Final tied 2-2
Facing a backup goalie, the Blackhawks beat the Lightning 2-1,
The Chicago Blackhawks know everything there is to know about winning NHL playoff games, and Tampa Bay Lightning rookie goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy knows nothing.
That might be the simplest explanation why the Blackhawks posted a 2-1 win against the Lightning to tie the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final 2-2. But it doesn’t tell the true story. They had to overcome Vasilevskiy’s goaltending to prevail.
“The kid gave us a chance to win the hockey game,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “We only score one. I thought he was great. … He showed at the pinnacle of the sport that he can play.”
Blackhawks winger Brandon Saad corralled his own rebound and pushed a shot between Vasilevskiy’s legs at 6:22 of the third period to break a 1-1 tie.
“I’m not saying we played our best hockey game, but we found a way to win,” Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane said. “This team has a lot of experiences, and we can draw from the best situations to help us.”
Vasilevskiy was making his first NHL playoff start because whatever injury No. 1 goalie Ben Bishop played through to win Game 3 prevented him from playing Game 4.
The Blackhawks inexplicably gave Vasilevskiy a fighting chance by generating only two shots on goal in the first period. That allowed him to ease into a pressure-filled playoff start.
“For whatever reason, we were stuck in mud again,” Blackhawks center Brad Richards said.
Vasilevskiy did his job. He didn’t lose the game, but he also couldn’t pull out a win against a Chicago team that has 71 playoff wins since 2009. Vasilevskiy was 14 in 2009.
All the attention was on Vasilevskiy, but Chicago’s Corey Crawford was perhaps the star of the game. He made several gamesaving stops, particularly in the frantic closing minutes.
“He’s calm and poised in the net,” Kane said. “That’s nothing new.”
No one from the Lightning has identified Bishop’s injury. He was a hero in Game 3, playing through the injury, and playing well, to lead his team to a 3-2 win. But he was out of position after making some big saves. He also looked uncomfortable at times in that victory, with trouble controlling his rebounds. But he seemed to improve as Game 3 progressed.
The Lightning gave no indication during Wednesday’s morning skate that Bishop might not play. No one outside the Lightning dressing room knew he wasn’t dressing until he didn’t come out for the warm-up.
Vasilevskiy, 20, was the youngest starting goalie in the Final since the Montreal Canadiens’ Patrick Roy started at 20 in 1986.
“Bish is going to play again in this series, there’s no question,” Cooper said. “I just don’t know which game.”