Stanley Cup Final Game 2 Live Blog: Canadiens vs. Lightning

Game 2 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens is in the books.
The Lightning hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series after a 3-1 victory. Teams that win the first two games in a best-of-7 Final hold an all-time series record of 46-5 (.902).
NHL.com
Senior Director of Editorial Shawn P. Roarke was in Amalie Arena for all the sights and sounds.

10:55 p.m.

The fans are partying like it might be the last home game of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the Tampa Bay Lightning skate off the ice with a 3-1 victory against the Montreal Canadiens at Amalie Arena.
The Lightning hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 Final and only five teams have wiggled out of such a hole in the 51 times it has happened in Final history.
Montreal will have to win one of the next two games to force a return to Tampa for Game 5.
When Ondrej Palat scored off a defensive-zone turnover by Joel Edmudson to give Tampa a 3-1 lead at 15:42 the party turned deafening and didn't relent for the final four plus-minutes of game time.
It was Palat's fifth goal of the postseason and second in the Final.

"Jump Around" by House of Pain may have been an unnecessary play with three minutes left, but it took everything to a new level for the amped-up crowd, who jumped up, jumped up and down and all around. A mocking chant directed at Montreal goalie Carey Price followed and then appreciative chants of "Vasy, Vasy, Vasy!"
The Canadiens, who outshot Tampa Bay 43 to 23, can take solace in the fact that two past editions of their team are among the five to win after falling behind 0-2.
To become the sixth, the Canadiens will have to figure out a way to score goals. They have one in each of the first two games and each has been scored on a double deflection. They have yet to beat goalie Andrei Vasilveskiy clean in either game.
See you Friday in Montreal for Game 3!

10:25 p.m.

The Lightning are turning the screws defensively in the first half of the third period. Montreal, desperate for the tying goal, had one shot on goal in the first 6:09 and five in the first 10 minutes.
The Lightning crowd, used to offensive outbursts from the home team, are cheering wildly for each defensive play at this point.
Forward Artturi Lehkonen has returned for Montreal. He missed part of the second period after crashing into the boards after a penalized hit by defenseman Mikhail Sergachev.
Blake Coleman, who seems to specialize in diving goals, had a chance to make it 3-1 in the first minute of the third when he had the puck on his stick in the slot.
But, clearly, the degree of difficulty for that shot was not high enough to meet Coleman's goal-scoring criteria.
Ten minutes remain for the Canadiens to find a much-need equalizer.

10:15 p.m.

As we get ready to start the third period, Montreal is in a spot of bother.
Despite outplaying the Lightning for the majority of the second period, they trail 2-1.
If they don't find a way to come back in the third, the Canadiens will head home facing an 0-2 hole in the best-of-7 series and face incredibly long odds to win the Stanley Cup.
Teams that win each of the first two games in a best-of-7 Final hold an all-time series record of 46-5 (.902).
The cruelest part of the go-ahead goal by Blake Coleman was not that it happened with 1.1 left in the period, but that it came against Montreal's best defensive unit.
Shut-down center Philip Danault was on the ice and he had allowed five goals during 5-on-5 play this postseason. Defenseman Shea Weber, beaten by Coleman to the pass from Barclay Goodrow, is their best defenseman.
They will need something from their offensive players here in the final 20 minutes. Nick Suzuki, who has the Canadiens goal in this game, has been dangerous. He has six goals this postseason, the most in a single playoff year by a Montreal player since Rene Bourque scored eight in 2014.

10 p.m.

For the second game in a row, we enter the third period with the Lightning holding a 2-1 lead.
Forward Blake Coleman scored an incredible go-ahead goal with one second remaining by diving to beat Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber to bat home a pass by Barclay Goodrow.
It was a goal that came completely against the run of play as the Lightning struggled to generate offense all period and had two shots until a late power-play opportunity got them untracked a bit. Then Coleman took the roof off Amalie Arena with his second goal of the postseason.

