Another spring championship round, another wild Game 6 comeback that leads to a title. Last week it was the Miami Heat, this week it was the Chicago Blackhawks. Trailing 2-1 with 1:16 left in the third period last night in Boston, the Blackhawks scored twice in regulation and with it won the 2013 Stanley Cup.
The Chicago Blackhawks moved within one win of the Stanley Cup with a 3-1 win in Game 5 over the Boston Bruins, a game that was well-played on both sides, while showcasing Chicago’s overall team versatility.
After two consecutive grinding, defensive-oriented games, the ice opened up in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals last night in Boston, and the Chicago Blackhawks won a wide-open goalfest 6-5, as the series saw its third game go to overtime. Chicago evened the series two games apiece, and while reclaiming home ice doesn’t have the same impact in hockey that it does in the NBA, the Blackhawks can now win the Cup by winning Games 5 & 7 in front of their home fans in the Windy City.
Unlike the first two games, which were fraught with missed opportunities, intrigue and storylines layered upon one another, this was pretty straightforward. While it would be a stretch to say the Bruins dominated, they maintained reasonable control of the game, got both goals in the second period and then coasted in relatively free of drama.
NBC is getting its money’s worth from these Stanley Cup Finals. After a three-overtime opener on Wednesday won by the Chicago Blackhawks, the network got another round of extra advertising time last night, as it took the Boston Bruins nearly fifteen minutes into overtime to get a 2-1 win that evens the series.
The Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks begin the final leg of the championship journey on Wednesday night when the two Original Six franchises open the Stanley Cup Finals. It’s the first time a pair of NHL originals have met for the Cup since 1979, a year Montreal won its fourth straight title over the New York Rangers. TheSportsNotebook does its final series preview of the season, as we see if Chicago is worthy of their status as the 8-5 favorite to win it all.