2021 Stanley Cup Final: 3 Big Takeaways from Game 3 as Bolts on cusp of repeating
There were plenty of big takeaways from Game 3 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.
We’re nearing the conclusion of the 2020-21 NHL season after the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-3 in Game 3 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final to move to within one win of repeating as champions.
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It was another backbreaker of a loss for the Habs, who were playing their first Stanley Cup Final game on home ice since 1993, as they outshot the Lightning for the second consecutive game, but lack of execution and costly mistakes proved to be their downfall.
On the other hand, though, the Lightning again showed why they are the best team in hockey right now as they came out swinging with two early goals to suck the air out of a very loud Bell Centre, and they also took full advantage of Montreal’s sloppy play later in the game to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.
Defensemen Jan Rutta and Victor Hedman scored within the first four minutes of the game, although Phillip Danault‘s first goal of the postseason for the Canadiens made it a one-goal contest heading into the second period.
But losing the turnover battle was again the downfall of Montreal as Nikita Kucherov and Tyler Johnson both scored off sloppy mistakes in the defensive zone, while Johnson’s second of the game and Blake Coleman‘s empty-netter pushed the Canadiens to the brink with goals from Nick Suzuki and Corey Perry carrying little importance.
Tampa now need just one more win in order to win the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive year, something that hasn’t been done since the Pittsburgh Penguins repeated in 2015-16 and 2016-17, and only eight teams in total have gone back-to-back in the long history of the NHL.
It could all be done and dusted in Game 4 on Monday if Tampa Bay are able to finish the job in Montreal but, before we shift our focus to the potential series-clincher, let’s take a look at some takeaways from Game 3…
3 Takeaways from Game 3 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final betweens Habs & Bolts
3. Johnson’s True Redemption Story
What a year it has been for Tyler Johnson.
Once a potential salary cap casualty at the start of the 2020-21 season, Johnson saw his name constantly come up in trade talks and was even put on waivers, which reflected the harsh realities of professional sports given just how much the veteran has given to this franchise.
He did remain with the Lightning but was limited to an average of 13:40 of total ice time throughout the course of the regular season, while he went 21 games without a single goal and was mired on the fourth-line.
However, things can change quickly in sports and especially in hockey, and the gritty forward has put a rough year behind him to play a key role in the Stanley Cup Final for Tampa Bay, with his crowning moment coming in Game 3.
With 2 goals in his previous 20 postseason outings, Johnson scored twice against the Canadiens on Friday to push the Bolts to the cusp of winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, with both goals coming at critical moments in the game.
The nature of the goals themselves – both greasy rebound goals – were perhaps a perfect illustration of Johnson’s never give-up approach this year, but both could live on in the overall legacy of both Johnson’s career and the Lightning’s current championship dynasty.
After all, the 30-year-old’s two-goal salvo essentially sealed the win for Tampa Bay in a game they were outshot by the Habs and, barring a shocking collapse of epic proportions, they should now go on to clinch their second championship in as many years.
If, or rather when, that transpires, then Johnson’s role this postseason will be remembered fondly and it could well be his last great act for this Lightning team given that he will likely be moved on during the offseason with Tampa desperately needing to create cap space.
If these are indeed Johnson’s last days with the organization, then, it is fitting that he will bow out having played another crucial role in a cup run after once carrying this team on his back to the 2015 Stanley Cup Final.
He’s earned this farewell.
2. Sergachev – The one that got away
There was an amusing scene during player introductions in Game 3 in Montreal as Mikhail Sergachev was met with boos from the 3,500 fans inside the Bell Centre, the same fans that used to idolize the defenseman.
However, Sergachev wasn’t fazed at all and instead he just stood there with a smirk on his face as he probably remembered that he landed in the better situation after being traded to Tampa Bay by the Habs in 2017.
Since then, the 23-year-old has emerged as one of the best top-four defensemen in the entire National Hockey League, he’s won a Stanley Cup and he’s on the cusp of adding a second championship to his resume.
Against his former team too.
LOL Mikhail Sergachev smirking as Habs fans boo him pic.twitter.com/Ru9YNSf07o
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) July 3, 2021
There is no doubt that the Lightning have already won that lopsided trade, with forward Jonathan Drouin going to Montreal, and the Canadiens were given a painful reminder of what could have been in Game 3.
Already public enemy No. 1 in Montreal after leaving Brendan Gallagher bloodied in a net-front tussle in Game 1, and then checking Artturi Lehkonen hard into the boards with a crushing hit in Game 2, Sergachev relished the role of villain on Friday and he embraced it.
He logged 20:45 minutes of total ice time, blocked three shots, dished out a hit and made some big plays in his own zone, and he played his part in helping to limit the Canadiens offensively when it really mattered.
This is very much the Mikhail Sergachev revenge tour and, as he showed during introductions on Friday, he is loving every single second of it as he closes in on the second Stanley Cup of his young and flourishing career.
1. Heavyweight vs. Lightweight
As we mapped out here, the Montreal Canadiens absolutely deserve to be in the Stanley Cup Final after overturning a 3-1 series deficit to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in the First Round, sweeping the Winnipeg Jets in the Second and then stunning the Vegas Golden Knights in six games in the semifinals.
They earned their spot and there is no doubt that this team faces an exciting future with the likes of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield at the helm, with those two young studs very much the new faces of this storied franchise.
That being said, however, it has become increasingly clear that the Habs don’t belong in the same weight class as the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are now just win away from clinching their second consecutive Stanley Cup and they could sweep this series in Game 4 on Monday.
Many felt that Montreal’s ability to stifle teams, as they did in the first Three Rounds, coupled with Carey Price playing at the peak of his powers, would make the Stanley Cup Final a true war of attrition and one that could go six or seven games.
However, Price has played his worst hockey of the postseason and has struggled, while the Habs just have no answer to whatever the Lightning have thrown at them in the first three games of this series.
They were dominated in Game 1 and while they were much better in Game 2, Montreal couldn’t get the job done and sloppy hockey led to the Bolts winning Game 2 to take a 2-0 series lead to Montreal.
It was a similar story in Game 3 as the Canadiens again won out on the shot board, but they were careless with the puck and they dug themselves a very deep hole early on with Tampa coming out swinging in the first period, and goals from defensemen Jan Rutta and Victor Hedman gave them a 2-0 lead with less than five minutes played.
Montreal never quite recovered and even when they did put themselves in a position to potentially claw their way back into the game, sloppy turnovers allowed the Lightning to turn mistakes into goals and move one step closer to repeating.
Next. Bell Centre still a postseason spectacle. dark
They have just been outshone in every single area, including goaltending with the Habs scoring just five goals in three games and being outscored 14-5 in total, and there really is a gigantic gulf between the two teams with the 2021 Stanley Cup Final over before it ever really started.