Montreal is outshooting Tampa Bay 29-13.
The Lightning got the crowd going with the Simba Cam, which is pretty much the Kiss Cam, but instead of smooching, fans hold up their small children in the famous pose from "The Lion King" movie. The sequence ended with Thunder Bug, the Lightning mascot, holding up a stuffed Thunder Bug. Brilliant.
But sometimes you just need a bit of star power to get the crowd back on its feet and the Lightning had that too as actor John Travolta, sporting a shaved head, is on hand for the game. He took a moment during a stoppage in the 1-1 game to urge the crowd to "Make some noise and be the thunder!"

9:45 p.m.

Montreal has tied the game 1-1 on a goal from Nick Suzuki at 10:36. It came 33 seconds after defenseman Mikhail Sergachev was assessed a penalty for interfering with Artturi Lehkonen.
The goal came off a face-off win and was Suzuki's sixth of the postseason. Like Montreal's goal in Game 1, this shot deflected off of two Tampa Bay players before it eluded Andrei Vasilevskiy.
The crowd here is none too pleased at the moment, imploring the home team to stop hitting the snooze button and get to work.

9:30 p.m.

Forward Anthony Cirelli scored at 6:40 of the second to give the Lightning a lead 1-0 and set off a crowd that was starting to lose its enthusiasm.
Stationed at the point, Cirelli launched a shot that found its way through some heavy net-front traffic, including Tampa Bay defenseman Jan Rutta and banked in off Carey Price's blocker. Tyler Johnson and Rutta got the assists. It was Tampa Bay's eighth shot of the game.
If you want to get a crowd going, it never hurts to play "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" by The Gap Band. The song worked its magic during the first extended stoppage of the period, revving up a crowd lulled into a bit of sleep by a lack of chances for the home side, which did not have a shot on goal in the second period until a sixth-minute slap shot from defenseman Erik Cernak.
"Goosebumps" by Travis Scott produced a similar result at the next stoppage.
But, then Cirelli lit the dynamite in the best way possible.

9:15 p.m.

Montreal did so much right in the first period, but did not score.
Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has been brilliant and is continuously being serenaded by the home fans, who chant "Vasy, Vasy, Vasy!" each time he makes a big save.
The Canadiens have 93 seconds of power play remaining and would like to gain some momentum after the first 2:27 of it was disjointed and ineffective.
Perhaps the highlight of the intermission was a video-board appearance by Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, urging on the fans. "Let's do this again," he said. "Let's go for two people. Go Bolts, let's go!"
That message has this crowd ready to bring the Lightning onto the ice for the start of the second period.

9 p.m.

Montreal has to be pleased going into the first intermission, keeping the game 0-0 and limiting the chances from the high-powered Tampa Bay offense.
The Lightning had six shots on goal and the best scoring chance might have been when Nikita Kucherov snapped a shot off Carey Price's mask on the power play at 11:29.
In fact, Montreal had the better chances and likely deserved a better fate if not for Andrei Vasilevskiy, who made 13 saves, including a testing slapper from defenseman Erik Gustafsson off a face-off win by Montreal's fourth line, which has been more effective with the reinsertion of forward Joel Armia into the lineup.
Montreal will also have a power play heading into the second period. Defenseman Ryan McDonough has 1:32 remaining on the double-minor he was assessed for high-sticking Philip Danault.
No matter, though, the Amalie Arena crowd remained at a fever pitch throughout the period and roared at the effective penalty kill down the stretch, sending the team off to an ovation while "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC played.

8:35 p.m.

Game 2 has a pace the Canadiens are much more comfortable playing, even with defenseman Jeff Petry taking a penalty for tripping Brayden Point at 5:29.
Tampa Bay's highly effective power play (37.5 percent) did not manage a shot and looked disjointed.
Montreal fed off that and had three point-blank chances on the ensuing rush, but could not solve Andrei Vasilevskiy, who made the save of the game so far at 2:20 of the period when he denied a backhand attempt from Nick Suzuki.

