5 NHL Questions: Stanley Cup Final rematch in Chicago, Semin answering concerns

A daily feature which asks the five biggest questions about today’s NHL action. Will they be answered? (That doesn’t count as one of the five questions.)

by Patrick Iversen

Jan 19, 2014, 5:16 PM UTC

Jared Wickerham

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NHL Sunday: Blackhawks win another thriller against Boston

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1. Can Boston avenge its Stanley Cup loss?

It's the first meeting of the 2013 Stanley Cup finalists on Sunday when the Bruins visit Chicago. Both teams are coming off big wins. For Boston, it's a chance to get even with the team that beat them for the Cup. For Chicago, the game presents an opportunity to remind the league why it won in the first place.

“There’s going to be that history there,” Toews said Saturday. “I think it’s fresh in their memory and it’s definitely fresh in ours, that we still want to prove we’re the defending Stanley Cup champions. I think there’s a lot of respect between both teams, considering the way that series was played, but [this] is a game that we want to win ... probably more than any other game throughout the season.”

2. Can Alex Semin keep answering the bell?

A day after his general manager called him out, Semin went out and scored twice for the Hurricanes on Saturday. Granted, they weren't exactly the kind of gritty goals Jim Rutherford was looking for, but they were goals. Can he get some momentum going on Sunday?

3. Does Tampa Bay have anything left in the tank?

The Lightning travel to Carolina less than a day after dropping a 5-4 decision at home to San Jose. With Victor Hedman out with an injury it will be interesting to see how the Bolts rebound on Sunday.

4. Can King Henrik keep Alex Ovechkin out of the net?

As unstoppable as Ovi has been this season, Henrik Lundqvist has been just as hot over the last two weeks with a 6-2-1 record. Keeping Ovechkin contained will take a team effort, but Lundqvist has the skills to shut the door when the time comes.

5. Will Jason Chimera and Joel Ward remain apart?

The two Capitals forwards had played together for 48 consecutive games before coach Adam Oates split them up in a 5-1 loss on Friday. Oates further tinkered with the lineup by putting Ovechkin and Niklas Backstrom together again. What combinations will the Caps feature on Sunday, and will they be effective?