One of the things that struck me in the days just prior to the start of the Stanley Cup Final was the way so many fans and media personalities were underestimating the Tampa Bay Lightning in such a severe way. Through four games, it’s fair to say that those people are eating a big helping of crow. Win or lose, in six games or seven games, the Bolts have proven that they can do more than just keep pace with the Chicago Blackhawks. They’ve been great ambassadors for the Eastern Conference on hockey’s biggest stage.
For those who were wondering just how close the Stanley Cup Final has been in terms of shots and goals, the NHL’s public relations department posted this little summary:
A breakdown of the #StanleyCup Final through four games: pic.twitter.com/jtgbqRQxCl
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 11, 2015This evenness sort of flies in the face of all the ‘Tampa can’t match Chicago’s [insert something here]… comments thrown around prior to the series. People around the league knew that Chicago was good; after all, they’ve been here before. We know what they’re all about. On the other hand, this is Tampa’s first trip to the rodeo. A lot of Western Conference fans are being introduced to the Bolts for the first time. And, with these two teams, what those fans are getting is a great brand of hockey.
What’s perhaps been most surprising about Tampa’s performance, even to seasoned Lightning viewers like this blogger, is their defensive prowess. I’ve written at length about how they’ve kept Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane from being point per game players, but it goes beyond that. They’ve truly taken away the Chicago forward depth’s ability to wreak havoc on a sometimes-suspect Lightning defense. Even the Blackhawks are noticing:
"Everybody talks about how offensive they are, but that’s the tightest checking team we’ve played all year" - Brad Richards on the Lightning
— Ðrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) June 11, 2015Now, none of this is to say that Tampa is surely the better team in this series. That wouldn’t be a fair claim to make. This Chicago team is the real deal. The Lightning have been really good through four games, and only have two wins to show for it. That speaks to Chicago’s ability to win hockey games, even when they aren’t dominating. The truth is, nobody knows which team is going to win this series. If the first four games have taught us anything, it’s that predictions really are worthless. This matchup has been the definition of a coin toss.
While finishing second in this series would undoubtedly be disappointing, it would also be gratifying in the sense that the Bolts can go into next year knowing that they can compete with the best. Their credentials as one of the better teams in hockey are no longer in doubt, as they’ve given the closest thing to a modern-day dynasty a serious run for their money through four games in this series.
So, with all this in mind, here’s today’s poll question:
It’s a short blog today, as I’m traveling again this afternoon and tomorrow. 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.