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NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens
Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

MONTREAL — It feels like every hour features more Montreal Canadiens news, and we’re all bound to miss a story or two. On Sundays, we always recap the relevant NHL news you may have missed, to help you stay in the Canadiens loop.

Seeing as the Habs played on Sunday, this edition of the Wrap is scheduled for Monday morning.

Make sure you don’t miss any Canadiens news by signing up to our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for various other NHL teams, or the daily newsletter covering the most exciting developments in sports.[Sportsnaut]

Montreal Canadiens News And Notes

Juraj Slafkovsky’s three goals came on the powerplay, but it was actually Montreal’s work at 5v5 that should be considered the most encouraging aspect of the Game 1 win. The Habs outchanced the Tampa Bay Lightning, and by a wide margin, too. [Canadiens Playoff Analysis: The Key Statistic From Game One Win]

Slafkovsky was quick to praise head coach Martin St-Louis for his wise use of a timeout versus the Lightning. Rather than waiting for another opportunity, or losing it to the time clock, St-Louis decided to call a timeout early in the overtime, which immediately led to Slafkovsky’s game-winning goal.

He also noted the Canadiens work as a pack, with every player driving the prey towards the same direction.

Speaking of Slafkovsky, even with the excellent work on the powerplay, he was clearly the team’s best player at 5v5. He had more individual high-danger scoring chances at 5v5 (three) than the entire Tampa Bay Lightning lineup (one).

The vibes were immaculate at practice following the 4-3 overtime win versus the Bolts.

The Canadiens did not put together a terrible effort versus the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game Two, however, a few costly mistakes led to the 3-2 overtime win for the Bolts, including a terrible pass attempt by Juraj Slafkovsky. That being said, Slafkovsky was far from the only player who made a mistake on Tuesday night. [Canadiens Highlights: Exciting Overtime Loss]

The Habs players were fairly level-headed following the frustrating loss. As Mike Matheson explained, they always knew they were going to face a talented team in the Lightning.

It remains to be seen whether head coach Martin St-Louis will make any lineup changes ahead of Game Three on Friday, but there are a few decent options should he decide to shake things up.

While the Canadiens did generate more high-danger chances than the Lightning at 5v5, the momentum swung firmly in Tampa Bay’s corner roughly midway through the game. [NST]

With all due respect to Arber Xhekaj, I was expecting him to belt out the first few notes to “I want it that way“.

Sniper Cole Caufield was the latest athlete to pour his heart out for the Players’ Tribune, in a fantastic piece that can only be described as heartfelt and honest. “To me, hockey is the best sport because you really can’t do it alone. Scoring 50 this year was awesome, but it was such a team accomplishment. And really, it’s about the whole atmosphere that you’re in. The Bell Centre has been incredible all season, and to score number 50 there in front of all you guys, and with my dad in the building … that was such a great wave to ride into these playoffs.” [Players’ Tribune]

Caufield also discussed the upcoming game at the Bell Centre, and the impact the Canadiens fans will have on the team’s motivation.

The top four has struggled when it comes to shutting down the Lightning, however, the third pairing of Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj has been elite. Take a look at how the Canadiens defencemen have performed so far in the playoffs. [Canadiens Need Better Results From Top Four]

With the series tied at 1-1, we also took a look at which forward lines have performed well, and which trio needs to improve their play versus the Bolts. [Which Canadiens Lines Are Performing Best In Playoffs]

Xhekaj doesn’t seem particularly worried about Tampa’s consistent greasiness. He’s got a point, since the Habs have generated a lot more high-danger scoring chances than the Bolts, but walking the line is always a difficult proposal, especially when you’re dealing with habitual line steppers.

Head coach Martin St-Louis joins Xhekaj when it comes to not losing any sleep over Tampa’s tactics.

t was yet another evenly-matched game, at least on the scoreboard. The Habs emerged with a 2-1 win, and a 2-1 series advantage thanks to Lane Hutson‘s overtime goal. All things considered, the scoreline was a little flattering towards the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that generated a grand total of one high-danger scoring chance at 5v5. [Canadiens Highlights: Hutson Plays The Hero In Big Win]

Hutson’s game-winning goal was so nice, it’s worth watching twice.

It should also be noted that Hutson somehow managed to call his own goal. This may come off as arrogant to some, but we all know that’s not Hutson’s style. He’s simply confident in his game, and he has the results to back it up.

Captain Nick Suzuki‘s dry humour was at play following the exciting win.

While the first line struggles to create much offence at even-strength, Kirby Dach has done a great job helping the Canadiens win, including a two-point effort on Friday night. It was one of his best games in a Habs uniform since joining the team in 2022.

It’s very easy to dismiss the play of Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble on the third pairing, but it would be intellectually dishonest to ignore the fact that they lead all NHL defencemen in expected goal share. Yes, it’s easier to play on the third pair, but it’s never easy to control over 80% of the expected goals. [Canadiens Need Better Results From Top Four]

Ivan Demidov sat down with Elliotte Friedman to discuss his rookie season with the Habs, and how they’ve quickly become a part of his family.

Tampa Bay’s strategy of running players, taunting goalies, and punching opponents in every scrum is backfiring spectacularly. In fact, on top of having a series lead, the Canadiens have actually landed more hits than their opponents through three games. [Tampa Bay’s Strategy Is Backfiring In Series Versus Canadiens]

The discrepancy in high-danger shots in the series is hard to ignore. In fact, after three games, the Canadiens held a 75% advantage in high-danger scoring chances at 5v5, the highest mark of all teams in the NHL playoffs.

Beyond the physical battle, which the Habs are winning, there are several other reasons why the Canadiens have managed to establish a series lead, including the excellent play of the third pairing, featuring Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble. [Top 3 Reasons The Canadiens Have A Series Lead]

Believe it or not, Xhekaj leads the entire NHL in expected goal share, with an impressive 83.8%. [NST]

Kirby Dach discussed the support from head coach Martin St-Louis as he navigated the seemingly endless list of injuries in recent seasons.

This is clearly trolling, but it’s quality trolling, relatively speaking. Besides, given that Brady Tkachuk seems to be one of the worst leaders in the league, it’s probably time his position in the Senators organization comes under scrutiny. Or maybe he’s a great leader that never seems to have any semblance of luck when it comes to leadership. Hard to say.

The clip embedded below doesn’t have anything to do with the Habs, but it’s hard not to roll your eyes when a dirtbag like Ridley Greig starts punching a player who is being held down. That’s pure cowardice.

The Canadiens actually managed to establish their first two-goal lead of the series on Sunday night, but it was not enough, as a late-game surge by the Lightning led to a 3-2 loss, tying the series at two games a piece in the process. [Canadiens Highlights: Late-Game Collapse Costs Habs]

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By Marc Dumont
Marc has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for Journal Metro, The Athletic, The ... More about Marc Dumont

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