Stanley Cup Game Five Recap

 

 
With the series tied at two a piece, the Tampa Bay Lightning were eager to the take control in game five, which would be a home game for them. The Chicago Blackhawks on the other hand, have been used to the underdog title, and looked to sweep this one away from the home fans. 

At the 6:11 mark during the first period, the Blackhawks’ found themselves on the board first as it came from an empty netgoal by Patrick Sharp. It would be Sharp’s fifth goal, which would also be the only goal scored within the first period of regulation. The real scare came when two teammates on the Lightning collided, leading up to the eventual goal. It was later known that Forward Nikita Kucherov left the game due to the collision. The status is still unknown, but based on the look, it had to do with the upper region. 

Through the second period, it didn’t take long for the Lightning to strike back. A goal by Valtteri Filppula at the 10:53 mark would tie the game up 1-1. The goal would be Filppila’s fourth, and in that moment, fans got that feeling of “here we go again”. 

Then, that underdog story for the Blackhawks started to come to life. Just a mere two minutes into the third and final period was all it took, as a goal from Antoine Vermette pushed the Hawks up to a 2-1 victory. 

With the Hawks now leading the series 3-2, can they close the deal? The Lightning will need to win back to back games to win the Stanley Cup, and something tells me next game will be just as close as the past few.