2015 Stanley Cup Predictions: Tampa Bay Lightning vs Chicago Blackhawks
It’s hard to ignore the fact that I’m just getting tired of watching the Chicago Blackhawks win Stanley Cups. I thought that if the Nashville Predators didn’t lose their best player, the Chicago Blackhawks would have fallen in the first round. If the Anaheim Ducks didn’t collapse in the final minutes and blow a two-goal lead, the Chicago Blackhawks would have fallen in the finals. Ultimately, you either except that the Hawks are a team of destiny or you pick the Tampa Bay Lightning to pull off the upset.
I can’t pick the Tampa Bay Lightning to pull off the upset in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final. They’re too inconsistent, they’re too raw. Ben Bishop allows 12 goals in two home games, but closes out the Rangers with two shutouts in a row on the road. They can beat anyone and lose to anyone, and that’s a very dangerous way to build your team. They have the top offense in hockey, but their defense is anchored solely in a streaky goaltender. I just can’t trust them. I like the Lightning – they were one of my first Twitter followers and I root for them regularly – but I just don’t like this matchup for them.
On the flip side you have a lot of factors going in favor of the Chicago Blackhawks. First, the way they just barely snuck through a very competitive Western Conference is now wholly irrelevant – not only because they’re in the final, but because the West was so much better than the East this year. The Hawks are tested, but they also got to rest up in a blowout second round with the Wild. The Blackhawks solved their goaltending issues, too, so this team doesn’t really appear to have any flaws.
Next, you have the Hawks’ experience. They’ve all been there before and know what it takes to finish off a Stanley Cup win. They win overtime games, closeout games, one-goal games, and just about any other type of playoff game they need to.
Lastly, I take the league’s best defense over the league’s best offense every time. I think you’ll see Chicago lean on their leaders and find a way to win tight games all series, suffocating the Tampa Bay Lightning and closing out yet another Chicago Blackhawks Cup.
Blackhawks in six
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