Allow us to get you set for Game 1 of the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Final.
In a matchup that very few could and would have predicted, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens will do battle in order to lift Lord Stanley – the greatest prize in all of sports.
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While this is a strange showdown in that two Eastern Conference teams will be slugging it out due to the realignment caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic, it should be a mouthwatering and compelling series from start to finish.
After all, the Lightning are looking to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions having conquered their postseason demons inside The Bubble last year, and if they are successful then they will become the first team since the Pittsburgh Penguins, who went back-to-back in 2015-16 and then in 2016-17, to do so.
Then you have the upstart Montreal Canadiens who, despite firing Head Coach Claude Julien midway through the season, put their regular season mediocrity behind them to stun the hockey world time and time again in the Playoffs.
Led by elite goalie Carey Price, who is playing at the very peak of his powers right now, the Canadiens are standing on the precipice of both winning the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1993, and also delivering Canada its first championship in 28 long and painful years.
With both teams boasting stellar goaltending, stingy defenses and an abundance of firepower, this is set up to be one hell of a Stanley Cup Final and we have you covered ahead of Game 1.
2021 NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 1: TV, Lineups, Livestream, More
Date
Monday, June 28, 2021
Time
8:00 P.M. Eastern Time
Where
Amalie Arena, Tampa Bay
TV Broadcast
NBCSN, SN, CBC, TVAS
Radio
970 WFLA-AM (Tampa Bay) / TSN Radio 690 (Montreal)
Livestreaming
fuboTV has live NHL games on NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, and USA in which you can stream from your phone, television, and all your favorite devices. This is a service that broadcasts live TV over the internet, no cable required. Watch your favorite teams, network shows, news, and movies on 100+ channels. Plus on-demand entertainment including full TV series. fuboTV is currently available in the United States, Canada, and Spain.
Betting
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Check out our friends over at WynnBet for all your Stanley Cup Final betting needs!
Lineups
Here are the projected lineups for both the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Ondrej Palat – Brayden Point – Nikita Kucherov
Alex Killorn – Anthony Cirelli – Steven Stamkos
Barclay Goodrow – Yanni Gourde – Blake Coleman
Ross Colton – Tyler Johnson – Pat Maroon
Victor Hedman – Jan Rutta
Ryan McDonagh – Erik Cernak
Mikhail Sergachev – David Savard
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Curtis McElhinney
Montreal Canadiens
Artturi Lehkonen – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Tyler Toffoli – Nick Suzuki – Cole Caufield
Paul Byron – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Josh Anderson
Jake Evans – Eric Staal – Corey Perry
Jon Merrill – Erik Gustafsson
Carey Price
SideNote – Montreal Canadiens forward Joel Armia, who was recently in COVID-19 protocol, is now out of protocol and is on his way to Tampa on a private jet, making him a game-time decision for Game 1.
Stat of the Day
Fortune favors the brave and that’s the case for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are 12-2 when scoring first in the postseason, while the Montreal Canadiens are 11-2. Tampa is 0-4 when allowing the first goal and Montreal is 1-3, so whoever scores first in Game 1 should feel good about themselves.
Tale of the Tape
Catch up on some key stats prior to Game 1:
Record: Tampa Bay Lightning – 12-6 / Montreal Canadiens – 12-5
Goals For: Tampa Bay Lightning – 58 / Montreal Canadiens – 43
Goals Against: Tampa Bay Lightning – 37 / Montreal Canadiens – 37
Power Play %: Tampa Bay Lightning – 37.7% / Montreal Canadiens – 20.9%
Penalty Kill %: Tampa Bay Lightning – 83% / Montreal Canadiens – 93.5%
Team Leaders
Tampa Bay Lightning Postseason Leaders
- Nikita Kucherov: 27 points (5 G, 22 A)
- Brayden Point: 20 points (14 G, 6 A)
- Alex Killorn: 17 points (8 G, 9 A)
- Steven Stamkos: 17 points (7 G, 10 A)
- Victor Hedman: 16 points (1 G, 15 A)
Montreal Canadiens Postseason Leaders
- Tyler Toffoli: 14 points (5 G, 9 A)
- Nick Suzuki: 13 points (5 G, 8 A)
- Cole Caufield: 9 points (4 G, 5 A)
- Corey Perry: 9 points (3 G, 6 A)
- Joel Armia: 8 points (5 G, 3 A)
X-Factors
Tampa Bay Lightning
Brayden Point has been lethal when it comes to lighting the lamp this postseason, scoring an incredible 14 goals in 18 games played. In other words, he has been an unstoppable offensive juggernaut and he will be relied upon to carry the Tampa Bay offense in the Stanley Cup Final.
Facing the daunting task of going up against Carey Price, who is playing at the peak of his powers between the pipes for the Montreal Canadiens, Point will need to maintain his current hot streak in order to try to solve the unbeatable puzzle that is Price, and if he can find twine a couple of times in Game 1 then that would send a real message.
Montreal Canadiens
Carey Price may as well be the X-Factor for the Montreal Canadiens for the entire series because, let’s face it, if he stays hot and continues to play at the godly level he has all postseason, then he will be taking both the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy back to Canada with him.
Despite a pedestrian regular season, Price has morphed into a superhero straight out of a Marvel film in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, carrying this Canadiens team on his back and giving them a chance to win every single night. He has a 2.02 Goals Against Average and a .934 Save Percentage in 17 games, and there is no doubt that Price is the key for Montreal in the Stanley Cup Final.
Prediction
Game 1 will go to Overtime – you heard it here first.
Given the stellar play of both netminders – Carey Price for the Canadiens and Andrei Vasilevskiy for the Lightning – I can’t see Game 1 being an offensive explosion and I think both goalies will stand on their heads in the Stanley Cup Final opener, with Tampa’s postseason experience giving them the crucial edge in OT.
So, that’s our handy guide for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens, but keep visiting PuckProse throughout the day for a full breakdown of the series and plenty more!