FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, June 6th, 2015

2015 STANLEY CUP FINAL NOTES & QUOTES – CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS VS. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Game 2

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 6, 2015 – NBC Sports Group began its exclusive coverage of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final tonight on NBC between the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning immediately following its presentation of American Pharoah’s victory in the Belmont Stakes, which made him the first horse in 37 years to win the Triple Crown.

Three-time Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick and Emmy Award-winning Inside-the-Glass analyst Pierre McGuire had the call from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., for Game 2 tonight, in which the Lightning defeated the Blackhawks, 4-3.

NBC Sports NHL analyst Eddie Olczyk did not call the game due to his participation in NBC Sports’ coverage of the Belmont Stakes. Intermission coverage was hosted Liam McHugh, and analysts Mike Milbury and Keith Jones.

This is NBC Sports’ 10th consecutive year presenting the Stanley Cup Final.

Game 2 on NBC (approx. 7:25 p.m. ET)

First Period

McGuire on game’s first goal, Lightning 1-0: “Cedric Paquette, known more for his defense than his offense, he just rifles that one by Corey Crawford…What a play by Paquette.”

Emrick on Ryan Callahan returning from appendectomy surgery earlier in the playoffs: “Now this guy had stiches, he had black and blue, came back after two games, and played the same hitting game that he always had. I don’t understand (how he can do that).”

Emrick on Blackhawks: “It seems like there has been a lot of circle-to-circle passing for the Blackhawks just to get things moving.”

First Intermission

McHugh on 21-year-old Paquette: “Earlier today we saw the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. For some perspective, that’s almost two Cedric Paquettes ago.”

Jones on Lightning lineup changes: “The chemistry has been much better throughout the Tampa Bay Lightning’s top four lines (tonight).”

Milbury on poor play and limited minutes of Blackhawks defensemen Kyle Cumiskey and David Rundblad: “You can see why Joel (Quenneville) is nervous putting these guys out there, and there’s good reason to be.”

Second Period

Emrick: “The animosity still evident down there, Pierre?”

McGuire: “It’s getting more and more as we go along here. You can just feel it and you can hear it.”

Emrick on changes to some statistics: “Change does happen. This is the state of the hanging chad.”

McGuire on game’s second goal, first by Blackhawks: “That’s just a great job of manufacturing offense by the Chicago Blackhawks. Andrew Shaw is one of the super-pests down low.”

McGuire on game’s third goal, 2-1 Blackhawks: “Teuvo Teravainen plays give-and-go with Marian Hossa, knows how to create space, the ultimate form of deception…that is a spectacular power play goal by the young sniper.”

McGuire on game’s fourth goal, 2-2, by Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov: “That’s a bang-bang play…right off the stick and fools Corey Crawford to tie this game up. That’s the response Tampa needed.”

Emrick: “End-to-end action here…Isn’t this great?”

McGuire on Tyler Johnson’s goal to make score 3-2 in favor of Lightning: “We talked about the importance of this line. They’re making a difference here in Game 2…That’s a very stoppable puck. He’s (Corey Crawford) got to make that save. It’s a routine play.”

Second Intermission

McHugh: “On a Triple Crown Saturday the Triplets responded with a pair of goals.”

Milbury on Corey Crawford: “He’s not been good. He’s been shaky from the beginning of this game.”

Third Period

McGuire on Brent Seabrook’s goal to tie game 3-3: “Ben Bishop’s not happy. He thinks he got bumped…Joel Quenneville, the chess match you talk about, he put (Marian) Hossa on the line, took (Patrick) Kane off, makes a difference.”

McGuire on Jason Garrison’s goal to give Tampa a 4-3 lead: “Garrison shoots it right off (Andrew) Desjardins stick and that’s what fools Corey Crawford.”

Emrick: “What do you think so far? Enough scoring?”

McGuire on Tampa: “It’s becoming a hockey market — big time.”

Emrick in final seconds: “The series is going to be even!”

Post-Game

Emrick on 20-year-old Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy: “The kid from Ufa (Russia) gets his first Stanley Cup victory in relief.”

 

–NBC SPORTS GROUP —