Lightning strikes the same place twice Montreal struck down twice in Stanley Cup Finals

BY MARCEL MARIAK

Although Toronto hockey fans aren’t usually too enthusiastic about the Montreal Canadiens playing well, Canadian hockey fanatics are excited about the possibility of the Stanley Cup returning to its home city. At least they were until Montreal’s less-than-stellar performance on the ice put them into a losing position in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Montreal Canadiens went into the final series of the playoffs as considerable favourites against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

After the Habs won their Conference Finals series 4-2, the nighttime streets of Montreal were alive with celebrating fans. They were ecstatic to see their team appearing in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1993 when they won the cup. The festivities got so out of hand that Montreal police had to disperse crowds of fans with tear gas after they began flipping cars and participating in various other forms of mischief.

Canadian hockey fans from coast to coast hoping that the Stanley Cup would finally return to its home country after nearly three decades away. Unfortunately, the dreams of Canadian fans are all but lost with Montreal falling behind in the series after two disappointing losses.

At this point, you might be wondering: how did the oldest team in the NHL manage to get stomped twice in a row by a team from Florida? We don’t know the exact strategies and secret techniques behind their spectacular downward spiral, but here’s the breakdown of Games 1 and 2.

Game 1

Game 1 of the finals was played at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida. The Lightning quickly capitalized upon their “home field” advantage by scoring a first-period goal that would set the tone for the remainder of the game.

In the second period, Habs goalie, Carey Price made several valiant efforts to prevent the rival from scoring. He blocked a handful of close-range shots and even saved a near-certain goal with an excellent glove save. Unfortunately, the Lightning forced a second goal after less than five minutes of second-period action to double their lead and make Montreal’s job much harder. The Canadiens managed to score a goal to keep themselves in the game when Ben Chiarot tipped in his teammate’s slap shot by the Lightning’s goalkeeper.

Despite Montreal’s goal, they were unable to build any momentum in the game as the Lightning regained their two-goal lead only two minutes into the third period. From there, the remainder of the game was a downward slope for Montreal as Tampa Bay tacked on two more goals to win the game 5-1.

Game 2

With Game 2 also played in Florida, the Tampa Bay crowd was looking forward to seeing their team extend their lead against the visitors. Despite being away from home for the second game in a row, the Habs were still high in spirit and motivation. This time, Montreal was able to prevent Tampa Bay from scoring in the first period and the puck switched hands often as both teams tussled for possession.

The second period was a different story. After the intermission, the Lightning took control of the game and opened the scoring midway through the period. This time, Montreal came back to score a goal and tie up the game only a few minutes later. With the score equal and the clock winding down, it was anyone’s game. That’s when Blake Coleman of the Lightning scored an incredible buzzer-beater goal with only 0.3 seconds left in the period to put his team ahead as the second period came to a close.

In the third period, the disheartened Montreal Canadiens made a few attempts on goal but were ultimately unable to add any points to their scorecard. The Tampa Bay Lightning took advantage of the momentum they had built in the second period to score one more point and end the game with a score of 3-1. Going into Game 3, Montreal now has a looming task of coming back from a two-game series deficit.

There is good news though, Montreal can technically still come back to win the cup. After all, they did it against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the Playoffs; coming back from a 3-1 deficit to steal the series in Game 7 (although we don’t like to talk about that here in Toronto). There is still hope on the horizon, but the Canadiens have a steep climb ahead of them if they are to reign victorious and raise the Stanley Cup.