Stanley Cup Final 2013: Blackhawks take Game 1 in Triple OT

Despite ending well past midnight on the east coast, people stuck with Game 1 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final in large numbers.

The game -- which Andrew Shaw of Chicago ended in the third overtime -- drew a 4.8 overnight, the best for a Stanley Cup Final Game 1 since 1997 when the Flyers and Red Wings drew a 5.2 on Fox. It was also up 100 percent from last year’s meekly rated overtime Game 1 between Los Angeles and New Jersey (2.3). Based on past audiences, you can expect a number between six and seven million for the thriller between the Bruins and Blackhawks.

Let’s take a look at the major areas we were watching in Game 1:

Game 2 of the series is on Saturday in Chicago.

The Blackhawks had a chance to tie the game midway through the period when they had a 5-on-3 power play, but a strong penalty kill from the Bruins limited Chicago’s chances and preserved Boston’s lead.

The Blackhawks led in shots, 24-17, at the second intermission.

(h/t to Tim Thompson for the video)

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Depth is a trait shared by the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks that will be on display in the 2013 Stanley Cup Final. Both teams have a wealth of talent in their forward groups that will allow the head coaches flexibility when choosing their groupings.

When looking at Boston, Claude Julien has only had to make minor alterations to his top-six. Pairing Jaromir Jagr with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand while moving Tyler Seguin onto a line with Chris Kelly and Daniel Paille was one change. Following Gregory Campbell’s broken leg, Julien moved Kelly onto the ‘Merlot Line’ with Rich Peverley and Shawn Thornton while inserting Kaspars Daugavins onto the Seguin and Paille line.

Chicago should get more physicality out of Bollig, and that appears to be Quenneville’s reasoning for going with Bollig instead of Stalberg. Bollig has played just three playoff games this season, with all three coming in the first round against Minnesota. As a result, he hasn’t played since May 5, but he did total 11 hits in those three games despite minimal minutes, showing the kind of physicality that the Blackhawks will hope for in Game 1.

“All year long, whether the situation or the team, I think [Bollig’s] pretty smart on knowing what he brings to our team, and to the table,” Quenneville said. “We want him to play hard, smart, within the whistles, bring that element.”

Much of the talk leading up to the start of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final has centered around how complete a team the Chicago Blackhawks are, or just how magical Tuukka Rask has been this season and in the postseason. It’s true that this is perhaps one of the more intriguing Cup Final we’ve had in quite some time, and almost assuredly will be much more entertaining that last summer’s Kings and Devils farce.

It’s true that Rask is having one of the best postseasons in recent memory for a goaltender, putting up an astounding .943 save percentage with the Bruins having lost just four games on their way to the Cup Final. It’s also true that against the high-powered Blackhawks, who were so obviously the best team in the NHL throughout the regular season, the Bruins will have one heck of a challenge ahead of them even after dominating the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference finals.