Chicago Blackhawks left wing Teuvo Teravainen celebrates with defenceman Duncan Keith after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third period in game one of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena.Kim Klement
This was two games in one.
The first was mostly confined to the first: a showing of dominance and speed and finesse in the opening period by the Tampa Bay Lightning, who burst into the first Stanley Cup final for most of the roster in Wednesday's Game 1 with energy and then a beautiful goal only minutes in.
They looked good, really good, and the "young legs dance to victory" narratives began writing themselves.
Until the other game started.
After trailing all night, the Chicago Blackhawks scored twice in the final seven minutes to win, getting quick goals – bang-bang – from their third line after the big guns were stifled all night.
It was another impressive comeback in a postseason filled with them for the playoffs' oldest, most decorated team.
It was a painful lesson for one of the youngest to ever get this far.
The Lightning played well. But they gave up just enough to lose.
"We had chances to put them away," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "We didn't… That, to me, that was letting them hang around."
"We just sat back too much," added Alex Killorn, who had the goal and was perhaps the best Lightning player on the night.
The toughest part for Tampa was their game plan had largely held. The Blackhawks stars were the focal point, and they were kept at bay, with their five highest scoring forwards kept pointless.
Chicago had only 21 shots – their fewest of the playoffs – and only 52 shot attempts, 30 per cent of which were blocked and more than that that came from the blueline, including 10 off the stick of Brent Seabrook.
As far as winning strategies go, that didn't seem to be it.
But after an exciting start, in front of the amped up Tampa crowd, this turned into low event hockey, with the Blackhawks first goal – from rookie Teuvo Teravainen – of the long range, low hope variety.
They then kept pressing and broke through again two minutes later, with little more than four minutes to play, as Antoine Vermette converted a turnover into the bookend to the Lightning's opener – a brilliant tip by Killorn – early in the game.
"There's a belief in our room that we're never out of any game, despite the score and how it looks out there," Blackhawks vet Patrick Sharp explained, a statement that was echoed by the entire team postgame.
Well, except Teravainen, who was more concerned his heroics meant more time in front of the cameras for the shy young Finn.
"The first thing [I thought] was 'oh no, I have to go do media now,' " he said of his pivotal tying marker.
You get the sense that's the biggest worry in the Blackhawks room right now. They insisted they hadn't been caught off guard early by the Lightning's speed and that they had expected a challenge, given this is the finals.
But this is also a style of play they'll be comfortable with, likely more so than what they faced against Anaheim, and the thin margins won't wear on them.
"We know they're a great team," said Duncan Keith. "They've got a lot of speed, a lot of skill, and they make plays. They're tough to get [the puck] away from."
"It was tough to get to the net," added Sharp.
Yet they did, especially late, outshooting the Lightning 8-5 and out attempting them 21-9 in the third period with the game on the line.
Sitting back is natural, but at this point, against this team, sitting back can also be death.
For all that talent, the reality is the Lightning are still new to these stakes, and the Blackhawks are still the Blackhawks, the (currently) undisputed best team of the NHL's salary capped era. The oddsmakers had Chicago as the favourites; the pundits were picking them at least 70-30 in the lead-in.
That wasn't all reputation.
They showed why when they pushed – as they had again and again in a wild third round against the Ducks – and the equalizer was deserved when it came.
The winner was gravy, a painful dagger after a Lightning youngster made a rare gaffe in the defensive end.
Now Chicago has the 1-0 series lead – which teams have historically turned into a Stanley Cup 77 per cent of the time in the final – and all the doubting has something to it.
This game was there for Tampa to win. That they didn't – and that they frittered it away so quickly – is an ominous way to start for such an inexperienced team.
They've lost home ice already. They need to take four of the next six to win. They can't afford another misstep in Saturday's Game 2, especially not heading to the Madhouse in Chicago for three of the series final five games.
If necessary.
"There's a fine line between respect and fear," Lightning vet Brenden Morrow explained. "You can respect them; you can't fear them. It looked like in the third we were holding on and the fear of maybe what would be coming and what might happen."
These days in the NHL, playing scared is playing to lose.
And they did.
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