The NHL’s top offence will face off against the number one defence when the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks meet in the Stanley Cup finals following a pair of Game 7 victories.
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The tradition-rich Blackhawks, who are aiming for their third title in six years, aren’t about to surrender their championship pedigree without a fight to the upstart Lightning who will host game one of the finals tonight at Amalie Arena.
“We are moving on for a reason,” said defenceman Duncan Keith, after Chicago beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-3 Saturday to win the Western Conference final series 4-3.
“I don’t think anybody is tired anymore at this time of year. We are just excited to be able to beat a great team like Anaheim and have the opportunity to try and beat another great team in Tampa Bay.”
The dynamic and youthful Lightning have made a habit of eliminating ‘Original Six’ teams in their march to their second championship series in franchise history. They beat the Detroit Red Wings in seven games, the Montreal Canadiens in six and the New York Rangers in another seven game series which wrapped up on Friday.
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“We still haven’t accomplished anything yet,” said Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop, whose team is in the finals for the first time since winning it all in 2004.
“We are four wins away. That is probably going to be the hardest four wins of all of our careers. We know there is a lot ahead of us.”
The Blackhawks, who came into the league in 1926, won in 2013 and 2010. Chicago has the edge over Tampa in experience as they boast the same core group that won the Stanley Cup two years ago. They needed every ounce of energy from their players and coaching staff to eliminate the bigger and more physical Ducks in a roller-coaster series.
But the Lightning present a different type of challenge for the Blackhawks. “Watching their series against the Rangers, they have a lot of options with their skill, how dangerous they can be with putting pucks in the net,” said Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville of the Lightning.
