10 Thoughts: Lightning Even Series After WWE-like Effort

Tuesday night saw game two of the Habs-Lightning series with the Canadiens looking to continue an excellent season on the road and return to Montreal with a decisive two-game lead. Despite having a few players that could be classified as passengers in Game 1, Montreal decided not to change a winning lineup. For the Lightning, they opted to dress Scott Sabourin, so their intentions were clear before the game even started.

It was a long and tedious game to watch as the Lightning gooned it up after every whistle. The game settled in the third period as Tampa Bay tied the game and both teams did not want to take the penalty that would cost their team. The Lightning dominated the overtime as they outshot the Habs 9-0 and eventually scored on a terrible sequence for Kirby Dach, who deserves to be watching the next game. 

Habs Lineup

Cole Caufield — Nick Suzuki — Juraj Slafkovsky
Alexandre Texier — Alex Newhook — Ivan Demidov
Zach Bolduc – Oliver Kapanen – Kirby Dach
Jake Evans – Phillip Danault — Josh Anderson   

Mike Matheson – Kaiden Guhle
Lane Hutson — Alexandre Carrier
Arber Xhekaj – Jayden Struble 

Jakub Dobes 

10 Thoughts

1) As the second game of the series got underway, it was clear that the April 9th clown show in Montreal was the strategy being utilized by the Lightning on this night. While I understand losing the plot of a regular season game to send a message to a younger team and try to get into their head, I don’t understand doing it in a series while trailing. The Lightning were not playing hockey, and they were lucky that NHL officials refuse to call the game as it is played, instead opting for the usual “game management” idiocy. In the end, the Habs got two power plays to the Lightning’s one and a 12-6 shot advantage in the opening period. 

2) The first period pace of play went the way of the Habs as they came out stronger and got the first six shots on goal. Newhook set up Texier for the best chance of the period that was stopped. Their only goal was another power play marker as the Lightning were covering the slot pass to Slafkovsky. This allowed Hutson to release a one-timer from the point. It was not a very hard shot, but the muffin found its way through a crowd that included Vasilevskiy to tie the game with under four minutes to play in the period. 

3) The Lightning got the game’s first goal when Guhle lost his stick. This gave Brandon Hagel too much space as he was able to put a clapper through four bodies that were screening Dobes to open the game’s scoring. Somehow, with their disgraceful behaviour, Tampa Bay still got away with mugging the Canadiens after every whistle and ended up with the game’s first advantage. They didn’t score, but it got them some momentum.  

4) The second period started much the same way as the first. The Habs were set to start on the power play, but Xhekaj was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty as the teams returned to the ice. Montreal was dangerous on the 4-on-4 but couldn’t gain the lead. On the ice, Demidov sent a cross-ice pass to Slafkovsky for the best chance of the 4-on-4 sequence before the Lightning took a run at Dobes after the whistle. After one such whistle, Slafkovsky had had enough of the antics of Hagel and dropped the gloves although he really didn’t get the best of that exchange.  

5) Tampa was still not playing hockey, just looking for scrums after every whistle. The play that simmered everything was when Slafkovsky decided he was fighting Hagel. Slafkovsky got the first three or four shots before Hagel got him to open up and then dropped him with one punch. Slafkovsky got right back up and went back at Hagel, but the fight was over. But the fight involving two of the better players in the series appeared to calm both teams a bit. 

6) With 11 minutes to play, Nikita Kucherov took a giant dive that the officials fell for as Guhle was called for hooking. The Habs killed the advantage, but the Lightning took the momentum as they carried the play for a while, ending the period with an 11-9 shot advantage. No goals allowed by Dobes during the second period left the Lightning needing to play hockey in the third period if they didn’t want to be facing a two-game deficit heading to Montreal. 

7) The Habs got a lead with 1:24 to play when Danault, Evans, and Anderson went to work on a cycle. The cycle ended when Evans got some time and brought the puck toward the net from the back of it. The puck bounced around Danault who was able to get just enough of a handle on it to tap it to the front where Anderson flipped it over Vasilevskiy. Montreal would then be gifted a power play with only 40 seconds to play when Ryan McDonagh coughed up the puck and decided that the best way to make up for it was by punching Caufield in the head. 

8) The third period started with the Habs on the man advantage for a little over a minute. With the Habs set up and looking dangerous, a Tampa defender pushed Slafkovsky into the post to dislodge the net. With the score tight and the importance of the game, the overall temperature of the game lowered significantly in the first five minutes of the third. The best chance of the sequence came off the stick of J.J. Moser after the Habs backed up and gave Hagel way too much space. Hagel came in and went cross-ice to Moser who had an empty net but hit the post. 

9) Demidov took a penalty with 13 minutes to play as his stick got caught in a Tampa player’s skate. This one wasn’t a dive, but the Habs were able to kill the sequence and continued to play with a lead. However, Kucherov would later tie it with 7:27 to play when Slafkovsky failed to clear the zone. Suzuki scrambled to cover Hagel, but the rebound caught Dobes looking the other way and Kucherov was able to tuck away a wraparound to tie the game. With 2:15 to play, a dangerous check from behind by Sabourin on Anderson sent the Habs to another man advantage. It would have been fitting for the Habs to finish the game, but the only real chance came off the stick of Hutson who rang a shot off the post, sending the game to overtime for a second straight game. 

10) The Habs were leaky in the first five minutes of overtime but were bailed out by some huge saves by Dobes. The Lightning were all over the Habs, outshooting them 9-0. Dach was guilty of lobbing a puck for icing when he had all the time and space to gain the line. On the faceoff, Dach clearly was interfered with by Kucherov and Struble was asleep (why in the world is Struble even on the ice?) and allowed the 2-on-1 on Dach. That gave Moser too much time and space as he skated in and ended the game with an awesome shot to the top of the net. 

HabsWorld Habs 3 Stars

1st Star – Lane Hutson 

Hutson’s been the Habs’ best player through two games as he remains available to make good plays on both sides of the puck despite the nature of the series not necessarily being his cup of tea. If he can keep shooting on the power play, he’ll also force Tampa Bay to cover him and open some passing lanes. 

Stats: 1 goal, -1, 6 shots, 32:00 T.O.I. 

2nd Star – Jakub Dobes 

Dobes made a few huge saves throughout the game, but he kept the Habs in the game way longer than they deserved in overtime. 

Stats: 31 saves on 34 shots, 2.47 GAA, .912 save %, 72:48 T.O.I. 

3rd Star – Josh Anderson 

What a first two games played for Anderson as he appears to already be solidly entrenched inside the heads of many Tampa Bay players. One would even say he’s in the head of Jon Cooper who made lineup changes just to counter Anderson’s powerful Game 1 performance.  

Stats: 1 goal, +1, 4 shots, 5 hits, 17:21 T.O.I.