TAMPA, Fla. — The Chicago Blackhawks had barely filed up the tunnel to the visitors’ dressing room after another narrow victory in the Stanley Cup Final when their thoughts turned to home.
With another tenacious road victory in this impossibly close series, the Blackhawks realized they had just earned an opportunity to raise that silver trophy in front of their Chicago faithful on Monday night.
“We try not to think too far ahead,” Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said. “But obviously you’re just human.”
Antoine Vermette scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, and the Blackhawks moved to the brink of their third NHL championship in six years with a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 on Saturday night.
Corey Crawford made 31 saves and Patrick Sharp scored an early goal into an accidentally unguarded net for the Blackhawks, who took a 3-2 series lead by surviving another night teetering on the smallest margins and mistakes. Ben Bishop stopped 27 shots after missing Game 4 with an undisclosed injury, but the goalie’s ill-advised venture outside the crease led to Sharp’s goal.
The first five games all have been decided by one goal for just the second time in Stanley Cup Final history, and the first time in 64 years.
“We’re going to carry this momentum,” Crawford said. “We’re pretty excited about this right now, and (we want to) carry this over to the next game. We don’t want to get ahead of us, but it’s going to be real exciting going home.”
Game 6 is Monday night in Chicago, and seven remaining members of the Blackhawks’ two-time champion core will have the chance to skate the Stanley Cup around the United Center for the first time. They won their other two Cups on the road. Chicago as a franchise hasn’t won a Cup on home ice since April 1938.
“Never been in this spot,” Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. “I’m sure it’ll be crazy in town over the next two days. I’m sure the buzz will be off the charts. Looking forward to it.”
The Lightning must win two straight to claim the second Stanley Cup title in franchise history, and they don’t appear to be intimidated by the task despite another frustrating night against Chicago’s increasingly intense defense.
Valtteri Filppula scored for the Lightning, who have scored just two goals while losing two straight games for only the second time in their 25-game postseason.
“I feel bad for them, in the sense that I think they’ve deserved a little bit better than what we’re sitting right now,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said of his players. “But the one thing we are, we’re still alive. We’re not out. This isn’t the press conference to say we’re done. I don’t know. I think there’s happy days ahead for us. We’ve just got to push through this.”
Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos’ goal drought reached seven games, while playoff scoring leader Tyler Johnson has one goal in nine games. The Lightning also lost second-leading scorer Nikita Kucherov to a first-period injury when he crashed into the Chicago net.
“We have to find a way to score some goals,” Stamkos said. “It starts with me. I’ve got to be better. All this stuff means nothing now. We’ve got one game. It’s going to come down to how much we want to extend our season and what we’re willing to do.”
Game 5 was another chapter in what’s shaping up as the tightest Final ever played. Neither team has even held a two-goal lead through five games, staying tied or one goal apart for all 300 minutes. Only the 1951 Final between Toronto and Montreal also started with five one-goal results.
Chicago and Tampa Bay started the third period in a tie for the third straight game, but Vermette cashed in on a loose puck in the slot just two minutes in.
“This is a good group here, and a special team,” Vermette said. “I’m glad I’m here.”
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