2021 Stanley Cup Final: 3 Big Takeaways from Game 3 as Bolts on cusp of repeating

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.

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.