Lowe wins the 2013 Steinley Cup

The Lowe has claimed his seventh Steinley Cup title.

The Chicago Blackhawks have defeated the Boston Bruins in six games, giving them their second Stanley Cup Championship in three years.  They last won in 2010. That was the same year Lowe last won the Steinley.

Lowe's roster in 3013 had a healthy mix of both Blackhawks and Bruins, and in the end he won by a 39 point margin.  It was over early, but it wasn't quite was easy as the final tally might indicate.  Lowe's teams were taken to the brink of elimination several times, and with a bounce here or a different call by an official there, he would have been amongst the also-rans.

The Bruins needed come- from-behind victory against the Leafs in Round One.  They were down 4-1 with less than 10 minutes remaining in that game, but came back to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The Blackhwaks squeaked by a determined Red Wings team in Round Two, and many believe they deserved to lose that series. Yes, things could've been very different, indeed. But that's hockey, and that's the Steinley Cup.

Lowe will now accept the Steinley Cup in an official Ceremony on July 1st at Hartvich's poolside resort in Manotick, Ontario. Steinley elite and a host of others will be in attendance to congratulate the 2013 Champ and see him sip from the treasured Stein.

Congratulations, Lowe.

Blackhawks stun Bruins in Game 6 to win Stanley Cup

BOSTON -- Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland scored goals 17 seconds apart Monday as the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in dramatic fashion with an amazing 3-2 last-minute comeback victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of the final.

Milan Lucic's third-period goal had seemed to give the Bruins a 2-1 victory and a new lease of life in the final.

But with Chicago goalie Corey Crawford out for an extra attacker, Bickell tied it up at 18:44 after Jonathan Toews circled out of the corner when Boston was unable to clear the puck. With two teammates waiting for him in front of goal, Toews chose Bickell and the game was suddenly tied.

Bolland then won the Cup seconds after the puck drop, tucking in a rebound of a Johnny Oduya point shot that hit the goal-post. Bolland nipped between two defenders to redirect the puck in at 19:01 to stun the Bruins and previously raucous crowd at TD Garden.

Toews, reduced to a spectator the final minutes of Game 5, added a goal and an assist for Chicago as the Blackhawks clawed their way back into the game. The captain was the first to hoist the Cup as his teammates jumped up and down.

Crawford finished with 23 saves in the victory that marked Chicago's fifth championship and second in four years.

"That team in 2010, we didn't really know what we were doing," Toews said. "We played great hockey, and we were kind of oblivious to how good we were playing. This time around we know definitely how much work it takes and how much sacrifice it takes to get back here, and this is an unbelievable group.

"We've been through a lot together this year, and this is a sweet way to finish it off."

Added Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville: "It's always the greatest feeling in the world, so it can't be any better. So it's always a tie, and once you do it, you can't wait to do it again. The stories, the ups and downs and the process of trying to win a Cup, that's what makes it so special.

Chris Kelly had the other goal for Boston, while Tuukka Rask made 28 saves. The Bruins offence was limited by a power play that went 0-for-4 on the night.

Lucic had taken advantage of a Crawford handling error behind the goal to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead at 12:11. The bruising forward disrupted the Chicago goalie and when the puck came back in front from David Krejci in the corner, Lucic wristed it in.

The Bruins, who won the Stanley Cup in 2011, had their way with the Blackhawks in the first period, but only managed to turn that dominance into a 1-0 lead. Chicago rallied in the second to tie it up and make a contest out of it before completing the memorable comeback.

Tied 1-1 going into the third, the game was up for grabs. And the stakes were high, ratcheting up the pressure for the capacity crowd of 17,565 -- Boston's 165th straight sellout.

It made for a fast-placed third period, with both teams getting chances in what felt like overtime. A lot of hearts were in throats as pucks flew through the crease or just missed sticks.

Both goalies -- Rask for Boston and Crawford for Chicago -- were in the zone. They never really left it during a series where goals were hard to come by most nights.

