This was the Montreal Canadiens’ best game in the series so far, and they were deserving of the victory.
There are ways to look at Game Five that may obscure that fact. It was another close, one-goal contest. The Lightning hit a couple of posts, and they applied heavy pressure during the six-on-five in the final minutes and came close to tying the score a third time.
But for the majority of the night, the Canadiens were the quicker, more determined team that executed at a higher level. That much was evident on Montreal’s opening goal, which came just three minutes into the game. Alex Newhook entered the offensive zone and fired a shot from the slot that went wide of the net and caromed back in front. Newhook won the race to the puck and angled to the crease. That led to a goalmouth scramble, and Brendan Gallagher (making his series debut) jumped on the loose puck and popped it in.
The goal set the tone for Game Five, a contest in which the Canadiens led nearly wire to wire. That’s because after each Lightning goal, the Habs answered quickly to regain the lead. After Dominic James tied the game at one with a two-on-one tally at 6:49 of the second, the Habs made it 2-1 just eleven seconds later. Kirby Dach made a power move to the front of the Lightning net, and after Andrei Vasilevskiy used his stick to poke check the puck, Dach kicked it back to his stick and stuffed it in.
The Canadiens had several strong stretches in the game, and one of them came in the closing minutes of the second period. They enjoyed several long, extended shifts in the offensive zone, and the Lightning struggled to complete line changes. At one point, Oliver Bjorkstrand got stuck on the ice for over two minutes. But after a Mike Matheson shot missed the net, Jake Guentzel was able to counter up the right wing. Bjorkstrand, at the end of that lengthy shift, managed to join Guentzel on the rush, creating another two-on-one. From almost the same spot where James shot the puck, Guentzel snapped a shot through the pads of Jakub Dobes with 2:37 left in the second.
Based on how the first two periods unfolded, the Lightning were fortunate to be tied after 40 minutes. They started the third period well, however, and almost grabbed the lead. A Darren Raddysh shot hit the post, and the rebound skipped off Nikita Kucherov’s stick when it appeared he had an open net. Soon after, both sides completed a line change, but the Lightning were a bit slow in executing theirs. Lane Hutson wired a long outlet to Alexandre Texier, who was able to skate to the left circle before Emil Lilleberg (coming off the bench) could get in the shooting lane. Texier cranked a slapshot off Vasilevskiy’s glove and in at 1:06.
The Habs have surrendered third-period leads in the series in three different games, but they effectively locked things down in Game Five. Until the closing minutes, they protected the front of the net, cleared pucks efficiently, and cycled in the offensive zone to work the clock. The Lightning did generate several good looks after pulling Vasilevskiy for a sixth attacker—they posted 10 shots on net and had 15 attempts. But Dobes stopped all 10, making several difficult saves to preserve the lead and seal the win.
The Canadiens have won the three odd-numbered games in the series so far, and the Lightning have twice answered with victories in the even-numbered contests. They’ll need to do it again on Friday in Game Six to extend the series to a seventh game.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
- Jakub Dobes — Canadiens. 38 saves.
- Kirby Dach — Canadiens. Goal.
- Dominic James — Lightning. First NHL playoff goal (and point).
