2021 Stanley Cup Final: 3 Storylines to watch in Game 2 between Habs, Bolts

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.

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.