Jon Cooper said after the game that he felt it was the Lightning’s worst in the series. Certainly, the fact that they allowed three breakaways didn’t please their head coach. They also passed up shot opportunities throughout the night, finishing with just 17. The biggest—and most costly—problem, however, happened in their defensive zone. More than in either of the first two games, the Lightning failed to execute clears. The second and third Montreal goals came moments after the Lightning turned the puck over in their own end.
The first half of the game was much cleaner for the Lightning, however. After yielding an early goal to Alexandre Texier off a zone entry, they tied the game with a Brayden Point power-play tally. They received two other power plays in the opening frame with a chance to grab the lead (the second of those additional chances carried into the second period), but they were unable to convert.
Still, after the unsuccessful man advantage to start the second, the Lightning grabbed control of the game. They forced the Canadiens to defend without the puck for the next several minutes. They also took a 2-1 lead. Brandon Hagel intercepted a puck in the neutral zone and countered into the Montreal end. His left-circle shot beat Jakub Dobes on the stick side at 4:47.
Penalties were assessed after the goal to Dobes and Erik Cernak, so the teams skated four-on-four for the next two minutes. Ivan Demidov got loose behind the Lightning defense for the first of the three Montreal breakaways, but Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped him.
That Demidov chance was the glorious one, but it was the only look the Canadiens got until they tied the game. Before that happened, the Lightning received their fourth power play chance of the night and had an opportunity to make it 3-1. They enjoyed a lot of possession during that power play but failed to create any dangerous looks. The Canadiens gained momentum from the kill, and less than a minute after that power play ended, they evened the score. The Lightning failed to clear their zone, and Kirby Dach scored on a right-circle screen shot.
That goal changed the complexion of the rest of the game. The Canadiens received three successive power plays of their own to close out the second period (and the final one carried into the third). Although they didn’t score on any of them, the Lightning never regained their form from the first half of the second. In the third, the Habs had two more breakaways: Cole Caufield stole the puck at the Montreal blue line for the first of those, and Josh Anderson had another one as he exited the penalty box. Vasilevskiy stopped both.
It was the third straight game requiring overtime, and like Game One, it ended quickly. The Lightning tried to pass the puck out of the defensive zone, but it was intercepted. Texier fed Lane Hutson at the right point, and Hutson slapped the puck past a screened Vasilevskiy into the top of the net at 2:09.
There’s a lot the Lightning can improve upon in Game Four on Sunday. Clean up their zone exits. Shoot the puck more (they finished with just 11 even-strength shots), and cut down on the high-danger chances against.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
- Lane Hutson — Canadiens. OT GWG.
- Andrei Vasilevskiy — Lightning. 26 saves.
- Alexandre Texier — Canadiens. Goal and assist.
