Vasilevskiy Stars As Lightning Take 2-0 Series Lead Over Canadiens

Coming off of a dominant 5-1 win to open the Stanley Cup Final, the Tampa Bay Lightning expected a better game from the Montreal Canadiens in Game 2. They got that and more, with Andrei Vasilevskiy making 42 saves in a 3-1 win.

Game Flow

Period 1:

Heading into this game, the Canadiens were vocal about how they needed to play better hockey. From the opening faceoff, they looked to have more jump. They got shots on net and hunted down rebounds. A bad line change by the Lightning sent Nick Suzuki in on a breakaway but Vasilevskiy shut the door to keep things scoreless.

Nearly five and a half minutes in, Brayden Point made some moves and drew a penalty on Jeff Petry. That gave Tampa Bay the game’s first power play. They did nothing but play catch with each other on that opportunity, resulting in no shots on net. In fact, their three chances with a man advantage might have produced five shots total.

Two and a half minutes later, Steven Stamkos got free on a partial breakaway. However, a slash by Paul Byron disrupted the shot enough to prevent a goal. It resulted in a penalty though, giving the Bolts another opportunity with the power play. They got set up and had a couple of good chances, but Canadiens netminder Carey Price made the saves.

With the period winding down, Byron and Erik Cernak got the sticks up on one another behind the play. Both men were sent to the penalty box, resulting in 4-on-4 hockey. Five seconds in, Ryan McDonagh was assessed a double minor for high sticking Phillip Danault. The Lightning penalty kill stood tall, making sure the puck stayed out of the dangerous areas.

Period 2:

Beginning the middle frame, the Canadiens had all kinds of momentum. They still had 1:32 of power play time and had their eyes set on opening the scoring. Vasilevskiy had other ideas though, making a few top notch saves to keep things scoreless. That didn’t deter Montreal, as they held a 16-2 shot advantage through the first 15 minutes of the second period.

Unfortunately for them, the Lightning scored on their second shot of the period. Hard work along the boards by Anthony Cirelli, Jan Rutta and Tyler Johnson ended with Cirelli’s shot from far out beating Price to make it 1-0.

About four minutes later, Mikhail Sergachev sent Artturi Lehkonen hard into the boards and was whistled for interference. That gave Montreal their third power play. 33 seconds into the opportunity, they cashed in. Suzuki shot the puck on net and surprised Vasilevskiy, tying the score at one apiece.

Towards the end of the period, the Lightning picked up the pace. They got another power play, with Joel Armia being penalized for high sticking Blake Coleman. Off that opportunity, they generated the final five shots of the period. That included a diving goal from Coleman in the dying seconds to make it 2-1.

Period 3:

Entering the final period with a lead, the Lightning had to balance playing hard and playing smart. They came out with more energy than the first 40 minutes combined and got a few good looks. Price made the saves, keeping his team within striking distance.

The Canadiens came back with a push of their own, trying to tie the score. The Bolts defense made it tough to get separation though and Vasilevskiy shut the door when needed.

In the final five minutes, a miscommunication between Joel Edmundson and Petry behind the net gave Ondrej Palat a golden opportunity. He didn’t miss, grabbing the loose puck and tucking it inside the left post. That made it 3-1.

Game Notes

*Blake Coleman’s game winning goal was his first in 19 games. He last scored in Game 1 of the Lightning’s first round series against the Florida Panthers.

*Andrei Vasilevskiy’s 42 saves were more than he had to make in the last two games combined. He made 18 in a Game 7 shutout of the New York Islanders and 19 in the Game 1 win.

*Mathieu Joseph played his first game since the Panthers series, filling in for the injured Alex Killorn. Killorn is listed as day-to-day for the remainder of this series.

*The Lightning won without getting any points out of their big three in Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point.

Next Up

The Lightning look to keep the momentum as they travel to Montreal for the next two games. Game 3 is set for Friday night, July 2, at 8 PM EST. It will be televised on NBC.