final minutes as they searched for an equalizer.

Brandon Saad (20) of the Blackhawks celebrates with teammates after scoring what turned out to be the winning goal.

Kimmo Timonen of the Blackhawks missed the first three games of this series but got Alex Killorn's attention on Wednesday.

Teuvo Teravainen falls to the ice in an attempt to gain control of the puck.

Tampa Bay left winger Brenden Morrow controls the puck.

Lightning center Alex Killorn (17) and defenseman Victor Hedman skate ahead of Marian Hossa.

Andrei Vasilevskiy keeps an eye on Jonathan Toews. Vasilevskiy. The 20-year-old Russian goalie was forced into his first NHL playoff start after 53-game winner Ben Bishop was scratched with an undisclosed lower-body injury after hobbling through Game 3.

Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov tries to get one past Corey Crawford.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 17 saves on the night. He joined the Lightning in December and played in just 16 games during the regular season -- none since March 31.

Brandon Saad scored the tiebreaking goal against Vasilevskiy with 13:38 to play and captain Jonathan Toews scored in the second period against the rookie.

Jonathan Toews and the Blackhawks risked going back to Tampa in a 1-3 hole had they not won Wednesday night.

Jonathan Toews and company didn't manage a shot on Tampa's net until 8:17 into the first period, and then didn't get another for about six minutes in a tentative first period. (Text credit: AP)

Andrew Shaw fights for the puck against Alex Killorn.

Alex Killorn celebrates after scoring Tampa Bay's first and only goal.

Corey Crawford making one of his 24 stops.

Corey Crawford deflects the puck.

An overhead view of the action in Game 4.

Published Jun 11, 2015

SARAH KWAK

Writer-Reporter, Sports Illustrated Sarah Kwak joinedSports Illustrated as an editorial intern in 2006 before being hired full-time as a reporter in June 2007. A graduate of Duke University, she covered the school's storied athletics program, including three Duke-UNC meetings in Cameron Indoor Stadium and a trip to the Sweet 16. Since then, she has shifted focus from the hard-court to the ice rink, primarily covering the NHL, but she has also covered golf and two Olympics (Vancouver—2010 and London–2012) for SI and SI.com. She lives in New York, well within walking distance to at least four Chipotle locations.