The Tampa Bay Lightning entered the United Center on Monday night needing a win to keep their Stanley Cup dreams alive. It wasn’t meant to be. Instead, the Chicago Blackhawks earned a 2-0 victory and their third Stanley Cup since 2010.
One of the things the Lightning needed after being stymied on home ice in the fifth game of the series was a good start in Game Six. Facing elimination, there just wasn’t much room for error. Regrettably, the Bolts only mustered four shots on goal in the first period of play. Chicago, on the other hand, fired 13 at Ben Bishop.
That’s not to say that the Bolts didn’t have their opportunities to score on Monday night. Tampa Bay had chances, but just couldn’t sneak a puck past Corey Crawford. The Blackhawks’ goaltender was phenomenal in Game Six, just as he had been previously in the series. Steven Stamkos, in particular, had multiple Grade-A looks. He had a shot ring off the crossbar in the first period, and then was stopped on a slow-motion breakaway later in the game. He was unable to convert on either opportunity. Visibly upset with himself after the game, Stamkos took on a big heap of responsibility for the loss:
Steven Stamkos understandably crushed. Said he feels like they've played the last two months for nothing.
— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) June 16, 2015As the clock continued to tick away through the second period, the Lightning just looked like they were running on fumes. The energy and speed that had defined their brand of hockey during the regular season just wasn’t there. Chicago seemed noticeably fresher. The following possession chart perhaps exemplifies that best:
5v5 Fenwick chart from @HockeyStatsCa. pic.twitter.com/Z91OmQ2wzr
— Michael Stuart (@hockeybuzzstu) June 16, 2015The 1-0 goal, which ultimately became the game-winner, was scored at 17:13 of the second period. Able to take advantage of a defensive misread/miscue/mistake, Duncan Keith skated in on Bishop and converted a rebound opportunity for the score. The Conn Smythe winning defender had little trouble making it to the net, as Andrej Sustr simply watched from the edge of the slot. The Lightning’s towering defenseman had a better view of Keith’s goal than people sitting in Row One at the United Center, and he didn’t have to pay $10,000+ for his ticket! Unfortunately for the Bolts, his job wasn’t to watch; his job was to defend.
Keith’s late-in-the-period goal felt like a dagger at the time, but the Lightning still had about 33 minutes left on the clock to make something happen. Needing a goal desperately, they fired 14 pucks at Crawford in the final frame. It wasn’t enough. Their efforts were hampered further when, at 14:46 of the third, Patrick Kane scored an insurance marker for his club. That goal essentially signaled the end of the game.
As the final seconds ticked away, the crowd at the United Center started to party. When the buzzer rang, the Blackhawks were crowned Stanley Cup champions on home ice for the first time since 1938; it was a special moment. I have to wonder if anyone in attendance on Monday night was in attendance for that 1938 championship. That’d be quite a story for some reporter to get his/her hands on. Regardless, this new championship will create a lot of memories for a new generation of Blackhawks fans. In 77 years, I’m sure they’ll look back fondly.
Likewise, and in due time, Bolts fans will likely look upon this run with a certain element of fondness. It didn’t end with a championship, but it was full of successes. There is no shame in winning 14 games during a playoff run. This Bolts group has a lot to be proud of, and you know that they’ll be motivated to prove that they can beat that final hurdle next year.
Over the coming days and weeks, there will be time to analyze and dissect what went right and what went wrong. The time for that isn’t right now. Rather, let’s take a moment to congratulate the Blackhawks on their victory and thank the Lightning for countless hours of entertainment. It was one hell of a ride.
As always, thanks for reading.
Michael Stuart has been the Tampa Bay Lightning writer for HockeyBuzz since 2012. Visit his archive to read more or follow him on Twitter.