Stanley Cup Final: 4 Big Takeaways from Game 1 as the Lightning crush the Canadiens
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.