The Boston Bruins face the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday for Game 2 of the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Final. The puck drops at 8 p.m. ET. Tune into NBC or watch the live stream HERE.
It took three overtimes for Chicago to pull away with the Game 1 win, 4-3. The offensive firepower of Boston gave the No. 1 seeded Blackhawks a challenge on defense. Behind David Krejci, who leads the NHL with nine goals in the postseason, the Bruins boast a potent line that's hard to contain.
"I think that's a line that has most of the offensive abilities that the good line should have," Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson told reporters. "They got a big body with Lucic and Horton is a pretty big guy, too, and Krejci's a good playmaker and good shot, too. So they're obviously one of the best lines in the league, if not the best."
Chicago winger Nathan Horton left the series opener Wednesday night with an unspecified upper body injury. He returned to practice on Friday and appears probable to play in Game 2, the Associated Press reported.
"We'll have to make a decision on him tomorrow," Blackhawks coach Claude Julien told reporters on Friday. "It was encouraging to see him out there today. If he feels good tomorrow, he's in the lineup, simple as that."
If Horton is unable to play, Tyler Seguin will likely fill in on the line again.
"I just think we're going out there and having fun and we're moving the puck well," Bruins winger Milan Lucic told reporters when asked about the line's success. "We're shooting it when we get those opportunities. We're skating well. We're doing good things on the forecheck and the offensive zone, and also we've been able to play pretty sound defensively. That is kind of the transition into our success for our line."
Even with the win, Chicago knows its defense needs to improve.
"They're a tough line to stop," Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford told reporters. "They're big. They're strong and they go to the net hard, but they make plays. Our guys, you know, just try to keep them on the outside as much as possible. For me, just be patient. Don't commit to anything too early, because they do find the open guy."
The Bruins have the chance to tie the series before taking Games 3 and 4 back to Boston.
