from Scott Burnside of ESPN,

With the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning set to face off in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals Wednesday night in Florida, there are a plethora of storylines to explore:

Experience

It’s not that the Blackhawks are exactly old (their average age is 28.9) but they are certainly wise in the ways of long playoff runs. This is their third trip to the finals in six years. They have won the Cup in each of their previous two appearances. Since 2009, the Blackhawks -- whose core remains basically the same -- have advanced at least to the conference finals five times, including the past three seasons. In short, they get it.

The Lightning? It’s not that they’re fresh-faced kids, but the start time in the finals is likely to be past bedtime for a handful of the youthful Lightning players. OK, just kidding. But the Bolts do have an average age of 26.2 and rely heavily on younger players with little playoff experience compared to those on Chicago’s roster. Since the Lightning won the Cup in 2004, this year marks the franchise's first return trip to the Cup finals, and just its second trip to the conference finals (the previous appearance was in 2011). Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman are the only players on that 2011 squad still with the team, so that experience won't likely be much of a factor. Does it matter? Did it matter that the New York Rangers never lose at home in Game 7? Not to the Lightning. But the finals are another beast, so the veteran steel that helped Chicago come back from a 3-2 series deficit in the Western Conference finals may give them an edge over the Bolts.

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