The surprises started at the drop of the puck when Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop did not get the start in net. 20 year-old rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy got the nod as Bishop was forced to not dress due to an undisclosed injury.
Vasilevkiy played very well, and stopped 17 of 19 shots he faced. The Chicago Blackhawks were only able to sneak two goals past the confident rookie. Those two goals proved to be enough as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 to even the Stanley Cup Final at 2-2.
The first period was a defensive battle in which the Lightning outshot the Blackhawks 9-2. No goals were scored in a penalty filled period that gave the Lightning two power plays and the Blackhawks three.
The second period opened up a little more as the Blackhawks rebounded with 12 shots to the Lightning 8. The Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews found the net first. His clutch goal came at the 6:40 mark. His tenth goal of the playoffs was assisted by Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa. The Lightning responded five minutes later when newly found hero Alex Killorn scored his 9th goal of the playoffs. Killorn goal came on a beauty backdoor pass from forward Valtteri Filppula. The teams went to the locker room tied at 1-1.
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The third period remained scoreless until the 6:20 mark when Chicago forward Brandon Saad scored on a beautiful net drive from out of the corner. Saad’s 8th goal of the playoffs proved to be the game winner. The final two minutes featured numerous scoring chances from the Lightning, but Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford held the puck out of the net during the chaos.
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Game 5 is set for Saturday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa. Game time is 8 pm EST and can be seen on NBC, CBC, TVA Sports.
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Brad Burud the owner/editor of the Inside Edge Hockey News. I am a huge fan of hockey, from youth hockey, to junior hockey, and of course professional hockey. I have played, coached, worked as statistician, and watched hockey all of my life. Hockey is not just a game, it is a lifestyle and family. The game of hockey is great! It can bring you nights of great enjoyment. It also brings nights where you feel like your team will never win. I am proud to be a journalist for the greatest game in the world. I have a degree in Business Administration, Psychology from Minot State University. I also have a Hockey General Manager and Scouting, and Sports Communications/Journalism degree from Sports Management Worldwide. I am also a member of the Sports Executives Association. Most of all I am a fan. Hockey is a huge part of my life and my families life.