2021 Stanley Cup Final: 3 Storylines to watch in Game 2 between Habs, Bolts
Game 2 of the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Final has some compelling narratives at play.
We’re nearly set for Game 2 of the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Final, and the Tampa Bay Lightning will be hoping to take a 2-0 series lead over the Montreal Canadiens after winning Game 1 on Monday.
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They absolutely ran the Habs out of the building at Amalie Arena, finding a way to beat the previously unbeatable Carey Price by setting up screens and getting traffic to the net, while Nikita Kucherov‘s postseason legacy continued to grow with a three-point night (2 G, 1 A).
Tampa also got big contributions from up and down the lineup as well as a big night from goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, and they look every inch the juggernaut that won the Stanley Cup inside The Bubble last year.
Montreal, on the other hand, looked blown away by the moment and they got away from the style of hockey that made them such a hard team to play against this postseason, abandoning the ethos that led them here in the first place.
They failed to protect Price in and around the crease, they struggled to generate any kind of offense, they couldn’t control or keep hold of the puck and the hustle and physical approach that just wore teams down in the previous three rounds just wasn’t there.
That will have to change if the Habs are to head back to Canada on Friday with this series split, and there will be some interesting storylines worth keeping an eye on at Amalie Arena tonight.
3 most compelling storylines to watch in Game 2 between Habs and Bolts
3. How big a miss will Alex Killorn be?
It is testament to Tampa Bay’s insane depth up and down the lineup that gritty forward Alex Killorn slips under the radar, despite his sheer importance to this team. He has been a core member of this roster for a while now, and he played a key role in last year’s championship success.
He has also been very important to the Bolts so far this postseason, recording 17 points (8 G, 9 A), while he plays big 5-on-5 minutes on the second-line with Steven Stamkos and Anthony Cirelli, he plays on the power play and he kills penalties too.
Therefore, there was some level of panic when the 31-year-old left Game 1 with an undisclosed injury after blocking a shot with his left leg in the second period, and he will be a huge loss for the Bolts in Game 2 tonight.
It remains to be seen who takes Killorn’s place on the second-line but, whoever that is, they will need to be ready to tick a lot of boxes in order to fill the void left by Killorn, who really does everything for this Lightning team.
2. Is this Carey Price’s Monster Game?
Elite goalies are just that because they can win games on their own, and the very best are able to put their team on the back and drag them over the finishing line, especially in the postseason.
Carey Price has done that for the Canadiens a few times already this postseason, but he suffered a rough Game 1 after being left exposed by his blueline time after time after time, with three of Tampa Bay’s goals coming off deflections.
The Lighting did a great job of setting up screens, taking Price’s vision away and getting bodies to the front of the net, making it incredibly difficult for one of the main contenders for the Conn Smythe Trophy to keep track of the puck.
Tampa now has the recipe for success in this series but Montreal should be a lot better than they were in Game 1 and they better be because there’s no doubt Price will be motivated to bounce-back himself tonight, and he could be in line for a monster game.
The Habs are here mainly because of Price and his heroics in the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and there is no doubt that the 33-year-old has a couple of more masterclasses up his sleeve, so Game 2 would be the perfect time to add to his Hall of Fame resume with a game-winning performance.
1. Can Tampa take a hold of this series or will Habs fight back?
There so many fascinating subplots at play in Game 2 tonight, including a whole lot of history when it comes to how significant this contest could be in the overall makeup of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.
For starters, the Tampa Bay Lightning have never taken a 2-0 series lead in the Final in franchise history but, if they are able to change that tonight, then history will be on their side given that teams that win the first two games in a best-of-7 Final hold an all-time series record of 46-5 (.902).
However, it is worth noting that the Canadiens have accounted for two of the five times a team has rallied from a 2-0 series deficit in the Stanley Cup Final, in 1966 and 1971, and they have gotten used to facing adversity a lot already this postseason.
They were down 3-1 in the First Round against the Toronto Maple Leafs before winning three straight to advance, while they dropped Game 1 of the semifinal against the Vegas Golden Knights, only to completely stifle many people’s favorite to win the Stanley Cup for the rest of the series.
Next. 3 Keys to Game 2. dark
As a result, this series is far from over even if the Bolts do take Game 2 tonight and head to Canada with a 2-0 series lead, but don’t be surprised at all if the Montreal Canadiens fight back and show the character and the fight that has defined their stunning postseason run so far.