Canadiens goalie Carey Price, who allowed five goals in Game 1 (the most he has allowed this postseason) has faced two shots and has not been overly tested.

8:20 p.m.

We're off for Game 2 with puck drop and the crowd might be louder than it was for Game 1.
Surely, an extra 5,000 fans helped, but the energy and enthusiasm was evident well before rapper Vo Williams came out to sing "Ready Set," which is a staple at Lightning games. The fans were screaming the chorus -- "Here we go, if you wit me let me know. Let's go!" -- right along with Williams as he prowled around his performance area.
By the time the players took the ice for the start of the game, it was impossible to hear the public address announcer as fans screamed "Let's Go Bolts!" Sonya Bryson-Kirksey was drowned out by the time she reached "home of the brave" at the end of "The Star-Spangled Banner." The pregame show ended with Tampa Bay Buccaneers great Mike Alstott lighting the Tesla coil.

7:50 p.m

I did not get an invite to the rooftop pool party the NHL, in partnership with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, threw before the game. Even if I went, I would have looked like a fish out of water in my suit and tie just as I did a few years ago in Las Vegas when I went straight from the Awards presentations to one of the all-night pool parties thrown by many of the hotels on The Strip.
So instead of being front row for the performance by 24kGoldn and iann dior, I'm on the 300 level at Amalie Arena, providing you with all the news and atmosphere from Game 2.

It appears forward Joel Armia is returning to the lineup after a one-game absence. Armia, a key member of the Montreal penalty kill, has eight points (five goals, three assists) in 17 postseason games. He took the line rushes during warmup, skating with Corey Perry and Eric Staal, his usual linemates.
For the Lightning, forward Mathieu Joseph appears to be replacing Alex Killorn, who sustained an undisclosed injury in Game 1. Joseph, who scored 19 points (12 goals, seven assists) in 56 regular-season games, has not played since Game 3 of the first round against the Florida Panthers on May 20. He has not scored in either of his postseason games.
Killorn is fourth on the Lightning in playoff scoring with 17 points in 19 games.

7 p.m.

Game 2 is almost here, and the signs of life are apparent around Amalie Arena after a day of on-and-off rain and thunderstorms.
More than 18,000 fans are expected to be in the building, the first full-capacity crowd of the season.
The Lightning will be without forward Alex Killorn, who sustained an undisclosed injury blocking a shot in Game 1. His replacement has not been announced.
Forward Joel Armia is expected to return to the lineup for the Canadiens after being scratched in Game 1. Armia was removed from the COVID-19 protocol list on Monday and flew to Tampa on a private jet, forward Jake Evans played in his spot. Evans had no points and one shot in 11:55 of ice time in Game 1, his first game since being injured June 2 in Game 1 against the Winnipeg Jets in the second round.
While you get ready for the start of Game 2 (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, CBC, TVAS), here is a collection of content from
NHL.com
to set the stage:
-- Creating traffic in front of goalie Lightning Andrei Vasilevskiy and taking better care of the puck are on the to-do list for the Canadiens.
Senior writer Dan Rosen explains in his 3 Keys
.
-- Tampa Bay's physical defensemen are setting the
early tone for the series, writes Rosen
.
-- Montreal forward Nick Suzuki knows that he and his
linemates have to be better in Game 2, writes Tom Gulitti
.
-- Tampa Bay forward Nikita Kucherov has put himself in elite company with his performance in each of the past two postseasons.
Columnist Nick Cotsonika puts Kucherov's brilliance in perspective
.
-- Tampa Bay defenseman Jan Rutta and NBC Sports announcer Kenny Albert were guests on the
@TheRink podcast
. Rutta discussed the Lightning's strong play in Game 1, as well as his admiration for the play of teammates Victor Hedman and Brayden Point. Albert discussed the series in depth and his experience as the lead play-by-play voice on a Final for the first time.