Both teams endured a bumpy ride to get to Game 6. There were question marks over the health of Chicago's Toews and Boston star Patrice Bergeron. It was revealed that Toews had his bell rung in Game 5, while Bergeron had a broken rib and cartilage damage before separating his shoulder in Game 6.

Chicago's Marian Hossa, who was dealing with a back injury, and Boston's Nathan Horton were also playing hurt.

The players also had to contend with searing summer heat in the low 30s that did little for the ice. It was warmer in Beantown than Libya. A thin layer of fog was visible over the ice as the Bruins started their morning skate over some bumpy ice.

Monday matched the deepest the Stanley Cup playoffs have stretched into the summer. New Jersey capped its sweep of Detroit on June 24, 1995, in the last lockout-shortened season.

The last time the Cup was presented on Boston ice was in 1990 when John Muckler's Edmonton Oilers defeated Mike Milbury's Bruins four games to one. Craig Simpson, who was in CBC's commentary booth for the 2013 final, scored the winning goal. Milbury is a studio analyst for NBC.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was once again booed after the game. Chicago sniper Patrick Kane won the Conn Smythe award as playoff MVP.

The final, the first to feature Original Six teams since Montreal defeated the New York Rangers in 1979, did not disappoint.

There were three overtime games and plenty of drama as the speed and skill of Chicago was matched against the hard-hitting Bruins who balanced talent with truculence. But in truth, both teams had a bit of everything including clutch goaltending and a high pain threshold.

If Chicago is a sleek Porsche, Boston is a muscle car. Both have power, but one was built to give and take some more knocks.

Going into Game 6, Chicago led in shots (204-175) and goals (14-13). Boston had the edge in hits (237-176).

Chicago, with a full-season salary tab of US$79.8 million, ranked fourth in the league in payroll. Boston was eighth at $73.2.

The Blackhawks become the first team in the salary cap era to win the Cup twice.

Chicago also won the Cup in 2010, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2. Given the Hawks' recent success, it is easy to forget that the 2010 championship was the first for Chicago since 1961 -- at the time the league's longest active Stanley Cup drought.

The franchise had to shed players in the wake of that Cup run because of salary cap issues. But once again it finds itself celebrating on enemy ice, thanks to GM Stan Bowman's refreshing of the roster.

Dustin Byfuglien, Troy Brouwer, Brian Campbell, Ben Eager, Tomas Kopecky, Andrew Ladd, John Madden, Antti Niemi and Kris Versteeg all moved on after the 2010 Cup win.

Boston, meanwhile, seemed to run out of weapons in the final.

Krejci had nine goals and 12 assists in the first three rounds of the playoffs but only managed two assists in the first five games of the final. That was two more points than Brad Marchand, who led the team in scoring this season.

Tyler Seguin, fourth on the team in scoring during the season, was 11th on the team going into Monday's game with one playoff goal and six assists.

It said something that going into Game 6 defencemen had scored 17 of Boston's 63 goals (27.0 per cent), the most among all playoff clubs.

And Chicago seemed to have solved Bruins beanpole Zdeno Chara. The Bruins captain was on the ice for eight of the nine Chicago goals in the Hawks' Game 4 and 5 wins.

The game had Prime Minister Stephen Harper's attention.

"Original 6/Game 6 - fans like us can't lose," he tweeted prior to the game.

After falling victim to several Chicago fast starts, Boston came out buzzing and soon had the Hawks on their heels.

Hard work paid off for the Bruins' third line as Kelly won a faceoff in Chicago's defensive end and the Bruins kept the puck in. Seguin batted the puck down out of the air and passed over to Kelly, who snapped a shot past Crawford before the goalie could slide across the crease. Kelly's second goal of the playoffs came at 7:19.

With 4:01 remaining in the period, Chicago's Andrew Shaw went down after taking a Shawn Thornton shot to the face. That required workers to clean blood off the ice, while Shaw needed repairs of his own.

The fast-paced game was taking its toll. Jaromir Jagr played just three minutes three seconds of the first period with Rich Peverley taking his place alongside Marchand and Bergeron. Jagr returned for the second period, took one shift then headed back to the dressing room, with Seguin filling in.

