The Stanley Cup Finals feature two teams with top-end talent. The Tampa Bay Lightning have an elite player in Steven Stamkos, who has rediscovered his regular season form that saw him score a second overall mark of 43 goals to overcome a slow start to the postseason by netting in four goals and amassing seven points against the New York Rangers in the third round.

At the other end, there's the Chicago Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews, whose recent play has merited comparisons to legendary hockey greats Mark Messier and Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman.

The Lightning's top six, with Alex Killorn, Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Nikita Kucherov, can hang with just about anybody on the planet. The question coming into this finals series is if their bottom group can do just enough for them to overcome the more balanced four-line attack of the Hawks. As noted by Sports Illustrated, the offense of the Lightning's bottom group has only managed one out of Tampa Bay's 21 most recent goals.

Chicago, for their part, has made their depth one of their most important weapons this postseason. Forwards Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp and Andrew Shaw have been regular contributors, while Brad Richards and Brandon Saad made meaningful contributions in the series against the Anaheim Ducks. Add the experience advantage that Chicago has over Tampa Bay, and it's clear who the favorite should be coming into the matchup on Wednesday.

But as much as the Hawks can focus on the Lightning's top six, they should understand there's a reason that group has dragged the Lightning to this point, at least offensively. The balance between their top two lines presented multiple problems for the Rangers in the previous series, and defending that would prove to be vital for Chicago's chances.

The Stanley Cup Finals begins on Wednesday, June 3. You can catch the action via live streaming here.