Blackhawks shake lethargic start, even Stanley Cup Final on Saad's 3rd-period winner
Despite an inauspicious start and alarming inability to put pucks on surprise starter Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Chicago Blackhawks found their footing versus the Tampa Bay Lightning and evened the Stanley Cup Final at two games apiece with a 2-1 triumph in Game 4.
With all eyes on the opposite crease, Corey Crawford answered the bell for Chicago, making 24 saves and outplaying his counterpart, who started in place of the injured Ben Bishop.
Related: 3 takeaways from Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final
Jonathan Toews opened the scoring with his first goal of the Cup Final, but Game 4 was won on the strength of Brandon Saad, who forced himself into the Bolts' crease midway through the third and banged his rebound through the legs of the rookie netminder.
Chicago is now 10-1 when scoring first in these playoffs despite coughing up a lead in a third-straight game and snapped Tampa Bay's four-game road winning streak.
Star Performer: The Blackhawks have grown accustomed to average goaltending in these playoffs, but would be facing a massive deficit in this series had Crawford not lifted his performance.
He wasn't overworked, but was a clear difference in a tense contest, holding the Lightning off the scoreboard in a first period dominated by the opposition. Crawford remained steady throughout, staying in front of the puck and limiting second chance opportunities.
Turning Point: Game 4 hanging in the balance before Saad took an innocent touch pass from Patrick Kane (more on that in a moment), wound up from beneath the goal line and bullied his way to the front of the net.
His goal lifted a stoic United Center crowd, and maybe, just maybe, will have helped Kane get fully acclimated in the series. The hamstrung superstar, who netted his first point of the Final on the pass, started buzzing offensively after finally marking the scoresheet.
Goalie Comparison: Tampa Bay's goaltending has been the hot-button topic throughout the series, and will only continue with Jon Cooper assuring Bishop will return, but it played itself into a non-story in the game.
Vasilevskiy was fine. Crawford was better. The game was there for the taking, and it was the Blackhawks who made the extra play.
Stat of the Night: It was expected to be tight, but not historically tight. The Blackhawks and Lightning have decided each of the first four games by one goal, which marks the first time since 1968.
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: Saturday, June 13, 8 p.m. ET
Game 6: Monday June 15, 8 p.m. ET
Game 7*: Wednesday June 17, 8 p.m. ET
*if necessary