Canadiens Playoff Preview: Game 3 Will Be An “Incredible Night”

TL;DR

The Montreal Canadiens will play the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of their playoff series on Friday at 7 pm ET. This game presents a crucial opportunity for the Canadiens to gain home-ice advantage.

Key points

Canadiens and Lightning are tied 1-1 in the series
Game 3 is on Friday at 7 pm ET
Game will be held at the Bell Centre in Montreal
Winning Game 3 gives Canadiens a chance for home-ice advantage
Underdogs can improve their playoff odds with a 2-1 lead

Montreal CanadiensTampa Bay Lightning

Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

The Montreal Canadiens (1-1) will face the Tampa Bay Lightning (1-1) in Game 3 on Friday, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.

With the series returning to Montreal, the Habs will have a fantastic opportunity to gain home-ice advantage, via a little help from their friends at the Bell Centre. Of course, you have to win four games to win the series, but any time an underdog manages to gain a 2-1 advantage in a first-round series, they improve their odds of emerging victorious significantly.

And while some may have gotten the impression the Lightning have been the much better team in the first two games of the series, the numbers suggest a very interesting split.

The Lightning have done a great job controlling the shots, but the Canadiens have dominated the high-danger scoring chances at 5v5, to the tune of 18-7.

If the Canadiens can continue to focus on hockey, while somehow ignoring the constant greasy hockey offered by Tampa Bay, they should be in great shape, all things considered.

They’ll also need their first line to wake up and start producing at 5v5, which would be facilitated by keeping Nick Suzuki and Company away from Brandon Hagel’s line.

As for the defencemen, the third pairing of Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj in the playoffs, while the top four has struggled to find its rhythm. Reuniting and , while pairing Alexander Carrier with , may be the best way forward for the Canadiens and the individuals, as they’ve shown they can produce encouraging statistics with the recommended partners in the past.