Here is a handy reference guide to the Tampa Bay Lightning that BetOnline customers can use throughout the Stanley Cup Finals.
Canadiens – A little background
The Montreal Canadiens finished in fourth place in the NHL’s North Division. They had the 18th-best record in the league, which was not impressive, considering there are 16 playoff teams.
In the regular season, they had a record of 24 wins and 32 losses. When you add in their playoff record in the first three rounds (12-5), they were still a game under the .500 mark going into the Stanley Cup finals.
Montreal has won the NHL championship 25 times. But they have not been able to hoist the Cup since 1993, when Jacques Demers was the head coach.
Canadiens – Speaking of head coaches…..
…..This team has had three of them. Claude Julien started the season, and was fired after a 9-9 record. Then Dominique Ducharme took over, and Montreal had just a 15-23 regular season mark under him. But he took them through the first two rounds of the playoffs. And then he went through the first two games of the series against the Vegas Golden Knights. But he was then flagged for COVID and had to go into self-isolation. Assistant coach Luke Richardson took over on an interim basis. However, Ducharme may be back for Game 3 of the Finals.
Canadiens – How hot are they?
Coming into the Finals, the Canadiens had won eleven of their last 13 games. Overall, however, their goal differential in the playoffs over three rounds of play was just +6.
This is a team that is quickly gaining a reputation for not letting the opponent get inside with good shots. During the series against Vegas, only five of the Knights’ 13 goals were scored by their forwards. And between Games 4 and 5, they allowed only ten High Danger Scoring Chances.
Montreal was second in the NHL in “Corsi % For,” at 54.4%
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Canadiens – Power doesn’t work against them
The Canadiens were only 23rd in the NHL in killing penalties this season. But during the playoffs they turned into something super-human. Coming into the Finals, they had killed off 30 penalties in a row. And they had gone 13 consecutive games without allowing a power play goal.
Canadiens – The stopper
Carey Price has been incredible during the first three rounds of the playoffs. He’s registered a 2.02 goals-against average (GAA) and .934 save percentage. This was a big step up from his regular season numbers – a 2.64 GAA and .901 save percentage. And when his team has been a man down, he actually has a bettter GAA (.952) than otherwise.
Price has been a six-time All-Star who won the Hart Trophy (MVP) and Vezina Trophy (top goalie) in 2015. But he has never been part of a Stanley Cup finalist before this season.
Price has apparently benefited from Montreal making a change in goaltending coaches. He has been working with Sean Burke, who made three NHL All-Star teams before retiring in 2007.
Canadiens – Defense first for forwards
Brendan Gallagher missed 21 games this season with injuries. But he has been absolutely indispensable from s defensive standpoint. Together with Phillip Denault, they have played 185 minutes in the playoffs. And no one has scored a goal against Montreal while they’ve been on the ice.
For example, they nearly stopped the NHL’s leading goal-scorer, Auston Matthews, cold. Matthews had just one goal on 35 shots.
Although he did not score in the Vegas series, Gallagher led the Canadiens with 17 shots.
Canadiens – Toffoli tops the offense
Tyler Toffoli has been Montreal’s leading scorer in the playoffs, with five goals and nine assists for 14 points. He was also their leading regular season scorer, with 28 goals and 16 assists for 44 points.
Tampay Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens NHL
….odds according to BetOnline:
| Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | -1½ ( +142 ) | 5 ( +105 ) | -197 |  |
| Canadiens | +1½ ( -162 ) | 5 ( -125 ) | +169 | |
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