Lightning vs Blackhawks

TAMPA -- The Chicago Blackhawks are apparently looking for redemption.

They are also looking to take a stranglehold on the Stanley Cup Final.

Despite leading the best-of-7 series 1-0 after stealing Game 1 with two late goals in less than two minutes, Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is looking forward to having an opportunity to make up for what he felt was a poor performance when the puck is dropped Saturday for Game 2 (7:15 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

"We definitely have energy, we got excitement," Toews said when asked about the Blackhawks looking loose in the morning skate. "We're eager to redeem ourselves and play better in Game 2. I think we're kind of embracing the pressure now, whereas I think in Game 1 there's always that sense of not knowing what to expect from another team and a team that you haven't seen much."

TAMPA - Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin could be inserted in the lineup for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks at Amalie Arena on Saturday (7:15 p.m., ET, NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

The Blackhawks won Game 1 on Wednesday, 2-1, and have a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Drouin, the third pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, had four goals and 28 assists in 70 games during the regular season. He has played in three games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and has no points with a minus-4 rating. Drouin hasn't played since Game 4 in the second round against the Montreal Canadiens on May 7.

"I'm in for warm-ups, and we'll see from there," Drouin said. "It's exciting. I watched the first game and it was high tempo, and I expect it will be an exciting game [Saturday]."

TAMPA -- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk may play at some point in the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but it likely won't be in Game 2 at Amalie Arena on Saturday (7:15 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville opened the door to using van Riemsdyk in Game 2 when he spoke Thursday, but a day later he appeared to be content with his defense.

"I think he's available," Quenneville said of van Riemsdyk. "I think we'll probably keep the same group on the back end."

That would mean David Rundblad and Kyle Cumiskey stay in the lineup; they combined to play 12:23 in Chicago's 2-1 win in Game 1.

TAMPA – Chicago Blackhawks rookie defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk could play in Game 2 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday (7:15 p.m. ET; CBC, NBC, TVA Sports), coach Joel Quenneville said Thursday.

If so, van Riemsdyk will play his first NHL game since Nov. 16 when he fractured his left patella blocking a shot in a 6-2 win against the Dallas Stars. He will also make his Stanley Cup Playoff debut on the biggest stage.

What gives Quenneville the confidence to put him right into the spotlight as the team’s fifth or sixth defenseman?

"Probably the way he shocked us, surprised us, when he first came in at [training] camp this year, [and] how well he played for us when he started the season," Quenneville said. "You can look at him a lot of nights, [and] he's out there against top players. He was out there late in periods. He was killing plays, making plays, reliable. He played, surprisingly, to a different level than we anticipated he could get to."

TAMPA -- Lost in the late comeback by the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday was Tampa Bay Lightning forward Alex Killorn's fantastic goal, a likely candidate for best of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Killorn was stationed to the left of Chicago goalie Corey Crawford as Valtteri Filppula won a race to a dump-in and fed the puck to the point, where defenseman Anton Stralman was waiting.

Stralman launched a bit of a knuckler that was going wide; that is, until Killorn violently jabbed his stick down and got the shaft on the wobbling puck to send it past a caught-off-guard Crawford at 4:31 into the game for a 1-0 Tampa Bay lead.

"I mean, you don't expect to score on those shots, but I was just trying to sort of hit it toward the net," Killorn said. "Not something you practice, but lucky it went in."

TAMPA -- The past few days have been a blur for Chicago Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg, who replaced Bryan Bickell for Game 1 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Wednesday, two days after he became a father for the first time.

Versteeg didn't have a point in 9:32 of ice time. He skated primarily at left wing on the second in Bickell's spot.

Chicago scored twice in the third period for a 2-1 win. Game 2 will be played Saturday at Amalie Arena (7:15 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, co-chair of the Congressional Hockey Caucus, joined with three fellow members of Congress from Illinois on Wednesday to wager home-state goods in a Stanley Cup bet against three congressmen from Florida. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi helped finalize the bet with a "puck drop" in the morning, hours before the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks faced off in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final an Amalie Arena.

Also taking part in in the wager are Illinois Reps. Randy Hultgren, Danny Davis and Rodney Davis, as well as Florida Reps. Dennis A. Ross, David Jolly and Gus Bilirakis.

TAMPA -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Bryan Bickell will not play in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday at Amalie Arena.

Blackhawks assistant coach Mike Kitchen said on NHL Network that Bickell was out for precautionary reasons and that forward Kris Versteeg would replace him in the lineup.

TAMPA -- The Stanley Cup Final can be an overwhelming experience, even if you've been through it before.

Compared to what Chicago Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg has just experienced, however, it should be a breeze.

Versteeg arrived in Tampa to join his teammates Tuesday after flying to Toronto on Monday to be with his wife, Brittany, as she gave birth to the couple's first child, a son, Jaxson James Versteeg.

"It's been a whirlwind," Versteeg said. "I said in hockey I've been able and fortunate to be a part of some great things, but nothing really compares to the birth of your child. It's been exciting and intoxicating, but now it's about getting ready for hockey."

TAMPA -- It won't happen in Game 1 at Amalie Arena on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports), but it seems likely Chicago Blackhawks rookie defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk will play at some point in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

If so, the younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk will make his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut on the NHL's biggest stage.

"Not playing today, but he's real close," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said after Chicago's morning skate. "We asked could he play today. He's sitting there. He's that close. We expect a very good chance he's going to be in the series."