2015 Stanley Cup Finals/Game 4 Tampa Bay Lightning at Chicago Blackhawks 8PM Eastern/7PM Central NBCSN/CBC/TVA
THE BUZZ
If the Chicago Blackhawks have another gear, and some different answers to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, tonight is the time to show it.
It’s not that Tampa Bay has dominated the series or really even any single game—it’s been close. But they’re up 2-1 because the Blackhawks just haven’t had enough answers, or the right ones, so far.
There is an argument, oft-repeated on my message board thread, that the Hawks haven’t gotten enough of the bounces. Mmmmm. Maybe.
But pretty much everyone is in agreement that the Lightning have put more quality chances (in less shots) on Corey Crawford, and that the Bolts have in turn defended the front of Ben Bishop’s crease a bit better.
That, in a nutshell, seems to be where the Hawks have come up short. Not enough chances in close, not enough shots off rebounds, not enough coverage of the front of their own net.
The time to reverse those trends is here. If they can’t, Tampa goes home up 3-1 and with a virtual stranglehold on the series.
Crawford needs to be better in Game 4 as well. He gave up soft-ish to just plain soft goals in games 2 and 3, which the Hawks lost. He was terrific in Game 1, which Chicago won. See a pattern here?
And as I suggested here yesterday, the Blackhawks need to find a way to get Patrick Kane going. Typically, moving Kane off a line, as the Hawks did by moving Marian Hossa back up to be with Jonathan Toews, is not good for that line.
But it was. Kane is having trouble asserting himself because the Lightning are taking away time and space and the element of surprise. The Blackhawks need to simplify their game, get pucks behind the Lightning defense, which after all-Galaxy Viktor Hedman is pretty ordinary, and go get some cycle going.
And they need to find the right circumstances—linemates or matchups, especially here on home ice—to get Kane untracked.
Speaking of which, Kris Versteeg will replace Bryan Bickell on Kane’s opposite flank.
All indications are Johnny Oduya will play after taking what has been called an “upper body… injury Monday night in game 3.
Kimmo Timonen replaces Kyle Cumiskey. Cumiskey has had a rough couple of games, after playing well in the Anaheim series. It appears, with Trevor van Riemsdyk also staying in the lineup, and based on the coach’s quotes, Joel Quenneville is looking to minimize mental errors in these third-pairing, reduced minutes blueliners.
The things that are working for the Hawks just need to work a little better, or get more results: especially their offensive zone time and cycle.
Conversely, they need to be more aware and conscious of Tampa’s transition game, and the Hawks also need to be more diligent backchecking. A better game from Crawford—at least no soft goals—is a must.
I’ll recap late tonight or tomorrow.
JJ
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