The Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning again on Wednesday in Game 4 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final. Chicago came into the game trailing the series 2-1, after losing just their second home game of these playoffs on Monday.
Tampa Bay was forced to start 20-year-old Russian backup goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy after regular starter Ben Bishop was ruled out Wednesday morning. It was the rookie’s third playoff appearance (and just his nineteenth NHL game). New in Chicago’s lineup for this series was defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who made his debut in this Cup Final.
The game was hard-hitting and low-scoring, with Tampa outhitting the Hawks 46-34 and outshooting them 25-19. However, despite the apparent statistical advantage, Chicago came out on top, winning 2-1 and evening the series at two games apiece.
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews opened the scoring at 6:40 of the second period, finally breaking the deadlock by banging in a rebound. The lead didn’t last long, however, as Alex Killorn scored 5 minutes later to tie the game. The finalists remained tied until the third period, when Brandon Saad‘s impressive individual effort brought led to a backhand goal, putting the Hawks ahead for the rest of the game.
Tampa did not go quietly, though, as the last few minutes of the game were spent entirely in the Chicago end. With Vasilevskiy on the bench in favor of an extra attacker, the Lightning came incredibly close to sending the game to overtime. Steven Stamkos was visibly frustrated after missing two clear-cut chances – one of which would’ve been a goal had it not tipped off the very edge of defenseman Brent Seabrook‘s stick. It was certainly close, and the Lightning continued to press to the final second (nearly managing to tip one in with 2 seconds to go), but ultimately the Blackhawks hung on to win the game.
With the victory, the Hawks are now a perfect 4-0 in game 4s this playoffs. With the series tied, they’ve guaranteed another night at the United Center, in Game 6. Game 5 will go down Friday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa.
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