2021 Stanley Cup Final: 3 must-watch storylines in Game 4 as Bolts look to clinch
Potentially seeing Lord Stanley make an appearance is just one storyline to keep an eye on in Game 4.
This is it as the Tampa Bay Lightning will look to sweep the Montreal Canadiens in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final and clinch their second straight championship by winning Game 4 tonight, and there will be loads of fascinating subplots to watch.
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Bell Centre is currently preparing to play host to an elimination game as the Habs put their season on the line. After what has been a stunning and incredible postseason run, the Canadiens now need to win in order to stay alive to fight another day.
It will be tough, however, given that they haven’t matched up well against the Lightning all series, and the Bolts will be motivated to go out and finish the job so they can party with the Stanley Cup tonight and celebrate going back-to-back.
Tampa Bay has been an absolute juggernaut all postseason and they’ve been a class above in this series so far, benefitting from elite goaltending, an explosive offense, a deadly power play and contributions from up and down the lineup.
They are chasing history and their pursuit of greatness will be just one of a handful of subplots we will be keeping an eye on throughout tonight’s showdown in Montreal.
3 must-watch storylines in Game 4 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final
3. Will Price & the Habs respond?
This hasn’t been a vintage Stanley Cup Final so far mainly because it has been so one-sided, with the Tampa Bay Lightning looking pretty comfortable in all three games.
Even when they were outshot and outplayed in Game 2, you never got the feeling that the Habs were going to pull it off because Andrei Vasilevskiy was absolutely lights out with a stellar 42-save performance, while that explosive offense only needs one or two opportunities to wreak havoc.
Back in their own building for Game 3, the Canadiens couldn’t get out of their own way as they allowed two goals within the first five minutes of the game, and a plethora of ugly turnovers and poor play in the defensive zone proved to be their undoing.
All in all, it hasn’t been a good series for the surprise package of the postseason, and if they are to save their season for a couple of more days at least, then it will have to be a complete team effort from the first drop of the puck.
Montreal will need to be ready to battle and compete right from the off and they will have to land the first blow of the game, although that is no easy task given that the Lightning haven’t trailed at all this series.
Carey Price, who has an ugly 4.39 Goals Against Average and an .835 Save Percentage in the Stanley Cup Final, will also need to absolutely stand on his head and win this game for his team, something he hasn’t been able to do since the semifinal against the Vegas Golden Knights.
If Price can deliver, if the offense can click and pile on the Bolts early, and if the defense can shutdown a deep and loaded lineup, then the Canadiens may be able to force a Game 5 and keep their season alive for a little longer.