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.
3. There is a way to beat Carey Price
All of the talk heading into the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Final revolved around Carey Price and his heroics so far this postseason, with the Montreal Canadiens goalie putting a substandard regular season behind him to really rise to the occasion when it matters the most.
He entered Game 1 boasting a 12-5-0 record with a stellar .934 Save Percentage and a 2.02 Goals Against Average, with his best work arguably coming in the Semifinal against the Vegas Golden Knights where he completely stifled and shutdown one of the most talented teams in the entire league.
However, while the Knights were reluctant to get to the dirty areas in that series, Game 1 proved that the Lightning are, and they did a fantastic job of setting up screens and crowding the crease from pretty much the first drop of the puck.
Both of Tampa’s first two goals came on deflections as they took Price’s eyes away and made his job increasingly difficult, while the Bolts ensured that the Conn Smythe contender was kept uncomfortable all night as they consistently drove to the net, crashed hard to the dirty areas and made sure there was plenty of traffic in front of the net at all times.
And that’s the secret to solving the puzzle that is Price.
If Tampa Bay can maintain that formula for the rest of this series, if they can continue to take away the eyes of Price and set up screens every time they enter the zone, then the Canadiens goalie can be breached as he was in Game 1 and that could be the key to repeating as Stanley Cup Champions.
2. Tampa Bay’s Power Play is unstoppable
There are so many compelling matchups to watch throughout this series, and so many ways in which the Stanley Cup Final can be won and lost for both teams.
One of the key battles will be special teams with the Tampa Bay Lightning boasting arguably the most explosive and the most potent power play in the entire NHL, while the Montreal Canadiens provided a new blueprint on how to kill off penalties this postseason.
Heading into Game 1, Montreal had killed off 30 consecutive man advantages in an NHL record 13 straight games, while they had also scored more shorthanded goals (four) than they had allowed power play goals (three) in the opening three rounds of the Playoffs.
With Carey Price playing at the peak of his powers too, then it was pretty obvious that if the Habs could remain disciplined and stay out of the box, they had a good chance of stifling an incredibly dangerous Bolts power play.
Wrong.
As Game 1 proved, when something is so good it is hard to stop and that’s the case for the Lightning’s man advantage which doesn’t look like it will be stopped enough to make it any less of a weapon.
Yes, they did finish the night 1-for-3 on the power play but if you study the personnel Head Coach Jon Cooper can roll out on both units, coupled with their hugely impressive puck movement, then the only logical conclusion to draw is that Montreal will need to stay out of the box at all costs if they are to shock the hockey world one more time.
Just watch Tampa Bay’s fifth goal of the night which came on the power play, with Nikita Kucherov finding Steven Stamkos in his preferred spot in the left circle, and the Lightning Captain did the rest by unleashing his trademark one-timer past Carey Price.
You can only hope to contain something as special as Tampa Bay Lightning’s electric power play for so long but, eventually, it is going to find a way to smash the door down and Game 1 proved just how unstoppable it really is and how it could play a crucial role in the Stanley Cup Final.
1. Nikita Kucherov’s Postseason Legend Grows
Nikita Kucherov is one of the most talented players gracing the National Hockey League with his presence right now, as perfectly illustrated by his 547 points (221 G, 326 A) in 515 career NHL games.
However, as special as the 28-year-old is during the regular season, he seems to be able to elevate his game to unfathomable new heights during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and that was certainly the case last year as he recorded 34 points (7 G, 27 A) in 25 games to help the Lightning win the Stanley Cup.
Well, Kucherov’s postseason legend is only continuing to grow in these Playoffs as he has once again anchored this explosive Tampa Bay offense and carried it to new heights, putting on an unmissable show night after night.
Yes, there will be some out there reluctant to shower praise on the right wing given that he missed the entire regular season with injury only to be fully healthy for the Playoffs, while the Lightning worked their way out of salary cap hell in the process.
One and done for Kuch ☑️ pic.twitter.com/LPZAyWZ9jQ
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 29, 2021
You can’t hold that against the player, though, and besides, any hockey purist can appreciate the kind of mind-boggling sorcery being weaved by Kucherov on the ice right now.
He tallied three points in Game 1 against the Canadiens, including ripping an unstoppable shot past Carey Price in the third period before feeding a nice dish to Steven Stamkos for a power play goal later in that same period.
It leaves Kucherov with 30 points (7 G, 23 A) in 19 games this postseason and, given the elite level he is currently operating at, it is incredibly likely that he surpasses last year’s totals by the time this series is wrapped up.
Furthermore, the three-time All-Star now has a combined total of 64 points over the past two postseasons, with only the legendary pair of Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky having recorded more points over the span of two Playoffs.
Next. Lightning prove credentials in Game 1. dark
That highlights just how special a postseason performer Kucherov is, and his ability to ramp his game up another level or two when it really counts will be a huge part of his overall legacy once his playing days are over, especially if he can help lead the Lightning to a second straight Stanley Cup this summer.