Lightning vs Blackhawks

President Barack Obama called the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday with his congratulations for winning the Stanley Cup.

The president spoke to coach Joel Quenneville, owner Rocky Wirtz and captain Jonathan Toews, praising them for their leadership.

"The President added that he looks forward to welcoming the team back to the White House to celebrate their victory," the Blackhawks said.

CHICAGO -- Jon Cooper has not been in the NHL for long, but he's already earned a reputation for being one of the most forthcoming coaches in the League.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are facing elimination in Game 6 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks, and Cooper was asked if it is possible for his team to approach it like any other game, a standard sports cliché when someone faces a high-leverage situation.

"No chance. The Stanley Cup's in the building," Cooper said. "We know it's just not another game. We haven't treated those elimination games like that. This is much different than Game 1. You got to win or you go home. On the other side, you know what happens if they win.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks again will lean on their stockpile of Stanley Cup Playoff experience with a chance to clinch a championship in Game 6 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning at United Center on Monday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

The Blackhawks lead the best-of-7 series 3-2 and can win the Stanley Cup at home for the first time since 1938.

Those who have won it before are using those past experiences to help the current group focus.

TAMPA — Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said he does not expect to make any lineup changes for Game 5 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

Quenneville shuffled his lines for Game 4 and inserted defenseman Kimmo Timonen for Kyle Cumiskey. The Blackhawks won 2-1 to even the best-of-7 series at 2-2.

Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper has been coy about his goaltender since Ben Bishop left Game 2 with an undisclosed injury, and Quenneville went with his own subterfuge at the start of Game 4.

The Blackhawks did not show the lines they ended up using in the game during the pregame warmup, and even during the game Quenneville quickly switched the bottom three lines around before settling on the four lines that are expected to begin Game 5 together.

TAMPA -- The Tampa Bay Lightning will be looking to polish their play in the offensive end in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

The Lightning were the top scoring team in the NHL during the regular season but have scored nine goals in four games in the Final thus far despite carrying the play for the large majority of the series. Tampa Bay had 25 shots on goal but beat Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford once in a 2-1 loss in Game 4.

"We just got to keep generating chances, keep shooting the puck," Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn said Saturday. "I think it's just a matter of capitalizing on chances. We got our chances [in Game 4] and it's just a matter of the puck going into the net. I don't think it's forcing it one way or the other."

BRANDON, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Lightning center Tyler Johnson isn't sure if he'll be taking faceoffs in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks at Amalie Arena on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

Johnson took one faceoff in Game 2, a 4-3 Lightning win, and hasn't taken a faceoff since. He took 15 faceoffs in Game 1 and won six of them, but Tampa Bay won 53 percent of the faceoffs in that game. In the three games that followed the Lightning have won 35, 42, and 34 percent of the faceoffs.

Chicago earned a 2-1 win in Game 4 and tied the best-of-seven series at 2-2.

There has been plenty of speculation about Johnson's health. His lack of faceoffs and dwindling shot total in the Cup Final would suggest he's struggling with injuries.

"I think everyone's banged up," Johnson said. "When you play this long … you're doing that, you're going to be bumped up a little bit, but it doesn't matter right now. It's the Stanley Cup. There's a maximum three games left and then you've got all summer to rest. You work this hard to get here, you want to win it."

CHICAGO -- In a series as tight as the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, the Chicago Blackhawks need to continue killing penalties as well as they have in the first four games of the series.

The Blackhawks have killed off 10 of 11 Lightning power plays, one reason the best-of-7 series is tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 at Amalie Arena on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

"I think when it comes down to the penalty kill, I think we've really always understood how big of a deal it is, especially to try and take away energy from a team like this," Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said Thursday. "The last couple games it's been big for us."

TAMPA -- It is unknown if Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop can play in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks at Amalie Arena (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

Bishop did not play in Game 4 on Wednesday after taking part in the morning skate. Andrei Vaslevskiy made 17 saves, and the Lightning lost 2-1 at United Center.

The best-of-7 series is tied at 2-2.

"[Ben will] come in [Friday] and be looked at by our top-shelf, top-notch medical team and decisions will be made, but it's day-to-day," Lightning associate coach Rick Bowness, said Thursday while handling the media duties for coach Jon Cooper.

Cooper in his postgame remarks Wednesday said, "[Bishop] is going to play again in this series, there's no question. I just don't know which game."

CHICAGO -- There was some question as to whether Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya would even play in Game 4 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning at United Center on Wednesday.

But Oduya, who sustained an undisclosed upper-body injury in Game 3 on Monday, played 25:45 in Game 4, blocked five shots and finished with a plus-1 rating. As one of the Blackhawks' top four defensemen who have absorbed a huge workload in this series and the Western Conference Final, receiving the normal contribution from Oduya was a big help in Chicago's 2-1 victory to tie the best-of-7 series 2-2.

Game 5 will take place at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

"He's been huge," Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said of Oduya. "Everyone liked to talk about the four [defensemen] who were absorbing most of the minutes and responsibility in the previous series, so I don't think that's changed. I think those guys are ready for whatever, [even] playing through a few bumps and bruises. Johnny is one of those guys. It's going to take a lot more to stop him. Huge for him to bounce back. [He] made a big difference for us on the blue line tonight."

CHICAGO -- Tampa Bay Lightning rookie forward Jonathan Drouin was told he would be in warmups and a decision on his playing status would be made prior to Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports).

Prior to Game 3 on Monday, Drouin did a pregame interview in French with TVA Sports during the warmups prior and said he believed he was playing. After warmups, Drouin was told he would not play.

Because he was asked to do the interview, Drouin said he assumed he was playing because scratched players are rarely asked to do interviews.

"I'm not the guy going looking for interviews," Drouin said. "Someone told me to go do an interview in the warmup and I did. It just happened."