Blackhawks 1 win away from Stanley Cup after edging Lightning in Game 5
Antoine Vermette played the hero again and Corey Crawford was nearly perfect as the Chicago Blackhawks took a 3-2 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final with a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5.
Vermette, who also scored the winning goal in Game 1, found the net two minutes into the third period to snap a 1-1 tie. Patrick Sharp opened the scoring with his first goal in 14 games and Valtteri Filppula replied for the Lightning, who have dropped two straight to Chicago after winning Games 2 and 3.
The victory moves the Blackhawks within one win of their third Stanley Cup championship since 2010.
Star Performer: Crawford followed a great performance in Game 4 with his best outing of the series, stopping 31 shots - including 15 in the third period - to seal the win. The only puck Crawford couldn't stop was the result of an improbable cross-ice feed onto the stick of Filppula.
Honorable mention goes to Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson, who helped his netminder by blocking a game-high seven shots.
Turning Point: Tampa Bay was pressing for a tying goal as the third period wore on, but their exuberance backfired late in the contest. The Lightning were called for too many men at 19:51 after having seven players on the ice with the goaltender pulled, effectively nullifying their comeback bid in the dying seconds.
Goalie Comparison: Ben Bishop returned to Tampa Bay's crease and fared admirably despite his nagging injury, but his ill-advised decision to play a puck outside the crease in the first period led to an easy goal for Sharp. Crawford nearly made a similar gaffe when he passed the puck from behind his net, but he recovered in time to stop Nikita Kucherov, who was hurt on the play.
| Goalie | Shots | GA | Saves | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crawford | 32 | 1 | 31 | .969 |
| Bishop | 29 | 2 | 27 | .931 |
Stat of the night: This has been arguably the closest Stanley Cup Final ever. For the first time in NHL history, no team has held a two-goal lead through the first five games of the series.
Series at a glance
Game 1: Blackhawks 2, Lightning 1
Game 2: Lightning 4, Blackhawks 3
Game 3: Lightning 3, Blackhawks 2
Game 4: Blackhawks 2, Lightning 1
Game 5: Blackhawks 2, Lightning 1
Game 6: Monday June 15, 8 p.m. ET
Game 7*: Wednesday June 17, 8 p.m. ET