Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford had yielded a first-period goal Wednesday to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Alex Killorn, but nothing else as Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final moved past the midway point of the third period.
The problem was his counterpart, Ben Bishop of the Lightning, was working on a second consecutive shutout after blanking the New York Rangers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.
As the Lightning continued to carry their 1-0 lead deeper into the game, it became obvious that another goal against Crawford would all but seal the Blackhawks fate.