If Antoine Vermette is going to light the lamp in the postseason, it’s going to come at the most opportune time for the Chicago forward.
Tied 2-2 going into the third period, Vermette came up big once again scoring two minutes into the final 20 minutes to put the Blackhawks ahead for good in a 2-1 win over the Lightning and 3-2 series edge.
Vermette’s game winner Saturday night marked his third of the playoffs. A healthy scratch to start the playoffs, Vermette’s previous game winning tally’s game in double OT against Anaheim and in Game 1 against the Lightning.
Blackhawks win Game 5 2-1, their 3rd 2-1 win of series.
1st 5 games of series decided by 1 goal; 1st time that's happened in SCF since 1951
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 14, 2015
Meanwhile, Corey Crawford like Vermette came up big in his own way.
The Chicago goaltender whose faced plenty of criticism this postseason (from myself included) allowed just a single goal against for the second consecutive game while stopping 55 of 57 shots in the last 120 minutes he’s been on the ice. Fifteen of those 57 shots also came in the third period of last night’s game enabling the Blackhawks to hold on to that 1 goal lead and put Chicago one win away from their third Cup win in the past six seasons.
Tampa Bay has been in this position before so it would be hard at this point to count them completely out. At the same time though since 1939 the winner of Game 5 went on to win the Stanley Cup 16 of 23 times after the two teams split the first four games. On top of that, the Lighting will need to find some way to solve Corey Crawford and it must start Monday night in Chicago.