CANADIENS
Montreal

2-6

LIGHTNING
Tampa Bay

Game Report

The Canadiens had almost a carbon copy start to Game 2. Once again they dominated the Lightning for the first 13 minutes of the first period. But in this game, Jeff Petry scored his first of the playoffs to give Montreal a rare first period lead just over seven minutes in.

Again, special teams would play a part in changing the momentum of the game. After the Canadiens killed off a double minor by Brandon Prust, P.K. Subban took a bad penalty, crosschecking Ryan Callahan in the back. Valtteri Filppula scored on the ensuing power-play with just 24 seconds left in the period to tie the game.

For Tampa coach Jon Cooper, Filppula’s goal was the turning point saying, “They were carrying the play clearly in the first period, and for them to walk into their dressing room and they have nothing to show for it, I thought that was a momentum swinger for us. I thought we took the game over after that.”

He is right. The game was tied to start the second period but, as I said to my seatmate, it felt like the Canadiens were trailing. When Montreal went on their second power-play of the period just over four minutes in, I made a rather dramatic declaration (that even surprised myself) saying, ‘This is the series.’

The penalty expired, the Habs did not score.

91 seconds later, number 91 scored his first goal of the playoffs. Tom Gilbert failed to get the puck deep in the Tampa zone during a line change and Jason Garrison hit a streaking Steven Stamkos with a perfect pass. Stamkos made the kind of high-skill deke that only an elite player can make.

Simlarly, the Lightning power-play was well-designed and executed the way only highly-skilled players can.  And Jon Cooper used four forwards on a 4-on-3 advantage.

The Tampa Bay power-play added two more goals in the second period and it was over.  The game, not the series.

The Lightning scored six goals in the game and they were so well consummated that Carey Price didn’t have a chance on any of them.

But the Habs are in a hole, a deep one. They not only lost the first two games of the series, they did so at the Bell Centre, their sanctuary.  It was one of the intangibles in the check box.

Montreal now must win four of the next five games, against a team that they have not beaten in seven tries this season.  The coach is seemingly out of answers. And the offensive production just isn’t there.

Enter Brandon Prust. Did he just take one for the team? Prust is undoubtedly going to be fined by the League for the hand grenade he tossed in his post-game comments.

Full text of Brandon Prust's comments on referee Brad Watson #GoHabsGo #TBLightning #NHL pic.twitter.com/6Rco5pyVaF

— All Habs (@AllHabs) May 4, 2015

Since Prust made his remarks, little else has been talked about. Not the fact that the Lightning power-play scored four times and the Canadiens did not with the man advantage. We are not talking about the fact that Tom Gilbert was on the ice for four goals against. Nor are we talking about the fact that Jon Cooper is thrashing Michel Therrien in the coaching duel.

The NHL is already investigating the incident. Prust will be fined and we won’t know what happened to Watson. No doubt there will be carry-over from the officiating union for games or years to come. Prust lifted the veil knowing full well the consequences.  Maybe it was a desperate attempt to deflect attention. But at this point, the Canadiens don’t have a lengthy list of options.

▲     Jeff Petry, Torrey Mitchell, Tomas Plekanec, Alexei Emelin

▼     Tom Gilbert, P.K. Subban, Alex Galchenyuk, Michel Therrien

1.  Steven Stamkos  TBL
2.  Nikita Kucherov  TBL
3.  Alex Killorn  TBL

• “We had the kind of start we wanted. It was practically perfect, we were following our game plan to the letter. But a lack of discipline late in the first period cost us the game, it’s as simple as that.”

P.K. Subban

• “If you eliminate the power-play goals, we’re the better team out there. I think we have to find a way to capitalize on their mistakes. They turned the puck over so many times today, and last game as well, and we’ve got to find a way to finish.”
• “They showed us why they scored the most goals in the league this year. We know we’ve got to clean that undisciplined stuff up if we’re going to have an opportunity to dig ourselves out of this hole now.”

Max Pacioretty

• “There’s no holding back now. We’ve got to empty the tank every shift, every night from this point forward. They’re too good of a team to sit back on our heels against for even one more period. As the series goes on now, we’ve got to play the right way – play hard for 60 minutes like we did through the first 20 tonight.”
• “We’ve got two days to figure it out now. Two days to get better, get in the right mindset, and get the right attitude to come back.”
• “I’m thinking we pissed the game away. Great start, our building, got the fans into it, go up 1-0, we pissed the game away.”

Lightning forward Alex Killorn

• “I think any time a team goes up like that and fans start walking out, it’s embarrassing. We expect a lot out of them (Wednesday).”

Lightning coach Jon Cooper

• “There was a lot of movement, we made smart decisions and we shot the puck hard. When you’re making tape-to-tape passes, you give yourself a better chance. There was no goal bigger than Filppula’s. They were carrying the play clearly in the first period, and for them to walk into their dressing room and they have nothing to show for it, I thought that was a momentum swinger for us. I thought we took the game over after that.”
• “I don’t know if it was more relief for me that [Steven Stamkos] scored or the power play scored. So it was kind of a whole combination of Alka-Seltzer.”