Lightning vs Blackhawks

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks' habit of allowing a goal soon after scoring one has been a problem in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and it was a big reason they lost Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final 3-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning at United Center on Monday.

Lightning forward Ondrej Palat scored 13 seconds after forward Brandon Saad gave the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead early in the third period, and the Lightning scored with 3:11 left to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

"I think for sure, after you grab momentum after a big goal, you want to try and continue with that," Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford said. "To give one right back is obviously not what we want, but stuff happens. We've got to try and get past it."

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk better keep his phone on Monday afternoon because big brother James, a forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs, is going to be calling now that he knows little brother will be playing in the Stanley Cup Final.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville wouldn't confirm van Riemsdyk will be playing in Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at United Center on Monday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports), but all indications are he will be in the lineup.

Van Riemsdyk came off the ice Monday morning with the regulars while David Rundblad stayed on with the extras. That's an indication van Riemsdyk will be playing in his first game since Nov. 16, when he fractured his left patella blocking a shot.

CHICAGO -- Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper said he doesn't know who is starting goaltender will be for Game 3 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final.

After first balking at the question, Cooper said at the Lightning's media availability Sunday that he isn't sure if it will be veteran starter Ben Bishop or rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Monday (8 p.m., NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports).

Bishop left Game 2 on Saturday twice because of an undisclosed injury. The first time was a brief absence in the middle of the third period, but then he exited for good with 7:41 remaining. Vasilevskiy made five saves in a 4-3 win.

For additional insight into the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks during the Stanley Cup Final, NHL.com has enlisted the help of Dave Farrish to break down the action. Farrish will be checking in throughout the series.

Farrish was an assistant coach for the Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs from 2005-14. He won the Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007. He also coached 1,027 games in the minor leagues, including the American Hockey League. In addition, Farrish, a former defenseman, played 430 games in seven seasons in the NHL.

The matchup battle that is turning into a chess match in the Stanley Cup Final between Lightning coach Jon Cooper and Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville has piqued Farrish's interest to the point where he thinks it could be a determining factor in the outcome of Game 3 on Monday at United Center (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports).

A huge part of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final will be the battle between 2013 Cup winner Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks and Ben Bishop of the Tampa Bay Lightning. NHL.com scouted the goalies before the series and will track their performance each game, identifying attack trends and shot quality. Kevin Woodley, managing editor of InGoal Magazine, will use Double Blue Sports Analytics software to chart goals and shots in each game. Here are his findings from Game 2, a 4-3 victory by the Lightning.

The shot-tracking statistics matched the eye test for Game 2 on Saturday: It was a tougher game for the goaltenders, though perhaps not as hard as the final 4-3 score might indicate.

Chicago goalie Corey Crawford dealt with more traffic in Game 2, with six screened shots from Tampa Bay after they failed to record one in the series opener. Screens played a role in three of their four goals.

CHICAGO – The answers from Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook were just as expected when asked Sunday about his individual accomplishments piling up in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Seabrook’s goal at 3:38 of the third period in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena on Saturday tied it 3-3, and set a new Blackhawks record for goals by a defenseman in a playoff with seven, which moved him past Chris Chelios. It was the 19th postseason goal of his career. He's now tied with Bob Murray and Doug Wilson for first in that category.

Seabrook wasn’t aware of those numbers before sitting down with reporters at United Center and wasn’t curious where he ranked.

"I'm not here to make personal gains," Seabrook said. "We're here to win a Stanley Cup. That's what our team's focused on. We're in a great spot. It's the best time of the year. We're looking forward to coming out and playing a good game [Monday] night."

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville appears to have split up center Jonathan Toews and right wing Patrick Kane for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports) with the hope of creating more balance and scoring depth in the forward lines.

"It certainly enhances the offense when they are together," Quenneville said, "but certainly the balance is something we'll look at."

Quenneville used Kane and Toews on the same line for the first five periods against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the best-of-7 series, which is tied 1-1. They didn't produce. He separated them at the start of the third period in a 4-3 loss in Game 2 on Saturday, and on their second shift apart, Toews set up defenseman Brent Seabrook for a game-tying goal.

"Certainly I think splitting those two up gives you a little bit more freedom as far as whether it's room or something for them [the Lightning] to be concerned with," Quenneville said. "We'll see how that progresses."

TAMPA -- Matt Killorn didn't know if it was possible, if his son Alex could do both. He hoped he could, but he also worried that having him concentrate so much on getting his education would destroy his dream to play in the NHL.

"I remember having the discussions with my wife, because she's a teacher by profession, and she was really advocating strongly the school route, which was obviously the right choice," Matt Killorn said. "But there was always a piece of me thinking, 'Is this really the right path?' There were a lot of people who told us that if you choose Harvard you're kind of saying no to professional hockey, because at that time Harvard wasn't really considered a strong hockey school."

Alex Killorn figured out a way to do both. Successfully. In the most demanding environments.

He graduated Harvard University with a degree in political science and a 3.5 grade-point average in 2012. Now he's a left wing playing top-six minutes on a line with Steven Stamkos for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final, which is tied 1-1 heading into Game 3 on Monday at United Center (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports).

TAMPA -- Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper said he was never concerned about "The Triplets" line of Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, and Nikita Kucherov failing to keep up the pace they have set throughout much of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Cooper said the line could break out at any minute.

Cooper was proven right in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena on Saturday. The Triplets combined for two goals and an assist in a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Johnson scored his 13th goal in the playoffs, a team record, and Tampa Bay tied the best-of-7 series at 1-1. Game 3 will be played at the United Center on Monday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports).

"They've been outstanding from start to finish," Cooper said. "I don't think that everybody should be judged on your point totals. Correct me if I'm wrong, but [Johnson's] leading the League or darn close in scoring in the playoffs. You can't score every single night. It's really hard, unless your name's Gretzky."

TAMPA -- Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford and forward Patrick Sharp each wanted to assume some blame Saturday following a 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena.

Crawford was not happy with either of the two goals he allowed in the second period, and the Lightning scored the game-winning goal on the second of back-to-back penalties by Sharp in the third.

"It's frustrating. I felt good, but it's not good enough," Crawford said. "Especially when we get momentum, we score a big goal on the power play (to go up 2-1), and they come back with those two. We showed character again, we almost came back, we tied it. Tough bounce on their power-play goal, but it was close. We came back, it was close. I can't let that happen again."