Looking to become the first team to win two Stanley Cup titles in the salary cap era, the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins are set to begin what should be an extremely interesting and exciting championship series. The Blackhawks ousted the defending champion Kings in the Western Conference semifinals while Boston disposed of Eastern Conference No. 1 Pittsburgh, setting up a final between the two hottest teams in hockey and two of the NHL's Original Six teams.
Game 1 opens at the United Center in Chicago and while the Hawks have been dominant at home this postseason - posting a 9-1 home ice record - Boston is fully capable of winning on the road, a trait they've displayed this season especially in their last series when they took the first two games of the Eastern Finals in Pittsburgh before closing it out at home.
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When and Where to Watch Game 1
After both teams enjoyed a few days of rest, Game 1 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals takes place on Wednesday, June 12th. The puck will drop at 8:00pm, EDT and television coverage will be available through the NBC network. CBC television and the RDS network will also carry the series opener.
Stanley Cup Finals Preview - Boston Bruins
Boston has been on fire this postseason, especially since the start of their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the New York Rangers. Ending New York's season in 5 games, the 2011 Stanley Cup champions landed a showdown with the top team in the East. Taking the first two games from the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road, Boston looked fully capable of advancing to another Cup final. Closing out the Pens at home to cap off the sweep, Boston hopes their consistent play on both ends of the ice continues heading into Wednesday night's Finals opener.
"We have a lot of depth," Bruins center David Krejci said to NHL reporters. "The organization did a pretty good job. It's hard for the other teams to stop our team because there's my line, Patrice Bergeron's line, the third line. The fourth line is playing pretty good hockey in the playoffs as well. It's tough for the other teams, but we have to bring our A game every single night."
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Krejci leads all postseason scorers with 21 points in 16 contests and along with Nathan Horton (17 points), Brad Marchand (13 points) and the tremendous play of goalie Tuukka Rask (12-4 postseason record), Boston may be the only team capable of defeating a Chicago team that is also very capable of rolling out 4 lines throughout each and every game.
If Boston is able to keep up their overwhelming offense - with added support from 6'9" enforcer and point accumulator Zdeno Chara - and continue to receive stellar play between the pipes from Rask, the city of Boston could be celebrating their second championship in three seasons.
Stanley Cup Finals Preview - Chicago Blackhawks
For all the praise Tuukka Rask has received throughout the postseason, the Chicago Blackhawks have a stud of their own in net. Corey Crawford, a 28-year-old native of Montreal, Canada who was taken with the 52nd-overall pick by the Hawks in the 2003 NHL Draft, has been spectacular right from the start of the season. Hoping to enjoy his moment in the spotlight as the everyday goalie for a Chicago team that looks to win their first Cup since 2010, Crawford is happy to be in this position and certainly appreciates learning from former Chicago keeper Marty Turco earlier in his career.
"I didn't think that I was owed anything," Crawford said to Yahoo Sports. "That never crossed my mind. I just had to keep playing hard, keep working hard and force them to make the decision where they had to put me on the team. That year was a lot of fun. I started out as the backup behind Marty, and I learned a lot from that guy."
Posting a 1.74 GAA average and a 12-5 overall record during the recent Chicago playoff run, Crawford has surely put himself in the discussion as one of the best overall goalie talents in the league. Offensive support from each line - most notably stars Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane, Marion Hossa and Bryan Bickell - has truly given Crawford the ability to play a comfortable brand of hockey since the Blackhawks usually don't struggle to score.
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Game 1 Wrap-Up
The 2013 Stanley Cup Final has the potential to be one of the most entertaining finales in recent memory. Boston and Chicago are the two teams that should be here since they continue to do what it takes to win in the ultra-competitive NHL.
Be sure to catch all the Game 1 action from the Chicago United Center on Wednesday, June 12th. Game time is set for 8:00pm, EDT with television coverage available through the NBC, CBC and RDS networks.
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