NHL

The Blackhawks' Game 1 Comeback Did Wonders for Their Stanley Cup Chances

JJ Zachariason  —  @LateRoundQB Jun 4th, 2015
Two third period goals gave Chicago a Game 1 victory. What does it do to their Cup odds?

Things were looking good for Tampa Bay. Up 1-0 heading into the third period in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, it appeared that, as long as they played their game, they'd be victorious.

They didn't. As goalie Ben Bishop said after the game, "We sat back a little too much against a really good team. … You can't sit back against a good team like that or you're going to pay."

The Lightning paid the price, dropping Game 1 after the Blackhawks scored a pair of goals in the third period. As a result, their odds of winning the Cup look like the following:

Tampa Bay Lightning win in 5: 5.95%
Tampa Bay Lightning win in 6: 11.2%
Tampa Bay Lightning win in 7: 16.69%
Tampa Bay Lightning win series: 33.84%
Chicago Blackhawks win in 4: 13.75%
Chicago Blackhawks win in 5: 17.57%
Chicago Blackhawks win in 6: 20.85%
Chicago Blackhawks win in 7: 13.99%
Chicago Blackhawks win series: 66.16%

Had the Lightning held on to win, they'd be in much better shape moving forward.

Tampa Bay Lightning win in 4: 11.2%
Tampa Bay Lightning win in 5: 20.08%
Tampa Bay Lightning win in 6: 16.36%
Tampa Bay Lightning win in 7: 16.69%
Tampa Bay Lightning win series: 64.33%
Chicago Blackhawks win in 5: 6.44%
Chicago Blackhawks win in 6: 13.79%
Chicago Blackhawks win in 7: 15.44%
Chicago Blackhawks win series: 35.67%

Tampa Bay fans better hope for a Game 2 victory, or things could get ugly.