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Stanley Cup finals preview: Lighting seek arrival against battle-tested Blackhawks

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On the other side, the Lightning are something of an understudy to Chicago's dominance and seemingly are on the cusp of arriving. Much younger than the Blackhawks, the Lightning are enjoying a level of success still new to them, having missed the playoffs in 2012 and 2013 before suffering a first-round sweep last year. But the Lightning were the league's top offense in the regular season.
Regular-season series: Split. Chicago won, 3-2, in a shootout Nov. 11; Tampa Bay won, 4-0, on Feb. 27
How they got here: The Blackhawks beat the Predators in six games and swept the Wild before needing seven games to take care of the Ducks. The Lightning won in seven games twice against the Red Wings and Rangers. Between those two series, they dispatched the Canadiens in six games. 
Injuries: The Blackhawks have been light on defense since Michal Rozsival went down with a season-ending injury in the second round, and it has showed at times. Rozsival's injury meant a greater reliance on depth defenders like Kimmo Timonen, Kyle Cumiskey and David Rundblad. All three have had their struggles, and it's forcing top-line pair Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook into more minutes. Keith is averaging 31:35 time on ice during the playoffs. Not that he's been any worse off for it, but still.
The Lightning, on the other hand, are as healthy as any team three rounds into the playoffs, which is to say no one of note is listed on the injury report. Depth will be an advantage heading in.
Key players: Who's quicker: Brandon Saad or Tyler Johnson? Surely we'll find out by the time the series ends. Johnson's 12 goals and 21 points lead the playoffs and he's the leader on the "Triplets" line. Flanked by Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat, no team has figured out how to stop Tampa's top trio and they'll be the most important line in the series. 
Saad doesn't have the points akin to Johnson, but he has dazzled with his speed in the playoffs. He's a critical role player for the Blackhawks. If he breaks loose, look out.
Then there are your usual names, of course. Jonathan Toews is the league's best all-around center and has nine goals and 18 points in 17 games for the Blackhawks. Normally he'd face off against counterpart Steven Stamkos, but Stamkos has been playing on the wing in the playoffs. It will still be electric watching them go head-to-head. Stamkos has 17 points in 20 games.
Both teams also feature workhorse defensemen in Chicago's Keith and Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman. Keith leads all defensemen by a wide margin with 18 points and is a favorite to win the Conn Smythe should Chicago capture the cup. Hedman has 10 points in 20 games and averages 23:24 per game.
Goalie matchup: Lightning starter Ben Bishop, playing in his first playoffs, has gradually been coming into his own as one of the league's best goalies the past two seasons. A Stanley Cup under his belt would solidify that standing. Bishop owns a .920 save percentage and a 2.15 goals-against average. Two of his three shutouts came in Game 7s.
In 14 games, Blackhawks starter Corey Crawford has a .919 save percentage and 2.56 goals-against average. Though he has struggled at times in these playoffs, Crawford still is the one who has been here before. That could set him apart. A second Stanley Cup on his resume would silence his many critics.

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