2021 Stanley Cup Final: Montreal Canadiens will regret Game 2 failure no matter what
Talk about missed opportunities for the Montreal Canadiens in Game 2 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.
Every postseason series in every sport has a turning point that can play a huge role in the eventual outcome, and the Montreal Canadiens’ inability to even the series by dropping Game 2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning can be filed under that category.
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After being run out of the building in a 5-1 loss in Game 1 on Monday, the Habs mustered up the perfect response in Game 2 on Wednesday, getting back to the style of hockey that has made them such a resounding success this postseason.
They were physical, they won the faceoff battle, they controlled the puck better, they were elite on the penalty kill and they did a great job of getting pucks and traffic to the net, outshooting the Lightning 43-23.
The second period was the best 20 minutes the Habs had carved out in the Stanley Cup Final, and they displayed the type of grit, character and determination that has defined their stunning postseason run by responding after allowing the first goal of the game.
Game 2 was the biggest of missed opportunities for the Montreal Canadiens
Anthony Cirelli‘s tally could have knocked the spirit out of Montreal but, instead, they rallied and made it a tied game at 10:36 in the second when Nick Suzuki beat Andrei Vasilevskiy with a backhand shot on the power play.
The problem was, however, came between the pipes for the Lightning with Vasilevskiy having arguably one of his best games of the postseason, absolutely standing on his head and winning the game for his team with a stellar 42-save performance.
It was a display of sheer will from the 2020-21 Vezina Trophy finalist who refused to be beat, pulling off a handful of stunning saves to keep Montreal at bay, including denying the impressive Nick Suzuki on more than one occasion.
Vasilevskiy’s brilliance was already a major headache for the Habs who just couldn’t make their dominance count, and the game was over when Joel Edmundson turned the puck over behind his own net following a miscommunication with fellow defenseman Jeff Petry, allowing Ondrej Palat to bank the puck in off the sky of Carey Price.
It was a crushing, backbreaking defeat for the Canadiens who were in touching distance of taking a series split back to Montreal, but they just couldn’t finish the job and they will now have to win four of its next five games if they are to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1993.
That is a hard enough task as it is but, against the defending champions and an absolute juggernaut like Tampa Bay, it is bordering on the impossible and the Habs will have to be near-perfect from here on out if they are off to pull off the unthinkable.
What was really frustrating about Game 2 was the fact that a much-improved defense managed to keep the deadly trio of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point quiet, with the trio combining for a total of just five shots.
Next. 4 Takeaways from Game 2. dark
However, that still wasn’t enough to get the split on the road and, while this series is still a long way from being over, there is no doubt that the Montreal Canadiens will look back on a heartbreaking Game 2 as a missed opportunity. Especially if their cup drought extends by another year.