These are the keys to Game 5 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.
We could see the Stanley Cup awarded tonight after being denied that opportunity in Game 4 on Monday thanks to a gusty win by the Montreal Canadiens in Overtime, but the Tampa Bay Lightning will have a packed Amalie Arena as motivation as they look to get the job done tonight.
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Josh Anderson scored the OT winner to ensure that the Habs lived to fight another day, and they will be hoping another stellar Carey Price outing and their historic penalty kill leads to another win tonight to force a Game 6.
As we’ve already mentioned, however, the Bolts know what awaits if they can clinch this series tonight and, after celebrating with the Stanley Cup with no fans last year, the chance to lift Lord Stanley on home ice in front of a packed Amalie Arena will be a huge factor in this contest.
The omens are good for Tampa too given that they are 13-0 following a loss since the start of the 2020 NHL Playoffs, scoring 50 goals and allowing just 19 in that span, and the likes of Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos are due a monster game too.
There will be plenty of things to watch out for in Game 5 and these three things could determine whether we see handshakes and the Stanley Cup come the end of the night, or if we need to get ready for a Game 6 in Montreal…
3 Biggest Keys to Game 5 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final
3. Score First
Why is this so important?
Well, the team that has scored first in this series has won all four games with the Tampa Bay Lightning never trailing heading into Game 4, until Josh Anderson scored in the first period and he tallied the game-winner in OT to give Montreal their first win of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.
The first goal really matters when you consider that Montreal is 12-2 when scoring first in the postseason and 1-6 when they don’t, while the Lightning are 15-2 when scoring first and 0-5 when giving up the first goal.
So, in conclusion, you can be pretty confident that whoever lands the first blow of Game 5 will go on to win.
Plus, there’s the big factor of a full house expected at Amalie Arena tonight and the energy will be unreal as the home crowd are expecting a Stanley Cup party later, and that atmosphere could really aid Tampa Bay if they are able to score first.