Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final is upon us as the Boston Bruins visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.
This playoff series is rife with storylines, including the return of Boston winger Jaromir Jagr to the finals. The former Penguin won the Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992 but has not been to finals since.
"It is a long time ago, but it was such an important series and such an important playoffs for me because we won. I remember almost everything," Jagr said. "That first game we were down 4-1 halfway through the game and I thought we didn't have much of a chance. They played very good hockey. They forechecked very well and we were making a lot of mistakes. Then all of a sudden with five minutes left, we were down one and I was lucky I scored a very good-looking goal and then Mario [Lemieux] won it with I think 10 or 15 seconds left. Even though it was the first game, I thought it was a key game."
The Bruins feel confident in their chances. The team has won 10 of its last 11, including a four game sweep against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"We have a lot of depth," said Boston center David Krejci, who leads the NHL postseason scoring race with nine goals and 21 points. "The organization did a pretty good job. It's hard for the other teams to stop our team because there's my line, [Patrice] Bergeron's line, the third line. The fourth line is playing pretty good hockey in the playoffs as well. It's tough for the other teams, but we have to bring our A game every single night."
The Blackhawks have also been potent of late. After falling behind 3-1 in the series against the Detroit, the team has won seven of eight; Chicago defeated the defending Champion Los Angeles Kings in five games.
Prediction: Boston wins the opener 4-1.
Start Time: 8 PM EST
TV: NBC, CBC, RDS
Watch Live Stream HERE.
Follow Live Score HERE.
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