The Boston Bruins face the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday for Game 5 of the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Final. The puck drops at 8 p.m. ET. Tune into NBC or watch the live stream here.
The series is tied 2-2. Bruins coach Claude Julien and Blackhawks coach Quenneville both have made adjustments to their teams throughout the series, according to the Associated Press. A line change by Julien in Game 2 helped his team to a win; changes by Quenneville helped the Blackhawks to a victory in Game 4.
"They've got a role to play, just like we do as players," Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp told reporters. "Ultimately it's going to be decided on the ice, but our coaching staff, the Bruins as well, they have a lot to say with what goes on."
Even NHL coaches not involved in the Final are enjoying the back-and-forth tinkering Julien and Quenneville are doing in the tight series.
"What has been fun to watch is, neither guy is hoping for chemistry to develop," St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock told reporters. "They're not sitting on a combination. They're moving guys around to try to find something and their proactive approaches have been one of the great things about the series."
Chicago took the win Wednesday night in overtime, 6-5. Quenneville's decision prior to Game 4 to put captain Jonathan Toews back on the same line as Patrick Kane proved to work: Toews scored a goal, and Kane had a goal and an assist.
The players trust their coach and the decisions he makes.
"I think he's always been the same guy," Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith told reporters. "I think you always know what you're going to get with him and I think that's probably the biggest thing for us, why we have success. He's level-headed, brings that even-keel attitude to the team."
