In a series that has included many painful ways to lose for both teams, the extra day since Sunday night’s game was definitely an advantage for the Canadiens to reset leading up to Wednesday’s Game 5. This contest in Tampa Bay promised more of what has been the best of the first-round series in the NHL so far. Hard hits, hatred between the two clubs, and extremely close games, with three of four having gone to overtime so far. Could the Habs rebound to hold a third lead in the series, or would the winds finally turn in favour of the veteran-filled Lightning?
Coach Martin St. Louis opted for some important line-up changes heading into the pivotal game, as Brendan Gallagher made his series debut while Oliver Kapanen was left to the sidelines after being rather invisible in the first four games. That decision paid off in spades as Gallagher made his influence felt early and often throughout the game as Montreal was able to pull away with a 3-2 win that earned them the same lead in games in the series.
Habs Lineup
Cole Caufield — Nick Suzuki — Josh Anderson
Juraj Slafkovsky — Jake Evans — Ivan Demidov
Zach Bolduc — Kirby Dach — Alexandre Texier
Alex Newhook — Phillip Danault — Brendan Gallagher
Mike Matheson — Kaiden Guhle
Lane Hutson — Alexandre Carrier
Arber Xhekaj — Jayden Struble
Jakub Dobes
10 Thoughts
1) The first few minutes of the game were nervous, with the crowd being subdued and both teams were playing to not make the first mistake. Only one player would have none of it as Gallagher provided vintage Gallagher energy on his first shift. After Newhook missed the net on a shot, he continued to the net and attracted the defenders’ attention. The rebound off the boards went by all three players and Gallagher was able to put home the greasy rebound on the game’s first shot for the game’s first goal.
2) Both teams really looked out of sync on their man advantages in the opening period. The Habs got one early after Gallagher’s goal, but they were unable to create much on a four-minute chance. When Evans later took a delay-of-game penalty (puck over glass), Suzuki got the best offensive chance of the sequence. Definite advantage for the penalty killers early. The final two minutes of the period were played at 4-on-4 after Gourde and Guhle held onto each other and ended up in the box. The game slowed to a near stop in that sequence. Strange energy throughout the period. Tampa ended the period up 7-6 on the shot clock after a stronger second half.
3) The second period did not start on the right foot for the Habs as they fumbled pucks all over the ice, leading to a Hutson delay-of-game penalty (puck over glass again!). The Habs once again managed to kill it despite Anderson getting his stick ripped out of his hands by a Lightning player and Evans breaking his stick later in the sequence. Xhekaj then got a reputation call as a scrum broke out, and he was somehow pulled out of it. If Erik Cernak was called as tightly as Xhekaj, Tampa would spend most of the game on the penalty kill. Evans got the best chance of the next Tampa power play as he got a breakaway, but Vasilevskiy came up huge.
4) After two Tampa power plays and some missed calls against the Lightning, Brayden Point got caught with his stick high and blatantly smacked Hutson in the face. Despite Hutson’s bleeding, the play carried on and Tampa got a two-on-one where Dobes lost his net a bit and Dominic James made him pay with a nice short-side shot to tie the game. The lead would be short-lived as a strong play in the neutral zone by Bolduc sent Dach into the Lightning zone with forward coverage. Dach drove the net and kicked the puck across the crease to find himself with a nice EA Sports-type goal and 11 seconds after the James goal, the Habs were right back in front.
5) Anderson was playing a strong game on the Suzuki line where he didn’t worry about the puck too much and concentrated on driving his body into Tampa defenders to create space for his linemates. He was sprung to start the second half of the period and Vasilevskiy intercepted, causing Anderson to spray him to avoid smashing him. Still, he was lucky not to get a penalty the way the rest of the series has been called.
6) The Canadiens were controlling the pace of play for much of the second half. One shift with 2:30 to play was so bad that Tampa went off on a terrible line change. The Habs were left on a five-on-three. Unfortunately, that sequence ended with a terrible play from Matheson. Matheson opted for a shot that went way wide on the far side. The result was that the puck went around, sending Tampa off on a two-on-one. Jake Guentzel went five-hole to beat Dobes and tie the game. Tampa was ahead 23-18 in shots after two periods.
7) The opening minute of the third period was a spectacle as Dobes completely missed a point shot with traffic. He got lucky though, as the puck hit the post and then Nikita Kucherov fanned on the open-net rebound. Play went the other way as Hutson once again showed out as he faked everyone to the right before hitting Texier with a pass on the left side. Texier came in and shot far side. Vasilevskiy got most of the puck with his glove, but not enough as it squeaked through him for another Montreal lead only 66 seconds into the period.
8) After the goal, the Lightning really pushed hard, and it felt as though the Habs were really not being aggressive enough. 18 minutes is way too much time left to be sitting on the lead. The Canadiens did not sit on it for that entire time, but Tampa controlled the pace for sure. Montreal did an excellent job keeping them to the outside and dumping pucks instead of taking risks. It really was a defensive clinic in that they defended without necessarily sitting on their advantage.
9) Danault or Dobes won’t get stars in this game but their play all night long could have easily gotten them there if not for other noteworthy efforts. Danault played the final 3:31 of the game to secure the win. Dobes was calm, cool, and collected when the game was on the line. Incredible to see.
10) Tampa got the last 11 shots as they pulled Vasilevskiy for the last 2:30 and even took their timeout to get their guys some rest. The Habs had been dominant (75%) on faceoffs all night, but lost four of five at the end which made a tough situation even tougher. Slafkovsky won some huge battles even if his decisions with the puck afterwards weren’t all great. After the game, Tampa threw a series of cross-checks in what was the least surprising temper tantrum in the history of the NHL.
HabsWorld Habs 3 Stars
1st Star – Zach Bolduc
I have to admit that I wasn’t a big fan of regular season Bolduc. Complete 180 for him since Game 2 as he’s been a huge impact and influence by making a ton of little plays to get Dach and Texier the puck in advantageous positions. It was another Bolduc play in the neutral zone that got the lead back 11 seconds after a rather deflating goal tied the game. That was a dangerous sequence for the Habs and Bolduc would have none of it.
Stats: 1 assist, +2, 3 hits, 13:26 T.O.I.
2nd Star – Jake Evans
Evans started the game on the second line as a defensive consciousness with Slafkovsky and Demidov. He won important battles there in addition to important faceoffs. He brought the two kids into the battle, and then he moved back down and was a stabilizing force to defensively secure the win in the late stages of the game. It was, in my mind, his best effort of the series by a mile.
Stats: 85% faceoffs, 3 shots, 2 hits, 15:14 T.O.I.
3rd Star – Brendan Gallagher
He barely played, scored a goal, and was a key contributor. It was a notable time on ice for Gallagher as he did very Gallagher things in being physical, being defensively responsible, and scoring important goals while bringing others into the fight.
Stats: 1 goal, +1, 1 shot, 3 hits, 6:48 T.O.I.