The first period was all Boston, who led the shot attempts category 32-8.

The Bruins outshot Chicago 12-6 and won 17 faceoffs to the Hawks' seven. They also outhit Chicago 16-13. It could have been worse but the Blackhawks blocked 13 shots to the Bruins' one.

Still it was only 1-0 on the scoreboard. And that soon changed.

Toews tied it up at 4:24 of the second period with his third of the post-season, winning a faceoff and then -- after Michael Rozsival chipped the puck ahead -- beating Chara down the boards before swooping in to rifle a shot past Rask at 4:24.

To make matters worse, the goal came at the end of a Boston power play -- the exact second that a Shaw roughing penalty expired as the Blackhawks killed off their fourth penalty of the game.

It was Toews' second goal in his last three outings, equalling his total from his prior 22 playoff contests. For Chara, it meant he had been on the ice for nine of Chicago's last 10 goals.

But it was Chara to the rescue later in the period on a Chicago power play, clearing the puck away with Rask out of position after a pair of saves and Kane ready to stuff the rebound in.

Chicago outshot Boston 9-6 in the second period. And the Hawks were working hard to limit the Bruins chances, leading 20-4 in blocked shots after two periods.

Bergeron, clearly not 100 per cent, won three of seven faceoffs in the first 40 minutes.

Jagr was back on the bench to start the third period and returned to the ice.

The Hawks -- who also won the Cup in 1934, 1938 and 1961 -- opened the lockout-shortened season with a statement, picking up at least a point in 24 straight outings.

Colorado won 6-2 on March 8 to end the streak. Chicago had won 11 in a row and were unbeaten in regulation in 30 straight games (24-0-6) dating to last season.

Prior to the defeat at the hands of the Avalanche, the last regulation loss for the Blackhawks was a 6-1 home defeat to the Nashville Predators almost a year before.

Only the 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers (25-0-10) have enjoyed a longer unbeaten NHL run. They did it in an era before regular season overtime.

Chicago finished the regular season with 36-7-5 record to lead the league. Boston was 15 points behind, in fifth spot overall in the league.

The Blackhawks become the first Presidents' Trophy winner to win the Cup since the Red Wings did it in 2008.

The Bruins finished with a 28-14-6 record, winning just two of their last nine in an end-of-season schedule disrupted by the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings.

In the playoffs, the Chicago dispatched Minnesota (4-1), Detroit (4-3, a series they trailed 3-1) and Los Angeles (4-1).

Boston survived the Toronto Maple Leafs, barely (4-3, mounting a historic three-goal comeback in the third period of Game 7 to win in OT), the New York Rangers (4-1) and Pittsburgh (4-0).

Lowe wont' accept victory until the final buzzer sounds

Lowe has won the 2013 Steinley Cup. Congratulations, Lowe.

However, the six-time Stienley Champ won't acknowledge his seventh until the Stanley Cup Playoffs are officially over.  With a 33 point lead heading into Game 6, it seems absurd that the big man won't give two head nods and a hand gesture to his 2013 success, but there's a method to his madness.

"We all know by now that you never trash talk and you never talk about winning,"  said Lowe over beers while watching Game 4. "You'll jinx yourself."

When pressed on that logic and the inevitability of the outcome this year, Lowe wasn't having any of it.

"I don't want to jinx myself for next year." Lowe added.

With his seventh Championship, Lowe will move into a tie with Hartvich for the most Steinley Cups in history.

Of course, if he ever slips up and says something stupid, there may never be an eighth.

Bergeron misses morning skate, Julien confident he'll play

BOSTON (CP) -- Bruins centre Patrice Bergeron did not take part in the morning skate ahead of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup on Monday night. After the skate however, Bruins coach Claude Julien said Bergeron will take warmups and he's confident he'll play.

Bergeron is listed day-to-day after leaving Game 5 on Saturday night with an undisclosed injury.

Carl Soderberg took Bergeron's place between Jaromir Jagr and Brad Marchand at the skate. He also filled in for Bergeron after the Bruin went to hospital during the last game.

