Stanley Cup Final: The Lightning is one win away from sweeping the Habs for their second cup in a row!
Montreal, Canada - The Tampa Bay Lightning are on the cusp of sweeping out the Montreal Canadiens after winning Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
It was all Tampa again on Friday night, as the Lightning overpowered the Canadiens 6-3 on their home ice, with the NHL’s top prize now in sight. The defending cup champions haven’t missed a beat during this series, whether back home in Florida or north of the border.
Monday's Game 4 is now Montreal last, desperate chance to keep hope alive, although the chances look slim to none in truth.
The Lightning got right to business from the moment the puck dropped on Friday. Jan Rutta (30) and Victor Hedman set the tone early with two goals in the opening minutes. The second period was no different, with another pair of quick scores, this time by Nikita Kucherov and Tyler Johnson.
For every two goals that the Lightning racked up, the Habs could only muster one goal in each period, from Phillip Danault and Nick Suzuki, respectively.
Late in the third, Tyler Johnson netted his second goal of the game to definitely put things away for Tampa. Montreal had a tiny bit left in them, but Corey Perry's score was swiftly answered by Blake Coleman’s goal to cap off a dominant affair by the Lightning. Tampa goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy had an off night by his standards, allowing three goals from 35 shots faced, but it mattered little in the end.
The Canadiens finally look powerless against a formidable foe that won't be intimidated by their physical approach.
The Canadiens have just one more chance to avoid the sweep
The three-game hole is deeper than anything Montreal has faced during these playoffs. There’s no two ways about it: the Canadiens must win on Monday to prevent the Lightning from raising the cup on their ice.
"We don’t have a choice... our backs are obviously against the wall, so we’ll have to start bringing our best," Montreal goalie Carey Price explained in his postgame comments to ESPN.
Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals – possibly the last one – is on Monday night.
Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press