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.
2. Who wins the Conn Smythe?
If the Stanley Cup is brought out on to the ice tonight, then we will also see the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is awarded to the Most Valuable Player during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
So, who are the frontrunners for the award?
We did a Power Rankings of the leading contenders, which you can read here, and Conn Smythe watch will be on throughout the course of Game 4.
Given how dominant he has been throughout the Playoffs, Lightning star Nikita Kucherov is probably the favorite after recording 30 plus points for the second straight postseason, and a huge Game 4 could seal the deal.
Brayden Point is probably not that far behind his teammate given his insane goalscoring exploits this postseason, having scored a goal in nine consecutive games and leading the entire league in Playoff goals for the second consecutive year.
Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been dominant and boasts a 1.67 Goals Against Average and a .948 Save Percentage in the Final alone, having allowed just five goals on 97 shots with his statement moment coming in Game 2 when he stopped 42 of 43 shots.
Defenseman Victor Hedman – who won the Conn Smythe last year – is also a contender but, depending on what happens in Game 4, it would be surprising if one of Kucherov or Point isn’t crowned the Most Valuable Player of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
1. Will we see a Champion crowned?
No prizes for guessing the biggest and most compelling storyline of Game 4 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.
Yes, that’s right, all eyes will be on the Stanley Cup which will be in the building at Bell Centre tonight, waiting to be greeted by the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second consecutive year if they can get the job done.
We’re a hockey site so we are biased but the Stanley Cup is the greatest trophy in all of sports, and it isn’t even close.
There is nothing better than seeing that beautiful trophy in all of its glory brought out on to the ice and then presented to the Captain of the winning team, before being passed around to each member of the team in a pre-ordained order.
That is one of many great traditions that belong in postseason hockey, along with post-game handshakes which always take on extra importance after the Stanley Cup Final given that both teams have just slogged their way through a gruelling war of attrition, with each side appreciating what the other has just gone through.
Next. 3 reasons why the Habs can stay alive. dark
You just can’t beat the celebration that comes after winning the Stanley Cup and, while it will be in a near-empty building and on the road, that won’t matter to the Tampa Bay Lightning who are looking to become the first team since the Detroit Red Wings in 1998 to sweep a Stanley Cup Final, and the good news is that 20 of the 27 teams that have taken a 3-0 lead in the Final have gone on to sweep the series.
We could be in for one hell of a special night in the National Hockey League.