Bergeron's morning absence does not mean he is out for the game. The Bruins could be resting him -- or trying to keep the Blackhawks guessing.

Chicago, whose morning skate followed Boston's, leads the final three games to two. Captain Jonathan Toews was on the ice for the Hawks' skate, a good indication he will play in Game 6. He did rushes with usual linemates Bryan Bickell and Patrick Kane.

Toews left Game 5 with what coach Joel Quenneville called an upper-body injury. Quenneville said Sunday he was "optimistic" Towes could play.

The heat will literally be on both teams. The forecast high for Boston on Monday is 33 C.

There was a thin layer of fog on the ice when the Bruins started their morning skate.

Blackhawks head to Boston aiming to clinch Stanley Cup

(Sports Network) - The Chicago Blackhawks will try to clinch their second Stanley Cup since 2010 when they visit the Boston Bruins in Monday's Game 6 battle at TD Garden.

You can listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 and TSN Radio 690 and follow along on TSN.ca's GameTracker at 8pm et/5pm pt.

It's familiar territory for the Blackhawks and Bruins. When the Blackhawks won the 2010 Stanley Cup, they were up 3-2 on the Philadelphia Flyers before winning Game 6 on the road, while the Bruins were down 3-2 against the Vancouver Canucks in the 2011 Stanley Cup before winning Game 6 and Game 7.

Chicago, which ended a 49-year championship drought when it lifted the Cup three years ago, was down 2-1 to Boston in this best-of-seven series before taking Games 4 and 5 to move within one win of another title.

After winning a wild 6-5 overtime decision in Game 4 last Wednesday in Boston, the Blackhawks notched a 3-1 decision in Saturday's matchup in the Windy City. Patrick Kane scored a pair of goals in Game 5 and Corey Crawford stopped 23- of-24 shots to earn the pivotal win.

Chicago, the top seed in the West, is trying to become the first Presidents' Trophy winner to claim the Stanley Cup since Detroit beat Pittsburgh in 2008. The last time a team other than the Red Wings won the Cup after posting the league's best record in the regular season was when Colorado won it all in 2001.

Kane scored a goal in the first and second period of Game 5 and Dave Bolland wrapped up the win with an empty-netter in the final moments. Crawford, meanwhile, bounced back from a rough outing in Game 4, when he surrendered five goals on 33 shots and had to answer questions about a perceived weak glove hand.

"I think it was a big effort by everyone to come back, play defensively, block shots, sacrifice our bodies to block those pucks and quickly get on to offense," said Crawford. "Another good game, I think, moving the puck, moving our feet, and getting into the zone."

Chicago is 4-5 on the road in this postseason, but has a chance to claim the Cup away from home just like it did when it took Game 6 in Philadelphia on June 9, 2010. The Blackhawks recorded a 4-3 overtime win over the Flyers, with Kane providing the game-winner in the extra session.

Outside of Chicago having a chance to clinch the Cup, the biggest storyline heading into Game 6 involves the status of key players from both teams. Chicago captain Jonathan Toews and Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron -- the last two winners of the Selke Trophy -- both were injured in Game 5 and are game- time decisions for tonight. Patrice Bergeron did not take part in the morning skate for the Bruins but head coach Claude Julien said afterwards that he will take part in warmup and is confident he'll play. Toews meanwhile, took part in the morning skate for the Blackhawks.

Toews, who won the Selke this season, took a hit high to the back by Johnny Boychuk in the second period. He skated several more shifts in the frame before sitting out the final 20 minutes. After the game, Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville said that Toews had an upper-body injury and was hopeful he'd be ready for Game 6.

"Well, it's been a war, it's been a battle," said Quenneville. "It's every game, every shift you're fighting for every kind of shift around the ice. It's a fast paced game. You look at every minute from Game 1 to where we're at today, it's been an amazing series, and relentless hockey, and commend the guys on both teams for leaving it out on the ice."

