First period
- Two early icings by the Lightning and they’re already diving trying to draw a call on the race to the puck. I expect that to be a theme of this game.
- A very nice cycling shift for the usual top line of Juraj Slafkovskš, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield to create a scoring chance.
- Darren Raddysh wins up a slapshot that hits Jakub Dobeš in the mask, but it falls right into his pads where he can freeze it.
- Dobeš gives the puck away behind the net, but Yanni Gourde sends the puck through the crease while trying to spin around ton his backhand.
- Caufield goes in a two-on-one with Slafkovský and hits the post.
- On the next trip into the offensive zone, Caufield tries to complete a tic-tac-toe to Slafkovský but his pass gets tipped away by Anthony Cirelli. That line looks strong to start.
- Now it’s Jake Guentzel’s turn to hit the post.
- This is the most open the series has been, just back-and-forth action.
- A long offensive-zone shift for the Lightning results when Mike Matheson’s stick breaks in the corner, but the Canadiens survive the situation.
- Ivan Demidov puts in work to win the puck a couple of times in the defensive zone, and ends his shift with a setup of a point-blank chance for Jake Evans.
- Texier gets a shot from 12 feet as the puck gets left in the slot, but Vasilevskiy makes a kick save.
- Gallagher spends a shift bashing in the offensive zone, and a “Gally!” chant breaks out at the Bell Centre.
- Momentum shifts to Montreal following that broken-stick sequence, and the Habs have come close to netting the opening goal.
- Another point-blank shot denied by Vasilevskiy.
- Then Demidov shoots on a two-on-one, with a another stop from the Lightning goaltender.
- With 12 seconds left in the period, Jake Guentzel shoves Kaiden Guhle in the face and follows up with his stick. This will be a power play for Montreal that will likely carry into the second period.
- It looked like they were in position on one more chance in the dying seconds, but Slafkovský tried to made a pass from a place 10 feet in front of the net.
- Jon Cooper yells at the ref, “Call both!” as he goes off the ice, lobbying for taking a stick in the face to be a penalty I guess.
- The Lightning had nine shots to the Canadiens 7, but Vasilevskiy was the best player on the ice in that period. The score could be about 5-2 Montreal if each team had converted the best scoring chances they had.
Second period
- A couple of early looks on the power play, but nothing after that, despite some good entries.
- Caufield gets shots on back-to-back shifts as he trails the play, but hasn’t gotten one to go yet. It feels like just a matter of time now.
- Phillip Danault just pulled the puck off the goal line to keep his team from going down 1-0. A critical play from the veteran.
- Alexandre Texier hooks J.J. Moser around the neck, and the Lightning will go on their first power play of the night.
- The Habs survive another broken stick from Evans at the top of the zone as Nikita Kucherov misplays a pass to Raddysh and the puck goes out to the neutral zone.
- Not much at all for the Lightning on the power play. The defence held strong.
- A couple more odd-man rushes for Montreal, but again they can’t make the final connection.
- Hutson very calmly breaks up a two-on-one by corralling the attempts cross-ice pass and turns the play the other way.
- Another two-on-one, Zachary Bolduc and Kirby Dach, another Vasilevskiy save.
- The Lightning ice the puck. The linesman waves it off … after it crossed the goal line. The crowd isn’t happy, and shouldn’t be.
- Another odd-man rush materializes for Montreal. This time Danault tries to take it to the net, but Charle-Edouard D’Astous lays a two-handed slash on him as he gets in close. It’s another Montreal power play.
- The puck comes across to Demidov who gets all of the shot, but it’s just a few inches too low and into the lunging pad of Vasilevskiy, who then snags the follow-up out of the air.
- Again, Vasilevskiy was the best player in the second period heaving to deal with a handful of two-on-ones, Dobeš’s steadiness has been making the Lightning look less dangerous than they’ve actually been, though Danault’s goal-line stop was the most critical defensive play of all.
Third period
- Alex Newhook gets a shot from the low slot after a hard-working entry from Gallagher. Another Vasilevskiy save, another “Gally!” chant.
- Texier collects an errant Lightning pass in the neutral on goes in on what must be the 10th two-on-one of the game for Montreal. The shot goes off the post.
- Hutson knocks down a puck in the offensive zone and sets up Slafkovský, who flings the puck well wide of the net.
- Guhle bobbles the puck as he tries to keep the pressure on and has Guentzel get behind him. Guhle is called for slashing on the breakaway, and will serve the penalty after Dobeš denied the breakaway chance.
- Kucherov fires a shot off the post.
- Guentzel hits the other post moments later.
- Montreal is just trying to survive the pressure that has been on since the Guhle penalty.
- Demidov goes one-on-five and just sends his backhand wide.
- Dobeš makes a save and it looks like the puck is sitting there for Moser to shove in, but his stick is checked and Dobeš pounces on the puck.
- A bit of a melee ensues after Dobeš was bumped. Struble and Moser will go to the box to set up a two-minute stretch of four-on-four.
- D’Astous tips a puck from a netfront position, and Dobeš loses it in his pads for just a second.
- Demidov dances around his man and goes in for a chance on Vasilevskiy. He gets twisted by a hook as he goes across the net and contacts Vasilevskiy. It’s not the hook that’s called, but goalie interference on Demidov. A ludicrous call.
- Dobeš smothers the puck a second after the penalty expired, and the Canadiens return to full strength.
- No goals through regulation, and we’ll see overtime for a fourth time in this series.
Overtime
- I like how aggressive Montreal is being. Lots of pucks toward Vasilevskiy looking to leave one sitting at the top of the crease.
- The puck has been in the Canadiens’ zone for several shifts now as they can’t make a controlled exit.
- Alexandre Carrier gets tripped behind the Montreal net by Kucherov, and the potential change in possession leads to a penalty call. Montreal can win the series on this power play.
- Vasilevskiy denies a shot from the high slot by Hutson.
- It was the only shot Montreal managed.
- Suzuki fumbles the puck in his feet and lets Kucherov get in alone after coming out of the box, but Dobeš is there to make the stop.
- Kirby Dach gets ridden out to the neutral zone as he attempts to check the man at the point, and for the second time in the series, the Lightning get an overtime win on a pick play on Dach.
- The Canadiens are unable to take care of business on home ice, and now they will play a Game 7 in Tampa on Sunday. The winner travels to Buffalo to play the Sabres in Round 2.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) An excellent defensive play by the veteran
2) He’ll be ready for Game 7
1) Just too bad the Canadiens were on the wrong side of the result
