TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – And to think, Teuvo Teravainen and Antoine Vermette were healthy scratches for the Chicago Blackhawks less than two weeks ago.
In the Stanley Cup Final opener, those two complementary forwards took starring roles for the Blackhawks when they roared from behind to stun the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The 20-year-old Teravainen scored the tying goal and set up Vermette’s winner by forcing a turnover from the shaken Lightning, and Chicago finished off a 2-1 victory Wednesday night after going scoreless for the first 53 minutes.
Perhaps most telling about Chicago’s 13th victory of the postseason was that the Blackhawks didn’t rely on Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane, who have combined for 19 goals this spring.
Instead, they got clutch goals from Teravainen and Vermette, who were both benched at home for Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against Anaheim.