Zdeno Chara scored the lone goal for the Bruins, who played half of the second period and all of the third without Bergeron. The forward left the game with an undisclosed injury and was taken to a local hospital for observation. He was released from the hospital on Saturday and was able to fly home with the team.
The nature of Bergeron's injury has not been disclosed, but Bruins head coach Claude Julien said he is "day-to-day."

Toews has two goals and 10 assists in these playoffs, while Bergeron has nine goals and six helpers.
Tuukka Rask turned away 29-of-31 shots in Saturday's defeat for Boston, which also won the Stanley Cup in 2011. Boston can look to its recent past for inspiration, though, as the team lost Game 5 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Vancouver to fall into a 3-2 hole, only to rally with wins in Game 6 and 7 to take home the championship.

"Well, it's pretty obvious. It's do or die," said Julien. "We've been there before, and we've done well in that situation. So we've got to, again, win the next game."

The Bruins are 8-3 on home ice in the 2013 playoffs. If they pick up a ninth win at TD Garden on Monday, then the teams will meet on Wednesday for a decisive Game 7 in Chicago.

This series marks the first time Original Six franchises have met in the Stanley Cup Finals since 1979, when Montreal defeated the New York Rangers in five games.

Boston has won five of the six postseason meetings with Chicago.

Bergeron taken to hospital as Bruins fall in Game 5

CHICAGO (CP) -- Patrice Bergeron left the arena in an ambulance. The Bruins headed home on the brink of elimination.

Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals didn't go according to plan for Boston, with Patrick Kane scoring two goals to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to a 3-1 victory and 3-2 series lead on Saturday night.

The Bruins must win at home on Monday night to force a seventh game and keep their hopes alive for a second championship in three years.

"We're going to fight," David Krejci said. "We're going to fight with everything we have and force Game 7."
It would help if they had Bergeron. But their top forward's status is in question after he was taken to a hospital in an ambulance with an undisclosed injury.

That happened after he skated gingerly off the ice after playing just two shifts in the second period, and coach Claude Julien didn't say much about it afterward.

He would not reveal how it happened or any other details. He did say Bergeron "may be in the next game," but brushed aside further questions.

"Guys, I'm not going there, so anything else but injury here," Julien said. "I'll update you when I have an update. There's nothing more. We can ask a million questions. I don't have any more information than probably you guys do right now."

The Bruins don't have much more time, either.

What they do have is a history of fighting back when they're close to being knocked out.

"We've been down this road before," Krejci said. "In past years, we've been missing some key players and other players that (were) at the top. This is the time of the year when other guys are going to step up and you know it's do-or-die for us."

They were in several tough spots in 2011, only to keep rallying on the way to the championship.

They opened the playoffs that year with back-to-back losses to Montreal but won that series in seven games. In the Stanley Cup finals, they trailed 2-0 and 3-2 before rallying to beat Vancouver for their sixth title.

This year, they nearly got knocked off in the first round after jumping out to a 3-1 series lead against Toronto. They dropped the next two games and were down three in the third period in Game 7 before rallying to win that series, and their resolve is being tested again by the Blackhawks.

"We've been there before and done well in that situation," Julien said. "Right now, our goal is to create a Game 7. And to create a Game 7, we've got to win a Game 6. We've been good at home, and we need to be good at home the next game. It's as simple as that. There's no panic. You're not going to push us away that easy."

The problem is the Bruins are facing a team that dominated like no other this season, getting off to a record start on the way to finishing with the most points in the NHL.

The Bruins got a solid performance in goal from Tuukka Rask, who had 29 saves coming off a 6-5 overtime loss, but Chicago dictated the tempo, particularly in the second period.

That changed down the stretch, even without Bergeron on the ice.

"It's kind of sad that you had to lose a guy like that to wake the team up and start battling out there," Rask said. "You're in the finals, you play 20 minutes and that's not going to be good enough to get you a hockey game. We have to realize that. Now we're going to have some new bodies, some new lines and everybody needs to put 110 per cent in and leave their hearts on the ice."

The Bruins looked like they might be building some momentum when Zdeno Chara fired a bullet from the left circle past Corey Crawford's glove to cut the deficit to one early in the third.

