Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning: Stanley Cup Finals

With the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 1-0 victory over the New York Islanders on June 25, they are officially set to face the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Finals. The final round of the NHL’s arduous playoffs will begin on Monday, June 28 at 8:00 pm EST and will follow the same best-of-seven setup as the other rounds.

While this was not the matchup most hockey fans expected for the finals, both teams have proven their talents and their determination to win. So, will the defending champion Lightning repeat their cup win? Or will the Canadiens pull off an underdog victory? Let’s take a look at some of the key storylines in the matchup.

Dynamic Goalscorers

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Each of the two teams has standout players when it comes to goalscoring in this year’s playoffs. The Lightning’s Brayden Point recorded a nine-game goal streak and a total of 14 playoff goals. He was able to break through the skilled Islanders’ defense with ease and score even when he was covered. No other players on the Tampa Bay team have reached the same level of goalscoring success as Point, but Steven Stamkos, Yanni Gourde, Ondrej Palat and Anthony Cirelli have all had scoring success in recent games.

For the Canadiens, rookie Cole Caufield has been a key goal scorer. He recorded four goals in the series against the Golden Knights, each demonstrating his speed and shooting abilities. Caufield’s linemates Tyler Toffoli and Nick Suzuki are also important goal scorers for the Canadiens. Jesperi Kotkaniemi is another important player for the Canadiens in terms of offensive production.

The scoring ability of each of the teams is prevalent in the games they have played so far in the playoffs.  While both teams draw goals from across their lineup, certain players on each team have been crucial in scoring goals and will continue to be important in the finals. Creative plays and confident shooting are key aspects for each team in getting past the strong defense and goaltending that will be present in the series.

Defensive Strengths

The Tampa Bay Lightning have a strong defensive core led by Victor Hedman. Tampa defensemen tend to play an aggressive and physical game, forcing their opponents out of prime scoring spaces. Big hits, quick breakouts and involvement from forwards are all important. The Lightning also have a respectable penalty kill.

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Montreal engages an aggressive defensive strategy. Forcing turnovers and intercepting passes are key to defense for the Canadiens. Efforts from Jeff Petry and Joel Edmunson have been crucial to protecting Carey Price and limiting opponents’ chances. Montreal’s penalty kill also did not allow a goal in their series against Vegas. Another aspect of defense for Montreal has been their defensive faceoff wins. Phillip Danault has been exceptional in winning defensive faceoffs, taking around 24 per game and winning around 54% of them.

Goaltending

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Goaltenders Carey Price and Andrei Vasilevskiy have been phenomenal this postseason. Without these two in net, it is fair to say that neither the Canadiens nor the Lightning would be headed to the finals.

Over 18 playoff games, Vasilevskiy has recorded a 0.936% save percentage and a 1.99 goals-against-average on 559 shots. Against the Islanders, Vasilevskiy faced 182 shots and stopped all but 11. He also recorded two shutouts, one in game five and one in game seven. The game seven shutout was his fourth series-clinching shutout in a row, which is an NHL record.

In 17 playoff games, Price has recorded a 0.934% save percentage and a 2.02 goals-against-average on 530 shots. In the series against the Golden Knights, Price faced 193 shots and stopped all but 13. While Price did not record a shutout against Vegas, he did record one in game two of the second round against Winnipeg.

Both Andrei Vasilevskiy and Carey Price have looked confident in their netminding abilities. This confidence and focus will be essential to their respective teams when they face off in the finals. While both the Lightning and Canadiens have scoring ability, the goaltending on each team is sure to be just as impressive.