Canadiens Highlights: Exciting Overtime Loss

For example, Juraj Slafkovsky ended up motivating the Lightning when he fought Brandon Hagel, and caught a heavy punch from his opponent midway through the second period. It was far from an ideal situation, and one the Habs should avoid going forward.

Missed Opportunity

With the game heating up in the physical department, the Canadiens had a perfect chance to establish their first lead, but veteran centre Phillip Danault failed to capitalize on a wide-open net. It should also be noted that Jake Evans is quietly having a solid series, considering his limited usage.

Trailer Park Greasiness

At the risk of being labelled a complainer, which would not be a misnomer given the tone of this article, the Lightning’s greasiness was impossible to ignore.

It’s not just that they constantly take dirty shots after the whistle, it’s also how they act like a shocked Pikachu whenever the referees call the obvious penalties.

Then there’s the diving.

And if that doesn’t lead to a powerplay goal, someone like Taylor Raddysh will blatantly dive, and then get upset if the officials do not fall for it. It’s ugly, cowardly, and deceptive hockey at its best.

On the flip side of the coin, you could argue it has led to a lot of success in the past, but you’d be hard-pressed to suggest there was any valid reason to add the extra dose of showboating to the mix on Tuesday.

Most importantly, while the Lightning focused on post-whistle roughhousing, the Canadiens focused on generating quality scoring chances.

They held an 11-4 advantage in high-danger scoring chances through 40 minutes of play, including Josh Anderson’s second goal of the series, which provided the Canadiens with a very fragile one-goal lead.

The fragility was confirmed in the third period, when Kucherov scored his first playoff goal in three years to tie the game.

Slafkovsky’s no-look pass through the middle of the ice was the catalyst to the scoring play.

Deciding Goal

As was the case in Game One, the score was tied following the end of regulation, necessitating yet another instant of playoff overtime hockey, much to everyone’s delight.

The Lightning were leaps and bounds better than the Habs to start the extra frame.

Yes, the Canadiens were quite tentative, but we’d be removing much of deserved credit from Tampa Bay by simply suggesting it was Montreal that struggled to find its rhythm.

Fortunately for the Canadiens, Jakub Dobes came up big on a few occasions, but it was not enough to stem the momentum, as the Bolts eventually emerged with the 3-2 overtime win.

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Friday, facing the Lightning at the Bell Centre. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.

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