They nearly tied it with 2:20 left, only to have Crawford stop Jaromir Jagr after the puck careened around in front of the net, and the Blackhawks hung on from there.

Now, the Bruins are simply trying to hang on, period.

"We've been through it before, but it doesn't help to think about what happened in the past," Rask said. "We have to live in the moment. We have to be ready on Monday, get the first win. And Game 7, if that happens, it's going to be up for grabs."

Seabrook's OT winner ties series 2-2

BOSTON (CP) -- The Boston Bruins' comeback fell short this time. And suddenly the Stanley Cup final is a lot more interesting.

Brent Seabrook scored at 9:51 of overtime to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 6-5 win over the never-say-die Bruins in a wild game Wednesday night. The defenceman's shot through traffic that beat Boston goalie Tuukka Rask gives the Blackhawks, who never trailed in the game, a new lease of life.

The teams are now tied at 2-2 heading into Saturday's Game 5 in Chicago. And Boston's momentum, from two straight wins built on prickly defence, has been arrested.

"(We were) thinking we pretty much have to win one game (in Boston), so mission accomplished," said Chicago defenceman Niklas Hjalmarsson. "And we've got two days here to regroup and go back to Chicago and play in front of a big crowd back home. Hopefully we can feed off the energy in the United Center."

Added forward Patrick Sharp: "Best of three with two home games but it doesn't really mean much. Boston's been tough in their building and tough in Chicago. I don't think it matters where we play, it's going to be an even series."

The Bruins threw everything they had at the visitors in mounting a furious comeback but came up short in the third game of the series to go to overtime. Seabrook's winner was his third of the playoffs and second in overtime.

Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said he felt confident going into extra time, despite Boston's fightback.
"I still thought in the third period we didn't give up a ton even though it was a 5-5 game," he said. "We still had some composure going into the overtime. I thought the bench was where it needed to be and (we) continued to move forward.

"But certainly they got the crowd (going) and we lost the momentum a couple of times. We had a nice lead, but they pressed. Their power play helped them tonight as well. But we did a lot of good things.

"We'll look at the positives and move forward."

It was a crazy contest, crammed full of offence and momentum swings bristled with more than a little bad blood. At times, it was like a violent all-star game.

Quenneville's decision to reunite Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Bryan Bickell paid dividends. Toews and Kane each scored for the Blackhawks, with Michal Handzus, Marcus Kruger and Sharp getting the Blackhawks' other goals.

But the Bruins refused to keel over in trying to defending a seven-game playoff winning streak at home.
Patrice Bergeron scored twice and Rich Peverley, Milan Lucic and Johnny Boychuk added singles for Boston, which found itself behind the eight-ball all night. It was a roller-coaster ride for the crowd of 17,565 -- the 164th straight full house at TD Garden -- as the Bruins trailed 3-1 and 4-2.

Chicago outshot Boston 41-28 after regulation time and 47-33 overall.

"We opened up and scored goals. But we gave them some goals," said Bruins coach Claude Julien. "Our whole team was average tonight ... They were better than we were."

Julien cited poor decision-making and sloppy puck movement in what he termed "a tough outing."
What kind of night was it for Boston? Hulking captain Zdeno Chara had two assists but was minus-3.

The Toews-Kane-Bickell line combined for two goals and three assists and was plus-7. Bickell and Kane both had assists on the winning goal.

"We knew it was going to be a tough series and an even series," said Bergeron, who finished at minus-2 despite his two goals. "That's where we're at. We never said it was going to be easy. They're a great team out there and so are we."

Tied 1-1 after 20 minutes, Chicago pulled ahead by outscoring the Bruins 3-2 in a frenetic second period that saw five goals in 10:49 and three in 2:39.

The five second-period goals matched the combined total of Games 2 and 3. And Chicago's three-goal production for the period was one more than the Pittsburgh Penguins managed to put past Rask in four games.

