Scoring depth the key to the Stanley Cup
TAMPA, Fla. - If Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final showed anything, it was how important scoring depth can be at this stage of the playoffs.
The Blackhawks had it, getting 2 goals late in the third period from their third line. The Lightning didn't, getting just 1 goal scored by Alex Killorn, the left wing on the top line.
In the playoffs, Tampa Bay's top six forwards have scored 45 of the team's 55 goals (81.8 percent), while forwards who play on the bottom two lines have scored just four times (8.8 percent).
If it continues that way, it could be a big roadblock in the Lightning's quest to win the franchise's second Stanley Cup.
"It's very important," said Ryan Callahan a day after being stonewalled by Corey Crawford on a breakaway that would have put Tampa Bay up 2-0. "In order to have success this time of year, you have to have that. We've had guys step up throughout the lineup (the) whole playoffs.
"Our first two lines, I think, have carried most of the weight in that, but guys have chipped in; defensemen have chipped in when need be."
Actually, defensemen have combined to score 6 of the Lightning's postseason goals, with none having more than one. Hawks defenseman Brent Seabrook has 6 goals and 4 assists himself to this point, while top blue-liner Duncan Keith has 2 goals and 17 assists.
There's no question the Blackhawks have benefited from better scoring depth, and it paid off big to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
"I guess a team like Chicago, too, that has so much talent throughout their lineup, I think that secondary scoring is going to be important," Callahan told reporters Thursday at Amalie Arena. "Guys are going to have to come up with big goals at big times."
Antoine Vermette and rookie Teuvo Teravainen took care of that in Game 1 by scoring the Hawks' goals to overcome a 1-0 deficit late in the third. Along with Patrick Sharp at left wing, they've become a potent line for the Blackhawks since being put together to start the second round against the Minnesota Wild.
Technically, they're the third line. They've played like an additional line of top-six forwards, which few teams in the NHL can match. If the Lightning can't keep up, that could be a problem for them.
"You take goals when you can get them," said Brian Boyle, a fourth-line forward who has a goal and an assist in 20 games during the playoffs. "I don't care who puts it in. Going into a game, you want to contribute however you can, whatever situation you're put in.
"Taking a lot of D-zone draws, killing a penalty, you have to do a good job with that. If you're put in an offensive situation, even if it's one offensive-zone draw (in) the second period, you want to try to create some offense, create at least some momentum."