The Eastern Conference finals are going to get a dramatic ending to what has been an awfully dramatic series. With the Pittsburgh Penguins successfully staving off elimination in a Game 6 that the Tampa Bay Lightning at least made interesting for a while in the third period, the stage is set Thursday night for what should be a thrilling Game 7 in Pittsburgh.
This series has been a real back-and-forth affair with three lead changes and now into a decisive Game 7. On top of that, the series has had plenty of dramatic moments to make it even more compelling. Moments like Ben Bishop's injury in Game 1, Sidney Crosby's OT winner in Game 2, the Penguins' goalie switch and Tyler Johnson's stunning OT goal off his backside in Game 5 and finally Pittsburgh forcing this Game 7 have all made this series a memorable one.
So which of these teams will represent the East in the Stanley Cup Final? Here are seven things you need to know heading into Game 7.
1. The Lightning have recent relevant experience: While the Tampa Bay Lightning have not yet faced elimination this postseason heading into Thursday's game, they have plenty of experience in the Game 7 department. With largely the same roster that reached the Stanley Cup Final last season, the Lightning had to play in a Game 7 twice a year ago.
They were in this very position last season, having lost Game 6 with a chance to clinch and going into a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Rangers. The Lightning were squaring off with a battle-hardened postseason team, playing in a building where the Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist were nearly unbeatable. The Lightning obviously proved that the Rangers could be beaten at Madison Square Garden, earning a 2-0 victory.
The big difference between then and now, however, is the availability of Ben Bishop. The veteran goalie made 22 saves in a shutout effort in Game 7 against the Rangers, but he is not expected to be available for Game 7 this year while nursing the leg injury he sustained in Game 1 against Pittsburgh. Which brings us to this ...
2. Game 7 will likely feature two young goalies who have never been in this situation before: With Bishop still injured, the Lightning will go with Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has been solid under a heavy workload while starting the last five games. Meanwhile, the Penguins will have young Matt Murray, who just played in his first ever elimination game Tuesday night and celebrated his 22nd birthday Wednesday.
Both have played in some big games over their young careers at other levels, with Vasilevskiy probably playing in a few more given his experience in big tournaments for Russia. That said, there's nothing that can replicate being one win away from the Stanley Cup Final or one loss away from your season being over. Now it comes down to how the two can perform on the biggest stage either has ever faced.
Murray comes in with 14 starts this postseason. He's excelled with a 10-4 record, .924 save percentage and 2.30 goals-against average. Vasilevskiy has appeared in seven postseason contests with just five starts so far, all of them in this series. He is 3-3 with a .921 save percentage and 2.87.
Both of these goaltenders could be stars in the league one day, but both are getting the opportunity that every goalie dreams of almost right away. It should be fascinating to watch these two.
3. Anton Stralman, others have some incredible Game 7 streaks going: While the Lightning as an organization has had some success in Game 7s, having a 5-1 record in such scenarios, some of their individual players have done even better.
Anton Stralman has a chance to tie an NHL record for consecutive wins in a Game 7. The former New York Rangers defenseman can tie former Lightning forward and Rangers teammate Brad Richards with an 8-0 record all-time in Game 7s. Stralman has played in seven such situations in his career and the team he has been on has won all seven of those games. One more win and he'll join Richards as the only two players in NHL history with 8-0 records in a Game 7. He is currently part of a group that only includes six players to have won at least seven consecutive Game 7s (Brad Richards, Marian Gaborik, Red Kelly, Mike Richards and Justin Williams are the others).
Stralman is not alone in this game among those that are undefeated in five or more Game 7s. Teammates Brian Boyle is 6-0 and Matt Carle is 5-0. Stralman and Boyle seek their third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Braydon Coburn and Ryan Callahan are each 5-1 in Game 7s.
On the other side, Matt Cullen has gone 4-0 in a Game 7, while Carl Hagelin, who was a part of those Rangers teams with Stralman and Boyle, is 6-1.
Individual players can't always impact the game, but having guys with that level of success in these situations helps.
All numbers via NHL Communications
4. The Penguins are 2-3 in Game 7s since 2009: While the Lightning have a lot of players with recent Game 7 experience, the Penguins have a few that know the Game 7 drill as well. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will be playing in their fourth career Game 7s, while Chris Kunitz and Kris Letang have appeared in all five.
Pittsburgh has lost each of the last three Game 7s they've been in, one of which came with both Crosby and Malkin injured (in 2011 against the Lightning). The team's two wins over the five Game 7s in the Crosby-Malkin era came during their run to the Stanley Cup in 2009, including the decisive Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final.
5. Steven Stamkos still expected to be sidelined for Game 7: The Lightning have played the entire postseason without Stamkos, who is recovering from a blood clot. On top of him being out, Anton Stralman missed most of the playoffs and Tampa has had to play almost all of the Eastern Conference finals without Ben Bishop. It appears that will continue Thursday night as Jon Cooper said Wednesday that nothing had changed for Stamkos and Bishop that he was aware of. Considering the absences, what the Lightning have done this postseason and this series is all the more impressive. It speaks to their depth.
Still, you'd rather have your best players available. Stamkos has never registered a point in four career Game 7s, but Bishop earned shutouts in each of his two Game 7 appearances last postseason. Having their experience would be a nice bonus, but one the Lightning have been able to get on without so far.
6. Sidney Crosby has made a noticeable impact on this series beyond goals: Game-winning goals can be a bit of a wonky stat, but Sidney Crosby has netted all three GWGs in the Penguins' wins this series. One more and he'll be just the second player in the history of the NHL to score four winners in a single series.
That's not totally important, though. What is important is that the captain has done his part to get his team as far as they can go. He has five points in this series and 15 for the entirety of the playoffs. While he has had better postseason performances over his career, he is still a player that the Lightning have to worry about.
No. 1 Victor Hedman has been matched up against Crosby for 50-plus of the 88 minutes Crosby has been on the ice at 5-on-5. It shows just how much attention he continues to command. That opens things up for other players like Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin to have a chance to make a bigger impact.
7. Victor Hedman has played a whole lot of hockey the last two years: When the Tampa Bay Lightning step on the ice Thursday night, it will be the 43rd postseason contest over the last two years for many of their players. That's more than a half-season's worth of hockey on top of their last two full regular seasons. That's quite a workload.
However, over the last two playoffs, there has been no player busier than Victor Hedman. On top of not missing any playoff games despite having to battle injuries in each of the last two regular seasons, Hedman has been on the ice for 1,060 minutes.
Hedman is averaging 27:19 a game this postseason, more than three full minutes more than he was averaging last postseason. He's also seeing the bulk of his ice time against top opponents. If fatigue is starting to set in (and he did have a pretty rough Game 6), this could be an ongoing concern, but with how he has played so far in these playoffs, his performance deserves extra praise.
There are few players that can impact a game like him and if the Lightning have success in Game 7, there's a good chance Hedman has a lot to do with it.
