Stanley Cup Final: 4 Big Takeaways from Game 1 as the Lightning crush the Canadiens
There were a few big takeaways from Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday.
Just three wins stand between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the chance to repeat as cup champions after they absolutely dismantled the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, winning 5-1 at Amalie Arena and sending out a clear statement of intent in the process.
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It was an explosive showing by the Lightning who showed just why they are an absolute juggernaut from the first drop of the puck, and they could well become the next great dynasty in the NHL given how talented, deep and loaded this roster is.
Defenseman Erik Cernak got Tampa on the board in the first period with a tip-in, before Yanni Gourde made it 2-0 early in the second after deflecting Blake Coleman’s shot past Carey Price, who had to deal with screens and deflections all night long.
Ben Chiarot did get Montreal in the game with his first goal of the Playoffs, but that was as good as it got for the Habs with Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy making 16 saves from 17 shots to maintain his stellar postseason.
This time of year is built for the biggest stars to shine and do their thing on the biggest stage, and it became the Nikita Kucherov show in the third period as the elite forward tallied two goals and claimed the primary assist on Steven Stamkos‘ power play goal.
It was just pure dominance by Tampa Bay who were not fazed by the sheer magnitude of the occasion, and they seemed extra motivated by the opportunity to become just the ninth team in the long and rich history of the NHL to win back-to-back championships.
Impressive is probably the word to sum up the Lightning’s Game 1 performance, and we had some takeaways from the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Final opener…
4 Big Takeaways from the Tampa Bay Lightning’s big win in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final
4. Experience really does count
It is a well-used cliche in sports, but “they know how to win” does carry a lot of weight, especially in the postseason, and that was very evident in Game 1 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final on Monday night.
One one side you had the Tampa Bay Lightning who overcame a boatload of adversity to win the Stanley Cup inside The Bubble in last year’s Playoffs, while they have consistently made deep runs over the last few years.
As a result, this current roster knows what it takes to survive the gruelling war of attrition that is the postseason, they are familiar with the euphoric highs and the crushing lows of playoff hockey, and they have an intricate understanding of how to navigate a best-of-7 final.
On the flip side, the Montreal Canadiens entered this series with none of those benefits having middled in hockey mediocrity for a considerable amount of time, and most of this roster is young with a severe lack of postseason experience.
Yes, the Habs boast grizzled veterans like Carey Price, Shea Weber, Eric Staal and Corey Perry on the roster – with the latter two having won the Stanley Cup before while Perry was in the Final with the Dallas Stars last year – but the team as a whole are wet behind the years when it comes to playing important hockey at this time of year.
It was obvious to see during the National Anthems too with the likes of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Phillip Danault looking overcome by the sheer magnitude of the moment, and those jitters were on full display for the opening 10 minutes of the game.
If you are a Habs fan then you hope that case of stage fright was a one-night deal and that, by Game 2 on Wednesday, the Canadiens feel more at ease and can start playing the type of game that led them here.
However, the Lightning just looked like a team that had been there before in Game 1 and their abundance of experience when it comes to postseason hockey could well be their biggest weapon for the remainder of this series.