Rolling into Tampa to complete the second half of their back-to-back on Sunday, the Montreal Canadiens were looking to execute the elusive Florida sweep. Having beaten the Florida Panthers on Saturday, the Tampa Bay Lightning stood in their way of what could be a really intriguing start coming out of the holiday break. The Habs played yet another strong overall game, and got their sweep with a convincing 5-2 win before they head west for the remainder of their road trip.
And they’ve provided more than just two for the win column since returning, they look like a much improved hockey club.
This game wasn’t without adversity. The officials were letting a fair bit go for Tampa, particularly with the Habs leading in the third period. As shown above, Joel Armia had to fight through blatant interference to give them the two-goal lead, and they never looked back. Heading into their holiday break it seemed like they were a touch too reliant on their power play, but they earned this win completely through their five-on-five play.
A wildly important development is that they don’t go into their shell with a lead anymore. Despite leading last night’s entire third period by one or two goals, they out-possessed, outshot, out-chanced, and outscored the Lightning. They kept their foot on the gas in a way they simply didn’t during the first 30-games or so of the year. This ability to close games is hopefully more than an anomaly, because they’ve done it twice in a row now, and having that killer instinct will serve them well on the other side of the rebuild.
There is reason for optimism, and not just due to these two very strong games in a row, but even going back four games or so prior to their holiday break. They’ve pulled themselves out of the basement, now sitting just five points out of a wildcard spot, and have done so without requiring their goaltenders to commit grand larceny. It is important to be realistic, and not get too excited about them creeping up on the wildcard picture, but there’s no denying that they look like much more of a threat than they did early on in the season.
Management’s desire to be “in the mix” this season may be coming to fruition. I don’t think anyone is suddenly hoping for the playoffs, but being just a couple of wins out of the playoff picture must qualify as being “in the mix.”
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be back on Tuesday night, as the road trip will continue for the Habs in Nevada to take on the Vegas Golden Knights.