Trailing 4-3 to open the third period, Bergeron pulled the Bruins even at 2:05 with a wrist shot on the glove side that Corey Crawford might want back. Jaromir Jagr, in his 200th NHL playoff game, drew the assist on Bergeron's ninth goal of the post-season after some dogged possession in the Chicago end.

The Bruins are no strangers to comebacks. Boston trailed 4-1 with 11 minutes to go in Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, only to make history by winning 5-4 in OT to become the first NHL team to win a Game 7 after trailing by three goals in the third period.

Sharp put Chicago ahead 5-4 on the power play at 11:19 just six seconds after Boston survived a brief two-man disadvantage. Sharp stuffed the puck in from close range with Jagr trying to race back in the play from the penalty box, which still had David Krejci in it.

Boston remarkably answered back with Boychuk's slapshot just 55 seconds later knotting the score at 5-5 before Seabrook ended it in overtime to give Chicago a win it desperately needed.

Teams have trailed 3-1 in a best-of-seven a total of 229 times and have come back to win the series on 20 occasions or 8.7 per cent of the time. But the only team to do it in a Stanley Cup final was the 1942 Maple Leafs, who famously rallied to beat the Detroit Red Wings.

Chicago came out with purpose in the first period and Rask had to stop Marian Hossa, back in the lineup after missing Game 3 due to an upper-body injury, from point-blank range early on. By the five-minute mark, Chicago had outshot Boston 5-0. A penalty to the Blackhawks' Johnny Oduya seemed like a reprieve but a short-handed 2-on-1 rush with Handzus and Brandon Saad put Chicago ahead at 6:48.

Tyler Seguin lost the puck to Saad near the blue-line, allowing the penalty killing duo to take off.
The goal, the first short-handed effort of Handzus' 95-game playoff career, ended Rask's shutout streak at 129:14 and the Bruins' home shutout string at 193:16.

But Boston began to show signs that it was digging itself out of the hole. A Krejci chance at the side of the net just missed when the puck bounced over his stick and several other passes also just missed their targets in front of the Chicago net.

Peverley then tied it up in the dying seconds of a power play. It was a typical sequence by the Bruins, the product of hard work. Andrew Ference made a nice play at the blue-line to keep the puck in and when Saad couldn't clear the puck, Peverley swooped in and rifled a wrist shot past a surprised Crawford on the glove side at 14:43.

It was Peverley's first goal since Game 3 of the first-round series against the Maple Leafs.

As the first period wound down, the Bruins were moving their feet and creating chances. Outshot 7-1 earlier in the period, Boston finished with nine shots to Chicago's 12 and had a shot ring post after one.

It was a tight second period until Toews, with his first point of the series, tipped in a Michal Rozsival point shot at 6:33 to make it 2-1 past a screened Rask. It was just Toews' second of the playoffs and his first goal since May 25.
Less than two minutes later, Kane scooped a backhand for his seventh of the playoffs into a near empty net at 8:41.
Julien called a timeout in a bid to staunch the flow of goals and it seemed to work as Lucic pulled one back with his sixth at 14:43, stuffing in a backhand of a Chara rebound after some fierce Boston forechecking.

But Kruger ended the celebrations 49 seconds later, tucking a shot home after a nice setup by Michael Frolik. Kruger appeared to have outdeked himself, but pulled the puck back as it went past the post and stuffed it in.

Boston got the crowd going again at 17:22 on the power play, cutting the deficit to 4-3 with an opportunistic Bergeron goal. A booming Chara shot came off the glass behind Crawford's goal and bounced right in front of the crease where Bergeron banged it on.

An action-packed second period ended with Chris Kelly hitting the post and Crawford stopping Jagr from close range. Chicago outshot Boston 13-11 in the period.

Badly beaten in the faceoff circle last time out, Chicago held a 25-20 edge in faceoffs after two periods in Game 4. The Bruins led 35-33 after three periods.

Coming into Wednesday's game, the Bruins had won seven straight at home, outscoring their opponents 21-10.

Prior to Game 4, the Bruins were 11-2 in their last 13 games, with both losses coming in overtime. They had outscored opponents 40-21 in that span.