Game 77 Away game 39 | Tuesday April 1, 2014 |
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Game Recap:The Canadiens had a decent first period leading 1-0 after 20 minutes with stellar goaltending by Carey Price and a goal by Brendan Gallagher. A failure to make adjustments by Michel Therrien led to a momentum change for the Lightning in the second period. Only Price’s spectacular goaltending kept the game close. Tampa Bay continued to apply pressure in the third period assisted by numerous power-play opportunities. The Habs top line contributed nothing offensively with David Desharnais’ turnover leading to the winning goal. Despite the loss the Habs clinched a berth into the playoffs with losses by the Capitals and Devils.
Plus / Minus ▲ Carey Price, Andrei Markov, Mike Weaver, Lars Eller, Brendan Gallagher ▼ Rene Bourque, Thomas Vanek, Daniel Briere, Max Pacioretty, David Desharnais, Francis Bouillon, P.K. Subban |
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Boxscore:
| FINAL | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | SO | T |
| Canadiens | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 |
| Lightning | 0 | 1 | 2 | – | – | 3 |
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Shots on Goal:
| FINAL | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | T |
| Canadiens | 10 | 10 | 6 | – | 26 |
| Lightning | 10 | 11 | 12 | – | 33 |
| NHL Three Stars | ||
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| Post-game Press Conference |
- “First of all, it’s a great accomplishment (to make the playoffs) and we’re pleased about that because there’s so much parity in the league.”
- “No, (P.K. Subban didn’t do anything wrong tonight.) No reason (why he only played 17 minutes.)”
- “Tonight’s game, we were way more too fancy than we’re supposed to play. When you’re fancy, nothing good is going to happen. It could happen once-in-a-while but honestly, that’s not the way we want to play. We created a lot of turnovers, we didn’t play the right way and with the result that we didn’t have a good game.”
- “Carey Price gave us a chance to stick in the game. But this is a lesson for us and make sure we go back with our good habits.”
- “We turned the puck over. We refused to chip the puck and establish some forechecking. We just refused to do it. We were trying to make plays when there was no plays with the result that we couldn’t get any momentum.”
- “(We made the playoffs because) we’re a group that works hard. Those guys work hard, they play in the structure. Obviously with a goaltender like Carey Price, it’s always a big plus.
- “I like our work ethic, I like our commitment and our passion. This is because it’s so demanding to make the playoffs. Again there’s going to be a good teams this year, probably in two weeks, that won’t make the playoffs. We’re pleased that we’re a part of it.”
Defenseman Douglas Murray
- “I was happy to see [Michael Kostka] got up and was doing better. I felt like I had my arm tucked in, but I’m not going to comment much on it because I’m obviously going to get a review on it and I haven’t really got a chance to look at it afterwards.”
- “[Scoring 35 goals] is nothing magical, I want to improve every year.”
Goalie Carey Price
- “Obviously, we’re trying to make a push toward the playoffs. It’s all about timing and being able to play well at the right time.”
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper
- “Who knows how this is going to play out, if we’re going to play them in the first round or not. But it would be a pretty exciting one if that’s the way it plays out.”
- “I thought for one game (Carey) Price might have made the difference, or it might have been a little bit of a wider gap [without him]. There’s a reason he went to the Olympics and did what he did there. He’s not a good goalie, he’s an elite goalie. But we’ve got a great adversary down on the other side.”
Lightning forward Steven Stamkos
- “We’re proud [of clinching] in here. It’s been an adverse season to say the least. The guys have battled through a lot of things, and a lot of people were probably doubting us after certain guys got injured, and trades and the amount of young guys we had on this team. It is an accomplishment, but there is still a lot of hard work to be done.”
To look back at the full lineups for tonight’s game, check the Game Day preview.
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