Programming note: Coverage of the Stanley Cup Final starts Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. with NHL Live on NBC Sports Network, and continues with Game 1 between the Blackhawks and Lightning at 5 p.m. on NBC.
TAMPA, Fla. -- The NHL playoffs have been a roller coaster of excitement, punctuated by a pair of Game 7s over the weekend to decide the Stanley Cup finalists.
It'll be Tampa Bay vs. Chicago in the best-of-seven series that begins Wednesday night, with the tradition-rich Blackhawks aiming for a third title in six years.
Some might say it would be better theater or more interesting to have New York represented on the sport's biggest stage rather than one of the league's smaller markets, but don't sell the Eastern Conference champion Lightning short when it comes to hockey appeal.